Pittsburgh National Golf Club

About
Formerly known as Deer Run, Pittsburgh National Golf Club has undergone major renovations since management has changed hands over the years, including complete reconditioning of the greens and the addition of 60 new renovated bunkers. The championship golf course that exists today is more challenging than the original though it has retained the same playability. With no blind shots to be found and wide fairways that are player-friendly, the course is inviting to beginners and also offers a casual but interesting round for more advanced players. During the renovation, the club also added a practice facility that includes a grass driving range with heated hitting stalls for year-round use, it is one of the only public grass ranges in the Greater Pittsburgh area. There is also a putting green and chipping area with sand bunkers.
Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|---|
Black | 72 | 6933 yards | 74.4 | 138 |
Blue | 72 | 6464 yards | 71.2 | 135 |
White | 72 | 5989 yards | 69.4 | 124 |
Red (W) | 73 | 5184 yards | 70.7 | 124 |
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pro M: 73.8/135 | 386 | 538 | 397 | 411 | 425 | 193 | 522 | 192 | 422 | 3486 | 497 | 414 | 227 | 309 | 614 | 388 | 215 | 423 | 440 | 3527 | 7013 |
Back M: 72.0/133 W: 78.3/135 | 371 | 520 | 367 | 340 | 391 | 178 | 479 | 170 | 365 | 3181 | 472 | 385 | 201 | 284 | 580 | 354 | 196 | 413 | 489 | 3374 | 6555 |
Middle M: 70.0/129 W: 75.9/130 | 313 | 495 | 326 | 325 | 371 | 162 | 435 | 149 | 355 | 2931 | 460 | 351 | 188 | 271 | 510 | 334 | 173 | 384 | 415 | 3086 | 6017 |
Standard M: 67.1/123 W: 73.0/124 | 290 | 449 | 274 | 298 | 348 | 141 | 397 | 125 | 328 | 2650 | 405 | 303 | 159 | 254 | 442 | 319 | 157 | 368 | 385 | 2792 | 5442 |
Forward M: 63.1/117 W: 67.7/115 | 232 | 343 | 269 | 265 | 288 | 95 | 353 | 122 | 261 | 2228 | 402 | 253 | 156 | 172 | 377 | 269 | 146 | 216 | 339 | 2330 | 4558 |
Handicap | 9 | 5 | 15 | 13 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 17 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 2 | |||
Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
Handicap (W) | 11 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 17 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 8 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
Bar, Grill, RestaurantAvailable Facilities
Banquet FacilitiesReviews
First round of 2017
Very nice condition with friendly people first round of the year what do you expect chilly and rainy but all went good I'd recommend
Very Challenging, But Needs Work
This course used to be in good shape and is very challenging. The clubhouse and bar have been remodeled and are very nice. Now if they can take better care of the course, which may happen in the future, it would be a top tough track in the area. The rates are reasonable, except for the $50 Golf Now rates I see occasionally. The course is worth $30 with the shape it's in and no more, so if you can get a deal less than that, it's probably worth it.
Great deal
Course was in good shape. Greens were good and pace was excellent. Played in just under 4 hours.
Not too hilly for Western PA
Visiting friends and family in Pitt. Usual play a round of golf when in the area. Surprisingly not too hilly for the area. Other courses I have played in Western PA have been much more undulating. Only No#13 is uphill and hilly. Great course conditions. Greens were really nice to putt on and had a nice speed. Definitely will play again when in the area.
Course looking better. Pace of play still slow.
The course has been one of my go-to's due to convenience and layout. The staff is very friendly (with the exception of one person). The conditions were a little shaky, but they are really starting to turn that around.
It is looking great compared to what it was in April and May. Fairways are no longer spotty, tee boxes are filling in nicely, and greens are nice. And the water is still wet.
My goodness, though, they need a ranger (or at least a starter) to speed things up a bit. It took us (two players) 2 hours to play 7 holes (!!!!!) on a weekday. After the 7th hole, we couldn't take it anymore and left. It was so backed up that a foursome that was three holes behind us caught up. I get it, it's June, the weather is beautiful, and golf is in the air. But come on people!
To be honest, I'm a bit nervous to go back. The course and the beauty pulls me back, but the slow pace pushes me away.
Rude and Cocky Staff
I was a member of Pittsburgh National for several years. Today, I took my son to play 9 holes in the middle of the week. I noticed on-line that they were offering 18 holes for $22.00, which is a good rate. We only wanted to play 9 holes, so that option wasn't available to book on line. When I arrived at the club, I mentioned that we were a walk on (was not busy) and they quoted me $23 per player? When I questioned this, they basically said "yes, if you book on line you get a better rate". When I protested this, the attitude that I received was that they really didn't care. All that I received was a smart comment by the young kid behind the counter. My best friend was a member since the beginning, and he chose not to join again purely because of the indifference shown by the staff. This club has deteriorated over the years, and while they tout that they are improving it, the lack of respect and poor level of service will ultimately be the demise of this Golf Club. The condition of the course is nothing to get excited about either. They have already gotten rid of most of their merchandise, and closed the restaurant. I would not recommend this course, and would encourage anyone to pay the difference and play Cranberry Highlands. For the money, the course is in much better shape, and you actually feel that they appreciate your business!

