Nemacolin Woodlands Resort (Mystic Rock & Links courses)
Farmington, PA (about 70 mi. SE of Pittsburgh near the WV border)
Mystic Rock: 1995, Pete Dye
Blue 6832, 75.0, 146, 72
White 6300, 71.5, 140, 72
Gold 5860, 69.7, 132, 72
'07 Greens Fees: Hotel Guests $155 Spring and Fall, $185 Summer
Caddy $40 + tip
Twilight $80 15:30 Sun-Fri
'07 room rates range from $210 (Townhouse) to $330 (Lodge) to $425 (Chateau) to $635 (Falling Rock) per night
Golf or Spa packages from $300 PP PN
Directions from Pittsburgh:
Rt 51S, @ Uniontown pick up Rt 40E
Course is 14 mi. on L
#75 2000 Golf Magazine Top 100 You Can Play
Host of PGA Tour event 84 Lumber Classic
Fat Guy Research: A Northeastern playground for Old Money, New Money, lottery winners, and upper-middle class pretenders, Nemacolin Resort (named for the Delaware Indian chief who blazed a westward trail in 1740 that passes right by the entrance) is a study in elegantly crafted stimulations of the senses. The massive neo-classical French chateau was inspired by owner Joe Hardy's trip to the Ritz Paris. Each of the Chateau's rooms, hallways, and public areas are adorned with Waterford Crystal chandeliers. The resort employs two people full time just to clean them in rotation. The Chateau is complimented by world class spa treatments, Hummer off-roading classes, an additional 5-diamond-rated boutique hotel inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's nearby Fallingwater, a shooting academy, skiing, 14 restaurants and lounges, a multi-million dollar art cache, Hardy's rare car collection, an exotic wildlife habitat, cooking classes, wine tasting, and fly fishing. A shuttle tour of the entire complex is a good way to get your bearings. And oh yeah, they also have 36 great holes of golf, including a Pete Dye course carved into the Western Pennsylvania hills featuring plenty of water and rocks, and good enough to host the PGA Tour. The on-site David Leadbetter Golf Academy has a 3,000-square-foot facility and four hitting bays.
Think of Nemacolin as a more modern, rustic version of places like The Greenbriar. Bring your L.L. Bean outdoorsman gear and a civilized Grizzly Adams mentality.
Budget: Figure you'll easily drop $1,000-$1,200 minimum for a standard weekend including golf, dining, spa, a few drinks, and a little shopping for your golf widow. You could probably easily double that if you also plan to partake in several of the various activities listed above.
Yes, that's a swim-up bar you spy on the left
Golfcourse.com Review: Mystic Rock has water in play on 10 holes. Fairways are cut out of the woods, but still with generous landing areas. Large, undulating greens. Signature hole is #12, a 173-yard par 3 over water. The Links Course was built amongst the Laurel Mountains and features large greens of average speed. The terrain is naturally hilly, with bunker-lined fairways, large rocks and trees, and several water hazards.
Where To Grub & Booze Nearby: The on-site Tavern Bar is in the style of an English Pub, and the perfect spot for after-golf drinks and bonding, with 4 hand-carved pool tables and top-notch pub food.
For a little nightlife, Nemacolin's WildSide Sports Bar has a Dave-&-Buster's-meets-extreme-gym-meets-Vegas-Wild-West-Lounge vibe, with shuttle buses back and forth to the nearby resort.
The Lobby Bar makes for a great meeting spot, or the Cigar Bar is like having scotch and cigars on the set from Clue. Mulligan's is the halfway house at the Mystic Rock course. PJ's is a '50's-style ice cream and pizza parlor.
For fine dining at the resort, Lautrec is a 5-Diamond award winner serving modern American cuisine in a funky Vegas-esque pink library. If you have 3-1/2 hours and a few hundred bucks to spare, order the 15-course Grand Tasting Menu.
Aqueous is a 4-Diamond neo-classical steakhouse among Frank-Lloyd-Wright-inspired architecture and furnishings.
Autumn is slightly less pretentious, featuring 3-and-5 course Italian meals. Reservations are strongly recommended at all of the fine dining restaurants at the resort.
Leave it to Fat Guy to find a decent wing joint anywhere near here: Hit Smitty's Bar in Uniontown.
Sell It To The Wife As... An Architecture Weekend: Hit 5 Frank Lloyd Wright designed houses within a 30 minute radius from the resort. The famed Fallingwater is about 10 miles north in Mill Run (www.fallingwater.org), the Kentucky Knob house is about 5 miles north of the resort, and 3 Wright houses (the Balter, Blum, and Duncan houses) have been moved to Polymath Park (www.polymathpark.com), about 35 miles to the northwest in Acme, PA. You can even stay the night at Duncan house for $425/night, 2 night min, up to 6 guests.