The Arnold Palmer Signature Course At Stonewall Resort

I came here on their last day of the season. It’s a shame it was the last day because the course was in really good shape. The course is a Arnold Palmer Design course that opened in 2002. It is a challenge from the first tee. The course has 5 tee boxes so all levels can enjoy the course. What I noticed is people who can hit it 250 off the tee at their home course will tee it up from the blue tees here. (This is the tee for those that can hit 250 yard tee shots) However this course is no very wide so a tee shot that is off centered is going to be in the rough or possible in the high grass. Maybe the sign for the tee boxes should read blue for 250 yards straight?

On this day, the greens were still in really good shape. Smooth and rolling true to the line.

You need to play this course once just to get the feel of it. Where to hit tee shots for the better approach shots, where to land the ball on the green so your putting up hill verses down hill.

A few tee boxes had had some issues earlier in the summer, I was told the course received an abundance of rain in a short period of time followed by extremely above normal temperatures. I saw this at other courses so I can understand this explanation.

I played from the yellow tees and had a great day. I shot an 80 (i am an 8 HCCP) so i felt good about my day.

I am looking forward to getting there more next year.

When traveling thru West Virginia, you should put this course on your “must play” list.

They have a great lodge with all kinds of rooms, restaurants, spa and lots of outdoor activities for the whole family.

Raining one day and hot another when we played but still challenging. Pay attention to yardage as some holes deceiving.

Had an absolute blast playing the course. Played it for the second time this year and it did not disappoint. The only reason I gave 3 stars for course conditions was 3 greens were undergoing some work so the flag was placed in front with a white circle I guess representing the putting surface. I understand the need for greens to get some maintenance from time to time especially on mountain courses where it is a little tougher but paying full price for only 15 true greens seemed like a little bit of a rip off. Will definitely come back next year though, staff was as friendly as could be. Love the area.

I have played Stonewall a few times. Being the mountains of West Virginia the course is relatively flat. The course has one of the best layouts you will ever play. Each hole is very unique. Each hole is separate from the rest of the course which makes for a very quiet and relaxing round of golf. GPS on the carts helps a lot when playing for the first time. The course conditions were outstanding even though its been a rough summer. We had 12 in our group and all were very impressed. The practice area is one of he best. I love practicing on natural grass before the round. Can't wait to go back.

I played the Stonewall Resort course on 9/18/15. The par 72 course is advertised as an Arnold Palmer signature course.

The design was outstanding. Every hole was different from any other and presented unique and scenic, but fair challenges. Stonewall Resort is part of the West Virginia state park system and there is a large lake and resort on site. I did not stay there, but stopped on my way along I-79 to Pittsburgh. The course is located about 4 miles off I-79 and was easy to find.

I played the gold/blue tee combination which is one of nine tees or combinations available. The gold/blue tees play to 6,455 yards with a rating of 71.5 and slope of 137. The various tee combinations play from 7,149 yards to a short course of 2,568 yards.

Service

I had passed the exit this course was off of many times over the last eight years and never had time to stop and play. I called from the road the day I played and left a message on the pro shop voice mail asking about the chance of playing and they called back within 10 minutes and invited me over. The pro shop attendant, cart attendants, and starter all were very friendly. The pro shop employee informed me that there was no drinking water on the course and that the beverage cart was probably on her final round for the day. He encouraged me to buy some water or drinks to take with me which turned out to be good advice.

When I talked to the starter, he was a very friendly gentleman but kept encouraging me to play the white tees of 5,821yards since I had never played there before. I found it strange that he never asked my experience or handicap but seemed very insistent that I should play the shorter tees. I went with my gut and played the tees at a yardage that I was consistently playing at my home club. The course did start with somewhat of a blind tee shot but there was a very good GPS on the cart that showed yardages, design, hazards, etc.

Overall Condition

I was stunned at the condition of the course in a negative way. They had obviously aerated not too long ago, which is not unusual, but there were an inordinate number of bare spots in the fairways and around the greens that I found disappointing for such a grand design. And even for a green that had been aerated, I was surprised that the surface had not been smoothed out somewhat and that the chance of a putt going true were absolutely zero. The front nine was in worse shape than the back nine. The back nine seemed to have fewer bare spots in the fairways and around the greens.

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 clubhouse does have a nice porch around it from which you have a nice view of the course and the park.

Value

I played the course on an afternoon rate of $68.90 which was the after 2:00 rate. The regular rack rate was $94 plus tax. I was very disappointed at the conditioning of the course and the fact they were charging top rates. Had the design not been so strong and the holes so unique, I would have been even more disappointed. They have what should be a great course that does not live up to the conditioning they advertise. I’m glad I played it but disappointed that I would not be in a hurry to play it again. I have been part of their email mailing list for at least a year with the thought of maybe staying there someday for a weekend. In the current condition, I would have been very upset had I done so based on the email representations.

In summation, I think Arnold would be proud of his design but disappointed in its appearance.

This is an incredible course that is hidden away in the mountains of WV. There is a lot of wildlife that you will see on this Arnold Palmer course. It's very well maintained and a lot of fun to play. Definitely play if you get the chance.

If your game is off, you will lose balls in the high grass just off the fairways, but there's no denying this is a great test of golf. Just bring plenty of balls, play lost balls as lateral and enjoy the ride. Built around Stonewall Jackson Lake, there are elevated tees, doglegs, greens with plenty of movement and a great variety of holes. Plus, the staff has put great effort in recent years to improve drainage, firm up the fairways and generally provide excellent playing conditions. Coupled with the Stonewall Resort, it's a terrific destination experience.

Great course beautiful views. Excellent staff. Liked it so well had to play it again before I left. The resort was great as well