Dear RPage,
We assume you were the 1:54PM tee time for two players on 6/15.
Not sure if you were a member for several years. We have you purchasing a players card in 14 & 15. In 2015 it appears you purchased a 20 round golf pass.
The $22 18 hole you found online was golf special which we offer at certain times. We are truly sorry the young men appeared rude behind the counter when he did not agree with your protests in receiving a 9 hole special rate as a walk on.
As to the course not being busy when you came. In actual fact we had over 170 round of booked tee times that day and in particular, the time when you teed off, we were booked solid from 12:30-3pm with a couple of openings in between. As a courtesy the same young gentleman behind the counter offered to squeeze you between our 18 holer Cheswick league (please note the tee time special was offered after 3pm that day due to the heavy bookings between 12pm and 3pm.
With regard to the closure of the restaurant. Not sure where this information came from. The restaurant has not been closed as many of our regulars can attest to.
We have not gotten rid of most of our merchandise, however, it would be nice to have sold most of our merchandise at this juncture in the season. We assume your comments must be more related to us no longer stocking hard-goods (iron sets, woods) as we find it hard to compete with the larger stores.
Our regulars are finding the course in great condition and perhaps the next time you play, the conditions may be more to your liking.
Best regards,
PNGC
Good for the price
I thought that for the price, Pittsburgh National, was an acceptable track to play. The greens are in very good shape, and come summer, the rest of the course will follow suit.
Looking good
Course is really starting to shape up nicely. Friendly staff and great burgers after the round!! This is a must play
What a joke
This place considers themselves a golf course. If I was a member of this golf club I would be highly disappointed in the shape of the course in the way that the pace of play and the staff treat you
What a Shame !!!!!
PNGC was one of the best semi-private / public courses you could ever hope to find. Clear the current owner / management has no interest in being in the golf business. The fairways are only green where the clover patches are and there are many of those. The greens are actually "yellows" because nothing has been done to them. Traps are really hard pan with a lot of rocks and weeds. Then there are the tees where you will be hard pressed to find a level lie and in some cases even finding grass is a challenge. They get a lot of play because it is cheap so pace of play is ridiculous for this average challenge course.
What is happening here?
I played extremely well here, +2 overall. However the round started with a frost delay??? Temperature was never below 40 degrees the night before. The older man starter in the white Kangol hat was an absolute nightmare! He asked us over a dozen times what our tee time was and the name of our group. He said they were delayed 30 minutes and to, "settle down, relax" Can we put our clubs in a cart? "No settle down, relax!" He then asked us what group were were with and we motioned to our other two some that was nearing the first tee. He then scolded us??? Saying, "What are you doing then? Get a cart and go up with them!" There was no beer cart, no halfway house, then bar was even closed! Drinks had to be purchased in the pro shop from another miserable human being. The scorecards were "temporary" and all signs show this course as being on its last legs. Oh you couldnt get range balls either because there were no range balls because no one wanted to go collect them. The writing is on the wall with Pgh National. Probably another home development in the near future.

