Founders at Penn National Golf Club & Inn

I have been a loyal patron of Penn National, playing both courses regularly for the past six years. Unfortunately, my recent visit has left me quite disappointed due to the noticeable decline in the course and lodging conditions.

The course conditions this year were far from desirable. The bunkers were like hitting off hard pan dirt, making it nearly impossible to play out of them effectively. Additionally, the tee boxes were uneven and riddled with divots, and there were numerous bare spots throughout the courses and around the greens, as illustrated in the attached picture. This level of deterioration is disheartening, especially when considering the excellent conditions I have come to expect in previous years.

Moreover, the state of the lodging facilities was equally concerning. My room had broken tiles in the bathroom, and the toilet was difficult to flush. While the food service was commendable, the overall decline in the infrastructure overshadowed this positive aspect.

As a dedicated customer, it is disappointing to see the significant decline in the quality of both the courses and the accommodations. It makes one rethink returning in the future if reinvestment into the courses and lodging is not promptly addressed.

I hope these issues can be resolved to restore Penn National to its former glory.

I haven't played the Founders course in decades--I always play Iron Forge when I'm at Penn National. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the conditions, the landscaping, and the beauty of the course. First, the course conditions were excellent. Fairways and greens were exceptional, and the bunkers were nice as well. The rough was not too penal, but certainly took a little effort to have a clean hit to advance the ball. I had forgotten how beautiful the course is--the back nine is prettier than the front, but both were great aesthetically. The weather was interesting today...it rained on our first three holes, so we waited under trees after the third hole. AccuWeather indicated "the rain will stop in 2 minutes," and it did! The sun came out and the temperature went to 84 degrees! It ended up being a beautiful day and the bunkers, greens and fairways dried out quickly. After golf, we stopped at the grill for a late lunch and we were served quickly and the food was good. Penn National is an hour and 40 minute drive for me, but it was definitely worth it. We're thinking about doing another road trip to play Iron Forge before the season ends.

Penn National has two amazing golf courses with great views, clean greens and fairways and fair green speeds and slopes. The course plays challenging depending on the day and pin location from the back tees. I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else locally after playing this course as often as I do. Worth a trip to play this course if you are in the North East.

First time playing at this club and this course. We spent one night and ate a meal there. This is one of those easy reviews as everything was good from course maintenance (during a horrible rain filled year) to good food, friendly staff, and beautiful and decent course.

I like the layout and tree lines fairways. It’s not super hard so the average golfer can have a good time. It’s long enough for those with the length, but our 50 degree, windy wet day had me playing the 6,400 yard tees.

All the staff were on top of things and experoenced men and women who understood the customers. The room was clean albeit a little dated. Nice hot showers, and our burgers were better than red robin from the quality of the meat used.

I’ll stop there. You get it. Better than average time and course. Founder’s is good, and I hear iron is more open with more views. Easy recommendation.

Quite a challenging day...greens in great condition, fairways fine except for some spots...pin position 3 must be their tournament position!!!

Got a great deal to play at this course on golf now on a Saturday. Tee boxes and greens looked untouched no ball marks of divots. However fairways were a little hard and thin of grass.

Even though it's a 2 hour drive,we play here 2 or 3 times every year.

My 14 yr old nephew and I had one of our most pleasurable golf experiences at Penn National. We played the Iron Forge course. The greens were pristine. The course was challenging but playable for a couple of high handicappers. The staff was outstanding. I left a wedge in the practice area and didn't realize it until the 2nd or 3rd hole. I mentioned to one of the staff who stopped to check on us. I said I would check on it when we made the turn. He drove back to the clubhouse and got it for me. Outstanding. Hope to get back there.

Played behind walkers for 9 holes, but their pace was steady. Excellent value for the teetime rate. Course in very good condition.