Penn National Golf Club and Inn

Shocked to see low reviews. I try and play this course every year. Brought a friend who is very picky and he loved it! Played it down. Greens were fast. Nothing to complain about. For those who gave it a bad review, put a sock in it. You’re nuts.

I have played Iron Forge at Penn National frequently over the years but I am not going back any time soon.

One of my favorites in the mid-Atlantic area, it was always beautiful course to play with views of the mountain and open meadows interspersed within and around the course. A recent decision to develop the area between holes 4 and 11 have ruined much of the beautiful and peaceful experience for good.

Worse yet, the ongoing construction has resulted in an excessive amount of dust blowing everywhere without any effort to mitigate it. It was so bad when I’ve played recently that I had to cover my eyes and felt the grit in my teeth and mouth.

I can’t imagine how bad it’s going to be in the heat of summer. I will not go back unless and until they do something about the dust and dirt on the course. Really quite a shame.

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.

Wide open track with nice topography. Greens were a little bumpy and untrue due to aeration but this will heal as the year continues. Very enjoyable course

If plush fairways, perfectly maintained rough and speedy greens are your style, look no further. It took us years to play here and now we return monthly. It’s such a great value for the condition. Will be returning.

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.

For our final outing of the season, my dad and I played Iron Forge and, even though it lightly rained the entire round, it was an absolute pleasure. Thick rough, challenging bunker locations, undulating greens, elevation changes...you name it, Penn National offers it. I hope to be able to play this course again soon!

Beautiful views, visually good golfers eye, no trick shots needed.

I played this course approximately 15 years ago and was shocked that in all that time the owners have not improved the services for golfers. After nine holes you stop in the middle of no-where. That wouldn't have been a problem if the course had some "refreshments" for golfers (particularly on a hot day). The only thing they had was a vending machine with a poor selection of drinks. No ice. No snacks. Not even water. Hardly any toilet paper in the rest rooms. We saw a sparsely out-fitted refreshment cart driving around once during 18 holes. Hard to believe this course is rated so highly when the amenities are so poor. I would have though that after 15 years the course would have improved things to merit the so-called 4 start rating they say they have. Very disappointed...won't play Iron Forge again. It's a shame..the course is not bad but even courses like Piney Apple offer more for their golfers than this place does. Bummer

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.

My daughter's favorite course in PA, we made the 1 hr 45 min drive from the Baltimore area today for her birthday. They were packed--on both courses. We got off on time, but it took us 4 hrs 45 mins to play Iron Forge, and we waited on every hole, every shot. Considering that,, 4 hrs 45 mins wasn't really that bad, since the course time, I believe, is 4.5 hrs. Holes #1, #2, #11 and #15 were no carts in the fairway, but you could ride along the rough. They were losing the edges of the fairways, and had some spots throughout those fairways where the grass was really thin. However, most of the course was in pretty good shape, with low places holding some water. Bunkers were in great shape given all the rain. The rough was brutal--long, thick and not mowed. The staff is always welcoming and pleasant, and we grabbed lunch after our round, and I was pleasantly surprised--the grille has renovated since I've last visited and has a bar and redone their dining area. They also now have a liquor license, but there are restrictions on where you can drink/have alcoholic beverages (might be a county restriction). Iron Forge is a great links-style course with cross-winds, elevation changes, and bunkers looming. It can be a great test of your game.

I've been going to Penn National a few times a year for several years, and it's always a first-class experience. It's almost an hour and a half drive from DC or Baltimore areas, but it's always worth the drive. If you're on their e-mailing list, you can get good deals, and sometimes play both courses for less than greens fees at some "higher end" courses in Maryland. The Founders course is a traditional tree-lined course with some beautiful vantage points of water and elevation changes. Iron Forge is more links style, and a little further from the clubhouse. It's probably my very favorite course to play. It's gorgeous, very challenging but not unfair, always in impeccable shape, and often we're practically the only ones on the course. Since Penn National is a "retirement community," I think most of the "members/residents" probably prefer the more traditional Founders course, which is also always in impeccable shape. The staff members are always friendly, from the bag drop to the starter to the pro shop to the restaurant staff to the beverage cart. They usually run very much on schedule, and I don't believe I've ever played a "slow" round on either course here. The conditions are outstanding, from the tees to the roughs to the fairways to the greens. And many times during a round, I've seen Marshalls or other staff members going to open greens and repairing ball marks. I've played a couple hundred courses, and I've never seen that anywhere else. In fact, the greens at both of these courses are among the best I've ever played. They really care about the golf experience at Penn National, and it's very apparent every time we go. The food is always great too. It's a dry county, but they welcome golfers bringing their own alcoholic beverages and coolers that fit on golf carts. I've never had a bad experience here, and I can't say enough good things about Penn National. Highly recommended!

Founders at Penn National Golf Club is an outstanding venue! The staff (from the guys at the bag drop, the guys behind the counter in the pro shop, to the starter) couldn't be more welcoming. Each and every one of them wished us a great day.

The greens are outstanding: fast, smooth, and soft enough to easily hold a decent approach shot. Slopes and minor undulations make putting interesting. Fairways are well-groomed, tree-lined, and often sloped vertically or horizontally. Tee boxes are located so fairway bunkers come into play for everyone. I love it! Water is there, but really didn't come into play during our round. Sand in the bunkers is perfect: white, soft, and well-raked. Strategy is a must; you just can't come to the tee and blast off! Love it!

We booked our tee time from their website. We got a discounted rate, making our afternoon at Founders a bargain as well as a wonderful round of golf.

The practice green had the best putting surface I have putted on in Pennsylvania all year! Sadly, the greens on the course were not as nice. They were lots of scuff marks from previous golfers, and the grass was visibly bumpy. That said, putts ran true, and my putts for the round were in line with my norm.

Tees and fairways were outstanding with plenty of room to keep the ball in the fairway. Rough was not overly penal. Bunkers were scary looking, but easily avoided, even for a high handicapper. There is water, but (except for #6), it shouldn't come into play for most of us. Frequent elevation changes add interest to the course.

Played the Old Forge during July 4 weekend. Course is called a "links" course but just means it has no trees...or very few. There are a few blind shots but we managed to find the balls. It was in very good shape esp greens - which were fast. Was on a stay and play package but got rained out on Sat...definitely will come back.

Got a bit slow on the back 9 because of one group, but kudos to the marshal who got them moving...finished round in 4 hours (2 people).

One non-golf note: courses are located in a dry township so it's BYOB. Food is OK, but nothing special.

The starter was very friendly. The holes near the clubhouse have fantastic landscaping and you think the entire course will be landscaped the same. However, some holes just look like an average neighborhood course and mars the overall experience. Overall, the conditioning of the course is very good but the tract is not varied enough and plays too long. I am a woman with a 17 handicap and play the forward tees and could not make the green in regulation on any of the par 4's or 5's which resulted in my highest score of the summer and compromised the enjoyment level. My hubby also felt the course played long but didn't have a tee box option that works for him - he has a handicap of 18.