Congratulations on your good round. We actually did have a frost delay with a low of 31 F per Accuweather. Pittsburgh National has different micro climates where the lower lying areas dip below the recorded low. It would not be in PNGC's interests to hold up play if there was not any frost delay.
Due to the frost delay, PNGC gave out free range balls as a courtesy due to the delay.
Horrible pace of play
The course layout coulf be a top 5 in the area. If the owner invested into making PNGC a class A course. Tee boxes are very uneven.
My best complaint was the pace of play. It took 6 hr to play on Sunday. They had a Ranger sitting in the cart with the Starter. He should have been out moving people along..
The Pro shop was a joke... Owners need to listen to their players.
My advise play Conleys for $10 more

We do agree that PNGC in one of the top layouts in the Pittsburgh market. We are not sure how often you frequent the course and over how many years you have played the property. Since 2012 when the present ownership bought the property, new tees have been added and existing tees re-levelled. Obviously there are tees which still need to be re-levelled and will be dealt with in the near future.
Due to PNGC being a very frequented course which attests to the quality of the layout, a newly installed GPS/tracking system has been installed in each cart which should be instrumental in relieving bottlenecks thus speeding up play.
Good time by all
Played on Saturday afternoon with family and had a wonderful time. Very good pace of play and the golf course was in very good condition.
The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly.
Reasons to not play Pittsburgh National
These are some of the reasons you should not play pittsburgh national.
1. The owner does not care about the golf course or the golfer coming to play the course. All he cares about is how much money he can make and has zero idea on how to run this place. They will also double and triple book certain tee times which results in people waiting at least 30 minutes for the their tee time.
2. The pace of play on this course is normally 5 hours on the weekend and a lot of people quite mid way through their round due to the slow play on the course. What is the since in coming out to play when you can't get around the course efficiently in reasonable pace.
3. The course conditions continue to deteriorate due to over play on the course. No one hardly repairs divots or ball marks which is basic golf etiquette.
4. The main customer at this golf course is a 20 year old kid drinking beer and wearing blue jeans or gym shorts and driving golf carts all over the place.
Worse pace that I ever had
3 hrs to do 9 holes who ever is running this course needs to do something about it or is going to face another falling business ...
Course Not in Great Condition
Fairways were rock hard. Roughs not cut in many places, lots of dandelions. Greens were fair. Normal weekend green fees are around $45 - not worth it for the condition of the course. Several years ago, course went in the tank due to financial issues; appears to be heading that way again. We won't be back here for awhile, maybe half way through the season to see if it improves!

We are no sure if rock hard is the best way to describe the fairways. at this time of year. We do like to have firm conditions which offer good playability as opposed to soft conditions. We have introduced no-mow rough areas which should not interfere with play. Some of the no-mow do have dandelions which is to be expected in these areas.
The weekend rates on the weekend you played were $32 and not $45 which is commensurate with the conditions at that time of year. Only effective May 2nd did we introduce our in- season rates.
mu husband has payed before but my first time.
I hated this course. Not manicured at all. Felt like a cow pasture to me. Tees not woman friendly for the most part. Will not go back.

Pittsburgh National is regarded as one of the best and challenging layouts in the Pittsburgh market. and due to the challenging aspect of the layout, PNGC has, however, added some newly built ladies tees in the last year.
We also understand that due to the difficulty of the course , it is very easy to have a high scoring round, giving the false impression that the course in not well maintained
get what you pay for
Course if bad shape - unfilled divots all over the fairways, tees in bad shape, greens pretty good but a lot of ball marks. Course is simply over-played.. Traps still under construction (last 6 months).
Dear Brandy721,
Unfortunately we have no record of you playing on the 2/19/2017.
As to the layout and course conditions. PNGC has always been regarded as one of the best layouts in the Greater Pittsburgh area.
Not to confuse course layout with course conditions, we have received very favorable comments to the course conditions regardless of the time of year.
If you do decide to visit the property and play the course, we recommend playing the course in season to appreciate the property to its fullest.
Fairways & Greens,
PNGC