Nemacolin Woodlands Resort - Shepherd's Rock Golf Course

My criticism of Shepherd's Rock is not about the course. It's a really good one. I actually think I like it more than Mystic Rock. It's a bit more playable with a few more unique holes. My complaint is that the two are too similar. Between Pete Dye's work at Mystic Rock and Tim Liddy's work as a Dye disciple at Shepherd's Rock, the courses play more like twins than complementary experiences. Hiring a different architect with a different point of view and design style could have given Nemacolin a more dynamic, and diverse, 1-2 punch. As it is, average golfers like me get beat up by both courses when a more fun round would do wonders for repeat play and repeat visitors. With that said, no golf group will be disappointed choosing Nemacolin for their next trip. The golf is almost secondary to all the luxurious amenities and meals.

The setup and quality of this course is amazing. The staff was very friendly and professional, the course is fun and playable yet very challenging. I will be back again

A group of 16 friends attended Nemacolin Woodlands for a guy's weekend and couldn't be happier with our experience at the resort and this course specifically. The course is "big" in every way imaginable; the vistas, the hazards, the greens, the challenges. You definitely need to bring your A-game here as nothing is given on any hole.

I would recommend this course/resort for anyone ever in the Pittsburgh area. The staff takes as good care of the players as they do of the course. A+ all around.

Found the front 9 to be completely different than back which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Fairways were very generous and easy to hit on front. Still wouldn’t call it easy as the elevation changes and uneven lies add some defense. Green complexes are large and undulating and slope off severely if you miss. A couple of times I thought I might need a winch to pull myself back to green. Clubhouse said they were rolling about 10 and that’s about what I would have figured. If they had been rolling really fast, some of the putts from above the hole might roll off.

Back nine was a little tighter with some seriously sloping fairways on a few holes. Although there are numerous fairway traps, I didn’t hit in any.

Favorite holes were #4-a downhill and then uphill par 5 with a split fairway. And #18- a fairly long par 4 with water down the right and traps down the left leaving a slight uphill second to a fairly narrow green.

Course has numerous sets of tees which can be played in combinations to get your preferred yardage. Overall, I really enjoyed my round although do feel it is slightly overpriced even for an upscale resort. Regular rate was $225 and twighlight was $160. Feel more like it’s a $150/$100 kind of place.

Definitely had to think more on the back and shape shots a little more. Would probably play again if in the area. Staff was friendly and helpful and pace was fine for me as a single. Finished in just over 4 hours as I was playing behind several foursomes. Beautiful views and fun course, but does sting the purse a bit for quality of course in my opinion.

"Second fiddle" may seem like an insult to perfectionists and snobs, but many great musical works don't function without a killer countermelody. Shepherd's Rock is not quite up to the standard set by its 20-year older sibling, Mystic Rock, but its presence is nevertheless important to the overall success of Nemacolin's golf offerings, because it presents a strong second option where in the past, it was not a consequential course.

Shepherd's Rock, however, is a fun ride. While it's not as sophisticated as Mystic Rock, it does occupy the more dynamic (almost to a fault in a couple places) site at the resort. This creates a few shots you won't see most anywhere else, like the plunging tee shot on the par-5 fourth or the oddball tee ball at the 10th, where a creek emerges from a hillside and is completely surrounded by fairway. Figuring out how to handle situations like this is a big part of the fun of playing the course.

The course is challenging. I look forward to playing it this year. Our group got to meet the Head GC for the course. He spent time with Baltusrol and is very driven. Can't wait to see it.

The views are some of the best I have ever experienced on a course. As this course matures, it will be unreal.

The front 9 is a great layout and very playable. The back 9 really isn't fun. Great shots end up running off the fairway and green. A couple of greens are difficult to get within 30 feet based on the pin position. I can't criticize the condition since its so new....definitely needs some time to mature.

I really feel they rushed to complete this course and get it open.

Nemacolin does have great amenities but I would prefer to play mystic rock 9 times out of 10.

Golf course was beat up, not mature and in lousy shape. Was way overbooked, slow play bigtime!!

Had to quit on # 10, 4 groups on the tee box, no ranger. was really mad!!!

Fairways are in bad shape, Greens are moderate condition.

This course needs 2-3 years to mature and round out. Was definitely not worth the money to play it. Will NEVER BE BACK to this over rated place!

greens were extremely hard would not hold a shot

some holes on hills

front 9 ok back nine very bad

I'm a 3 handicap and I don't base my opinions on if I play good or bad. (FYI I played well) The front nine, good course and well designed. The back nine is terrible!!! So many slops that all the balls collect in the same area. And I got paired with a very nice guy that really got beat up by this bad design. And the conditions were also bad. Now , it did just rain so there was a lot of standing water. Bad drainage. AND it's not walkable!

I have played golf at Nemacolin for nearly 30 years, mostly on the old Links course, which was a friendly resort course. If I wanted to play a challenging course, Mystik Rock was the balance. Now there is no course for mid to high handicap golfers. I am in my 60's and normally shoot mid 80's anywhere else, but even though we were on the course 5 1/2 hours, we didn't finish because play is so slow due to the difficulty. Totally ridiculous slopes on greens, some remind you of goofy golf putt putt - waiting for the clown and windmill. Don't know what Hardy's were thinking- maybe that all resort guests are 10 or less ? Certainly not the majority. I walked off the course extremely frustrated and actually angry that a beautiful Links course was destroyed to build this monument to Pete Dye. No thanks !!

Played here while visiting Nemacolin. After two rounds on Mystic, my wife and I decided to give this new course a chance.

Having recently opened, it is very immature. Fairways and greens are not developed. Therefore, many crazy bounces and uncertain rolls on greens.

The degree of difficulty combined with these factors led to many unfair holes.

However hard it was, it was also beautiful.

Not for average golfers as the elevations and side hill lies will wear them out.

My wife loved Mystic but will not return to Shepherds.

I played this course three days after it opened to the public, the conditions were perfect. Carts were on path because of recent rain but the course drains very well. My pet peeve are teeboxes. I want level boxes cut tight and Sheperds were like playing on carpet. The course is very undulating so uneven lies are guaranteed. The greens were hard and fast like they should be, you could make putts if you got them started on line. This is a resort course so I expect the course to wear fast like the Mystic side. I much preferred the Sheperds course to the Mystic, I didn't think the Mystic was all that great.

First off, I wanted to give Shepher'd Rock five stars. The only thing preventing that for me was some of the distances between greens and tees. Otherwise, the holes very interesting, fairways generous and pretty playable for the most part. I do think higher handicappers will have trouble here, though, because of all the uneven lies you get, even in the fairway. Some more flat spots would have made it a little more playable, but that's a minor complaint. Also, I'm not sure I like Shepherd's Rock as much as Mystic Rock, the course that hosted the Lumber 84 Classic on the PGA Tour. But it's not far behind. The views at Shepherd's Rock are amazing and perhaps even more dramatic than Mystic. If I could, I would give it 4 1/2 stars, but it's not an option. Would love to play it again in a year to re-evaluate.