Buddies Trip in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Area

Heading out to Scranton for bachelor party in mid-June and planning out a few rounds of golf while we are there. Going to be staying near the casino, and thinking about Jack Frost as an option to play but would really enjoy any suggestions people have for good public tracks in the area.

i have heard great things about shawnee mountain inn.

Don’t skip Blue Ridge Trail. It’s a 27 hole course with some great elevation changes and is very reasonably priced. I’d try to play all 27 one day. Also check out the course at the Mount Airy casino.

There are plenty of decent/good public courses within 45 minutes of the Mohegan Sun casino, but nothing really mind-blowing. Stone Hedge, Panorama, Jack Frost, Great Bear, Shawnee, Mount Airy, Paupack Hills (if conditioning has improved recently) etc.

I'd avoid the Scranton or W-B muni courses (basic, zzzzzzzzz), Water Gap (ongoing conditioning issues the last few years unless something changed very recently), CC of Poconos (awful extreme cartball layout).

The golf in the area tends to be of a good value/inexpensive, a lot of the courses don't get much play on weekdays, and aren't packed as much on the weekends as they used to be 10-15 years ago.

Great! Thanks to all for the advice, I have actually played Blue Ridge once before and definitely have it on the list. And Shawnee looks like a good place to check out as well!

I'll leave the marriage and Scranton/WB jokes alone. I live in the area....

The best public course in the area is Jack Frost imo. It's easy to get to (right off 476/80) Excellent mountain course that is reasonably forgiving. 6, 7 and 12 are the only holes that I would consider "tight". Par 3's are all of reasonable length which is a nice bonus. I've played some highly rated public and private mountain tracks and JFC holds up well.

Blue Ridge is also a really good choice. 27 holes of really good mountain golf. There was some pipeline construction there last year which compromised a few holes. The greens also took a hit during the winter of '17/'18. Not sure if all 3 nines are back to 100%. If they are definitely worth consideration. I don't believe Blue Ridge is quite as memorable as JFC but still worth a trip to play.

Shawnee is awesome given its history and island location. However, it's a bit of a hike from the Scranton/WB area all things considered. Might be closer to the Lehigh Valley.

I'm not a fan of Mt. Airy. Some terribly designed holes. Could be a Top 20 course in the state given the resources.

Buck Hill and Woodloch are awesome in their own ways but are in the heart of the Poconos.

Stone Hedge is improving each day but still not there in terms of conditions to warrant playing it for a trip. Panorama and Pine Hills are fun local courses but nothing spectacular.

Split rock is nice , not sure the distance of it from where you will be

Also, Pocono Manor. It’s a Donald Ross course and looks like a nice layout. I haven’t played there yet but plan to this weekend.

> @Kevlar10 said:

> Also, Pocono Manor. It’s a Donald Ross course and looks like a nice layout. I haven’t played there yet but plan to this weekend.

Pocono Manor is dreadful! Their head pro, Greg Wall, is the son of 1959 Master's Champ Art Wall. He's a member at my club. He can't pay people to go down there and play.

> @TUGolfer06 said:

> > @Kevlar10 said:

> > Also, Pocono Manor. It’s a Donald Ross course and looks like a nice layout. I haven’t played there yet but plan to this weekend.

>

> Pocono Manor is dreadful! Their head pro, Greg Wall, is the son of 1959 Master's Champ Art Wall. He's a member at my club. He can't pay people to go down there and play.

Thanks for the warning.