Avalon Lakes At Avalon Golf & Country Club

Imagine being able to play on four golf courses designed by some of the world's top architects. Now, imagine being able to play them anytime your heart desires. And finally, imagine being able to do all of this in one location, where you have unlimited access to swimming pools, wine bars, cigar lounges, a fitness center, and a spa.

Let me introduce you to The Grand Resort in Warren, OH, which has been ranked the best resort in Ohio for 2025 by U.S. News & World Report. Not only is it a full-service resort open year-round offering unparalleled amenities and service, but it also has a private club component, which makes you a member of four golf courses (two in Ohio and two just over the Pennsylvania border). Each club is a showcase all its own.

If you’re a connoisseur of fine golf courses built by legendary golf course architects, you’re going to love this. Avalon Lakes - a Pete Dye design - is considered The Grand Resort’s premier course (although I would argue) and is located on the resort property. Avalon at Squaw Creek (Stanley Thompson) is a mere 10 minutes away in Vienna, OH. Avalon at Buhl Park is located in Hermitage, PA, and was designed by Tom Bendelow. The legendary A.W. Tillinghast designed Avalon Fields at New Castle in New Castle, PA, and is my personal favorite.

Avalon Lakes Golf Club is a true Pete Dye design; you can see it as you on the first tee. Penal bunkers - many of which are not visible from the tee box or fairway, challenging greens with a lot of slope and undulation, and a strategic design that forces you to think your way around the golf course. What’s missing are his trademark railroad ties. Instead, the edges of water hazards around the green are done in stone, which provides a much cleaner look and feel. Avalon Lakes is the flattest of all the courses, and Dye has done a great job of moving dirt around to create small hills and mounds on the peripheries of the fairways and around the greens. Without a doubt, Number 8 is the signature hole, a peninsular par 3 that plays anywhere between 129 and 235 yards. You’ll need to hit an extra club as the prevailing wind is usually in your face. There’s water all down the left side and behind the green, and four bunkers guard the right side, so accuracy off the tee goes a long way in achieving par or better. It’s one of the most photographed holes on the golf course.

There’s plenty to do outside of golf. The Fitness Center is open 24/7 and has a wide selection of cardio, strength training machines, and free weights. The REC Center has a little bit of everything: 3 tennis courts - one lined for pickleball, racquetball, wallyball, ping pong, pool, and foosball tables, shuffleboard, pinball, race car simulators, and a theater room with lounge chairs and X-Box video games.

There are two things golfers seem to crave after their round: relaxation and a good cigar. Grand Resort has the answer for both. Unwind and relax in the Roman Bath, a pool that is open year-round and kept at 90°F. For cigar aficionados, the Cigar Store and Lounge features over 150 brands from all over the world. The store and lounge are open 24 hours a day, and the huge leather chairs and big screen TVs make it the perfect place to enjoy your smoke.

There are two full-service restaurants at the resort, The Atrium and Gatsby’s. Each club also has a restaurant, and they don’t serve your typical clubhouse food. The Atrium is located on the main floor of the resort, just behind Guest Registration, and serves a wonderful breakfast buffet. Gatsby’s is better known for its prime steaks and seafood entrees.

There are two ways to enjoy all the wonderful amenities of The Grand Resort and its four country clubs. The first is as a registered guest of The Grand Resort. Resort guests are essentially “Members for the stay,” that is, you have the same access to resort amenities as the Members.

The second is to become a Member. As a Member of Avalon Lakes Golf & Country Club, you’re also a member of Avalon at Squaw Creek, Buhle Park Golf Club, and Avalon Field Club at New Castle. That’s four clubs for the price of one. And, as they say on TV, “But wait, there’s more!” You’ll have access to the Avalon Athletic Club at Boardman, and all the amenities at The Grand Resort: swimming pools, salons and spas, indoor and outdoor dining at 26 restaurants, 21 bars, and 7 lounges, and much more.