Williams Country Club

Great but fair old school cc on top of a hill / bluff overlooking the Ohio River. It's been awfully dry of late and the greens were firm, fast and rolled true. Interesting quirk that there are only 3 par 5's (2 are back to back on the front) and 3 par 3's (2 on the front and 1 on the back). There was not a beverage cart on the course but the snack bar had plenty of options. We stayed for dinner on the back patio behind the pro shop. My brother recently joined so I hope to play here again.

Course is open to some nonmember play if you call up. Course has a terrific layout over hilly terrain. Only negative would be the original course architects greens were completely redone and not for the better imo.

Golf Course Review – Williams Golf and Country Club – 071617

I played the Williams Golf and Country Club (WGCC) course on 7/16/17. The par 72 course is a private club with a long history dating back to 1932. I have known about it since I was a kid but never had the chance to play it. It always had the reputation of being in great shape and a special place to play.

Since I was visiting my parents near Pittsburgh, I checked out the WGCC website and found they offered a ‘member for a day’ promotion for $59 that included greens fee, cart, and a drink. I called to check on availability and it was my good fortune to set up a midafternoon tee time that was on the same day as the second day of the men’s club championship. I figured this timing should present the course at its best condition.

WGCC is a short drive from the Pittsburgh suburbs down Route 22 and once you exit Route 22 and negotiate a few turns and a steep hill climb, you enter a piece of property that has large trees shading the entrance, and makes you feel like you stepped back in time to an old school kind of country club.

The design was interesting. Every hole seemed to be different from any other and presented a scenic and tight challenge with mature trees lining the fairways. Since the course is laid out across the top of a hill, most of the holes seemed to slope toward the right. This course is not overly long, and some of the holes invite you to try and bomb it, but if you do, you will spend a lot of time chipping back to a fairway out of the trees. WGCC requires patience and strategy when playing it.

The course is a par 72 that includes 3 par fives and 3 par threes. The two par fives on the front nine follow each other as the third and fourth holes, and were the longest two holes on the course. The par three sixth hole was a bear playing at 243 yards that day. Several of the par fours were relatively short at 350 yards, but the mature trees made placement of tee shots critical. The eighth hole was a downhill par three that only measured 133 yards but was surrounded by sand traps.

The course is located about 3 miles off Route 22 and using my iPhone’s map function made it easier to find.

I played the blue tees which is one of seven tees or combinations available. The blue tees play to 6,586 yards with a rating of 72.2 and slope of 138. The various tee combinations play from 6,586 yards to a short course of 5,403 yards.

Service

I called WGCC, after seeing the Member for a Day promotion online, on a Friday and asked if I would be able to play Sunday afternoon. The pro, Luke, was very friendly and welcoming; invited me to come on down; and set up a 2:30PM tee time. When I got to the course, everybody who worked there was welcoming and friendly. When I was finished, those staff members were also friendly; asked me how I liked the course; and encouraged me to come back and play it again.

Overall Condition

I was pleasantly surprised by the condition and appearance of the course even though I had always heard the course was in great shape. Fairways, greens, and tees were in great shape and the course was visually very pleasing. Since I was playing by myself, and not being pushed by anybody, I found myself taking pictures on many of the holes. I have included a few of those pictures including a picture from the tee of the fifth hole which is about 400 feet above and overlooks the Ohio River.

Clubhouse/Amenities

This course has a restaurant, clubhouse, driving range, and practice green. I had no time to use the driving range or any of the other facilities. The golf carts were modern and clean, and I have attached a picture.

Value

I played the course on the ‘member for a day’ rate of $59 plus sales tax. I thought the course and service provided solid value for the price and was a very pleasant experience that I will repeat on a return trip to the Pittsburgh area.

This is a classic golf course , the conditions were fabulous ! greens were fast and true , pace of play was fast. if you have a chance to play this classic track , don't pass it up !