Nemacolin Woodlands Resort (Mystic Rock) – Played July 2018
- Rankings: Golf Digest Public #75
- Location: 1001 Lafayette Road, Farmington, Pennsylvania
- Year: 1995
- Original Architect: Pete Dye
- Additional Work By: Ron Forse
- Course Access: Resort
- Walking Rules: Carts & Caddies Available
Score Card Information:
- Championship: 7,526 yards, Par 72, 77.0 Rating/149 Slope
- Blue: 6,831 yards, Par 72, 73.5 Rating/139 Slope
- White: 6,300 yards, Par 72, 71.2 Rating/136 Slope (Men’s), 77.5 Rating/142 Slope (Women’s)
- Gold: 5,668 yards, Par 72, 68.0 Rating/127 Slope (Men’s), 73.8 Rating/134 Slope (Women’s)
- Red: 4,848 yards, Par 72, 68.8 Rating/125 Slope
After my round at Kingsmill, I headed up to Silver Spring, Maryland to see my best friend who moved up there. It was a short stay, but it’s always good to see great friends.
After some reminiscing and a good night sleep I was up and ready to get on the road. My weekend golf journey would be taking me to the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. The resort is in Southwestern Pennsylvania, not far from the Maryland and West Virginia borders.
The drive was uneventful and I arrived in plenty of time for my scheduled round. I was not prepared for the scale of the resort. Simply put, this place is massive. It has almost anything you could want. More on that in a bit.
The resort was founded by Joseph Hardy, the man behind 84 Lumber. It has a hotel, casino, convention space, numerous restaurants, and a private airfield. They have an Adventure Center with zip-lines, off-roading, climbing wall, and a ropes course among other activities. If you think that’s awesome, well I agree! But there is also more to see at the Wildlife Academy that features all kinds of fauna including sheep, bears, bison, zebra, tigers, lions, and wolves. The activities here are endless.
So, this should be an easy sell to the family if you want to bring them here and get some golf in while you do. Now that I’ve mentioned golf, let’s pivot to the course. Mystic Rock is one of two courses here, both of which are Pete Dye designs. Due to time and financial constraints, I only played Mystic Rock.
The resort has a great setting in the Allegheny Mountains, which you’ll see in the photo tour. Mystic Rock has one of the highest ratings in the country from the back tees. This challenge allowed it to host the 84 Lumber Classic from 2003-2006 that included a win by Vijay Singh. Phil Mickelson played one year and Michelle Wie made one of her PGA Tour starts there.
Let’s start to take the photo tour of the place. The Mystic Rock clubhouse and facilities are on a grand scale like the rest of the resort. The photo below is from inside the locker room.
Below is the ample driving range.
I mentioned a tiger before, here he/she is! Go Tigers!
The nature theme continues with the tee markers at Mystic Rock.
I joined up with a threesome who was playing the white tees. That sounded good to me and we headed to those to start the day.
Hole 1 – 299 yards – Par 4
The first hole provides an early birdie opportunity. For long hitters this green is reachable and for shorter hitters the fairway is wide open. The massive bunkers on the right shouldn’t be in play.
The rolling fairways bends to the right and slopes down towards the green. If you can drive it up there the land funnels the ball onto the green.
Hole 2 – 379 yards – Par 4
At the second hole, you get your first look at one of the many statues on Mystic Rock. Be prepared because there are quite a few. It all starts with The Squire, Gene Sarazen.
You’ll need some talent like Gene to get off to a good start on this hole. The ravine cuts into the hole and forces a carry on anything down the right half of the hole. A good drive will be played just a hair left of the bunker on the right in the photo below.
Once you make it to the fairway, the approach is uphill to a large, mildly sloping green.
Hole 3 – 178 yards – Par 3
This medium length par three provided some challenge during my round due a stiff breeze in my face. The preferred miss is short due to sand on both sides.
Hole 4 – 335 yards – Par 4
Your length will determine the strategy here. The hole bends slightly left with plenty of fairway slope. Internal green contouring makes being on the correct level important.
