Mountain Valley Golf Course, Barnesville, PA

It has been a while since Valley has been reviewed. It is, as you can gather from the other reviews, tight. It is just an amazing course in a wilderness setting and the character of the course changes from section to section. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR ERROR and even a shot that just barely goes over the green may never be seen again. The sandtraps are real traps BTW.

The FIRST SECTION: eight holes that hook in a horseshoe around a stream. Each hole is isolated from all the others. 4-7 have fairways that slope sharply left and no room on the right for error.

Hole 1 tempts you to use driver and you can get away with it, but you might be better off with fairway metal or hybrid. 2--hell of a drop to the fairway. You can drive through the dogleg so be careful. #3 par 3, all carry and no forgiveness off the green. But is not that hard. #4 600 yards and brutal 180 carry down a narrow chute--if you can't trust your driver use the senior tees. Once through the chute you can reach the green in 3 but the green is tightly guarded by bunkers and not open in front. Stop and enjoy the view. #5 short hole. Carry the 150 marker and you can make it home fairly easy. #6 and #7--very short uphill holes. Really think about not hitting driver here . . . neither green is open on the front. #8--par three, end of the horseshoe. A relatively easy par 3 with no room for error. In Spring, this hole is gorgeous.


SECTION 2: #9 Unsling your driver and go for it--very uphill par 5 and again the green is not open in front. Zero room for error on the sides. Halfway up turn around and look at the view. #10, you turn into the zig-zag holes. Take a short or medium iron lay up short of the lake--though if you are skilled you can go down the right side. (Risk/reward). #11. Even mediocre players can carry the stream but you need to think straight shot here. One of the easier greens. #12--a part 3 that looks easier than it is. Shots that land short are at the whim of subtle changes in the terrain so you have to go for it--over 180 yards. #13. Just put your drive in the middle of this short dogleg. Then you hit into a sharply terraced green. Your second shot is not easy here and the dip in the green between terraces may come into play.

SECTION 3: up on top of the ridge. # 14, a sensible par 3--this one is a short or middle iron. A nice break in the challenge. #15--if you are not a big banger, lay up your tee shot. The second fairway is well below the first and there is nothing between them but brush. Get into the second fairway and the hole becomes easier. #16, you are bending around what appear to be ponds from old mines. This is supposed to be the easiest of the holes and the only real problem is if you go long and right. #17: take out your driver and bang away. This hole actually plays shorter than it looks . . . but be careful on the approach--long is definitely not good. # 18--very short par 4 and you can swing away on your drive--but the green is perched like a castle high above the fairway and the traps that guard are insanely deep.

Great course . . . and good luck!