Longue Vue

Don’t be fooled by the phonetics of Longue Vue Club’s name: It actually translates to “telescope.” That said, the meaning remains the same: Perched high above the Allegheny River, the club offers some of the most stunning views in Pennsylvania, if not the national golf scene.

The trick then, for the architects of such a course, was to create a strategic test that could keep players’ eyes off of those longue vues for just a moment. Tillinghast is the name cited most often when discussing the club, however a fair share of credit belongs to Scotsman Robert White, the original architect. Tillie, after all, did not pursue the classic templates as much as his own, so the existence of a Redan, Eden, and Alps hole at Longue Vue are a strong indicator of White’s role (and his familiarity with the works of Macdonald et al).

The course plays much like a Tillinghast, however, with serpentine fairways reminiscent of Bethpage Black and large sand hazards (albeit not as large as the course just mentioned). Most telling are the slick putting surfaces.

Geoffrey Cornish and Ron Forse also came by to renovate and restore, respectively, during the past 60 years.