Hole 5 – 491 yards – Par 5
Playing downhill all the way, two shots can get you home here. The obvious trouble are the trees on each side but as you get down towards the green the water hazard on the left emerges. Be careful with left pins.
To the left of the green you can see the 84 Lumber influence in the waterfall. We also get a look at our second statue. This one features John Daly in full swing in the middle of the pond. Sick!
Hole 6 – 361 yards – Par 4
There isn’t much to this hole. It’s straight and features a couple bunkers around the green. A solid drive and mid/short iron should do the trick.
Hole 7 – 126 yards – Par 3
Readers know my affinity for short par 3’s. Downhill versions are interesting due to the calculations needed to hit your shot the correct distance. This green gives a large target, but be aware on the pin position as long putts here must traverse several slopes.
Hole 8 – 486 yards – Par 5
The rock wall along the perimeter of this hole may have been the single most expensive line item in building Mystic Rock.
This dogleg left features a massive fairway bunker along the left side. The fairway elevates to the hill you see below and then dips down before going sharply up again to the raised green. I like the elevation change as an added challenge on a shorter par 5.
Hole 9 – 415 yards – Par 4
The front ends on one of the longer par 4’s of the side. The hazard down the left is the main danger but you won’t want to spray one right either. Once you’re in the fairway, the hole bends to the left and down towards the green.
Notice the multiple tiers on this green. Knowing where the flag is located is a key to having a good change at birdie. I like the small pot bunker on the right.
Hole 10 – 336 yards – Par 4
While not long, this hole is a challenge with its angled fairway. Drives too far left will be down a hill and possibly in a hazard. Picking the right line is crucial. The narrow green sits right next to a drop off that punishes shots missed to the left as well.
Hole 11 – 507 yards – Par 5
Consult your yardage book here! If I play Mystic Rock again, I will know that you cannot go much right of center. In the following photos you can see the hazard that cuts into the hole.
Unfortunately, I thought my drive was good but we never found it. Once over the hill you have to contend with the hazard all along the right side. There is dry land to run your ball up on the incredibly sloped green.
Hole 12 – 166 yards – Par 3
This hole is a bit of an anomaly as there are two greens present. We played to the smaller, right green (more visible in the second photo). It’s a smaller target, but you don’t have to cross the hazard to reach it.
Hole 13 – 345 yards – Par 4
This quaint hole sitting among the trees doesn’t require driver as it moves around the right bunkers towards the heavily guarded green. The slightly elevated putting surface isn’t overly contoured and should be a good chance to make a putt.
Hole 14 – 384 yards – Par 4
This uphill hole plays over the large bunker seen below to a smaller, narrow green. It is best to keep your drive up the right side, which is about the middle of the large bunker.
Depending on your approach the putt may have some slope to maneuver.
Hole 15 – 382 yards – Par 4
We have another straightforward hole here that goes slightly left. Sand is ever present as you move to the green but the putting surface provides a big target.
Hole 16 – 512 yards – Par 5
The light and clouds make this one of my favorite pictures I took in 2018. The rocky ravine is not really in play and the fairway is wide in the landing area. Approach shots will deal with a green guarded by water on the left and sand on the right.
Hole 17 – 166 yards – Par 3
The shimmer of the sun on the water made this a difficult shot to hit and picture to take. Trust me, the green is out there. There is water to carry, but sufficient room to miss to the right.
Hole 18 – 432 yards – Par 4
The stout finisher will make you earn a par. This hole plays uphill to the green that is angled to the right of the tee. A good line is the scoreboard straight out in the distance. Don’t go around the bunkers on the left!
The green sits in somewhat of an amphitheater with the hotel looming above. Closely mowed areas give you short game options.
Mystic Rock was in tremendous shape with smooth running greens throughout. When adding that to the fact that I got paired with some fun guys on vacation, the round was a blissful trek through Southern PA.
The course was definitely part of a resort but it provided a challenge not seen in many tourist courses. The multitude of things to do here make it a great spot for a serious golfer with a family. The golf will keep your interest and the rest of the resort will provide fun times away from the course. Check it out if you want to make a birdie and see a tiger in the same day!
