Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - river bridge
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Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - river bridge
This bridge leads to the holes of Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort on the island in the middle of the Delaware River. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - Red Course - hole 1
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Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - Red Course - hole 1
This creek fronts the first green on the Red nine at Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort in Shawnee on Delaware, Pennsylvania. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - Red Course - hole 2
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Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - Red Course - hole 2
The second hole on the Red nine at Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort introduces a dramatic shot over the Delaware River. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - Red Course - hole 2
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Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - Red Course - hole 2
The view across the Delaware River from the second green of the Red nine to the seventh green on the Blue nine is sublime at Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort in Shawnee on Delaware, Pennsylvania. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - Red Course - hole 9
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Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - Red Course - hole 9
This tree guards the right side of the ninth green on the Red nine at Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort in Shawnee on Delaware, Pennsylvania. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - White Course - hole 7
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Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - White Course - hole 7
A pond catches errant shots up the right side of the seventh fairway on the White golf course at Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort in Shawnee on Delaware, Pa. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - White Course - hole 8
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Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - White Course - hole 8
Wetland and ponds make the eighth hole on the White nine at Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort play difficult. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - Blue Course - hole 7
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Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - Blue Course - hole 7
The seventh hole on the Blue nine at Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort crosses the Delaware River. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - White Course - hole 9
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Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort - White Course - hole 9
The White nine at Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort ends with a long par 3. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
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Take on the Delaware River at Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort

SHAWNEE ON DELAWARE, Pa. -- George Washington and his army crossed the Delaware River three times during the Revolutionary War in 1776.

Can you do it twice with two confident golf swings on the same day?

The historic golf course at the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort crosses the Delaware two times, both on par 3s. Twenty-four of the resort's 27 holes reside on an island in the middle of the Delaware River. This peaceful setting on the edge of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area remains perfect for a tree-lined parkland course.

A.W. Tillinghast designed the original layout in 1911, which was good enough to host the 1938 PGA Championship won by Paul Runyan over Sam Snead. William Diddle added another nine holes, spread throughout the original layout, in 1963. Four years later, a young up-and-comer named Hale Irwin won the 1967 NCAA Championship there.

Each of the three nines has their charms. The Red nine begins next to the Inn, ending at the first green tucked behind a small creek. The second hole crosses the river 159 yards to the green on the other side. Golf carts reach the island by traversing a temporary white bridge rebuilt every season.

Both the Blue and the White nines feature three par 3s and three par 5s, a great combination for scoring. The best of the Blue nine sits back at the river's edge. Golfers who hit safely onto the seventh green should cross the river as triumphantly as Washington, a moment immortalized in an iconic painting by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze.

Jason Scott Deegan has reviewed and photographed more than 1,000 courses and written about golf destinations in 20 countries for some of the industry's biggest publications. His work has been honored by the Golf Writer's Association of America and the Michigan Press Association. Follow him on Instagram at @jasondeegangolfpass and Twitter at @WorldGolfer.

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The Delaware River is both the best friend and worst enemy of the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort. The riverfront provides a scenic, peaceful setting for Shawnee Inn guests, who get to play a historic A.W. Tillinghast course. But floodwaters have ravaged the course. Each time, however, the course has bounced back.
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Take on the Delaware River at Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort