Limited On Time? Here’s the Perfect Overnight Golf Trip in Pennsylvania

If you have a group of guys who want to play some golf but do not have an extended period of time to visit golf hotspots like Wisconsin, Florida, or other states, here’s the perfect one-night trip for you and your buddies.

We had eight guys (including me), and we wanted to play one round of golf, and we did not want it to be at one of our local courses. Looking around Pennsylvania, there are a handful of great areas for golf: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and even Bethlehem have great courses and plenty of activities for after your round.

One area that always falls short of any mention of golf trips is State College. Not only do you have some really great facilities in the general area of Happy Valley, but you also have plenty of entertainment and nightlife to experience after the round.

Transportation

We picked up a rental, 12 12-passenger Ford Transit van, from a local company and paid $327 for 400 miles. Split that between eight guys, and it was only about $40 a piece.

It did two things for us: first, it allowed everyone to be together for the ride up and back, which is about two-and-a-half hours from York, PA, where we left. Secondly, it allowed adequate space as there was more than enough room for eight golf bags and eight backpacks worth of clothing. It kept our experience as a group a great one, where we weren’t forced to ride in two separate cars.

This was a luxury, but it was truly a great move in the grand scheme of things.

The Golf

We chose to play at Toftrees Golf Resort, just past University Park and only about eight minutes from Downtown State College. Toftrees is a public resort that also has lodging, but the true star of the show was the course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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It was well-maintained, the greens rolled true, and the pace of play was truly excellent. We split into two foursomes and played a best-ball scramble against each other. Of all the courses in the area, I was happy we went with Toftrees, but I will say that I’ve heard great things about the Blue and White Courses on Penn State’s campus.

They are both maintained by the Turfgrass Management majors and are utilized by the golf team. I’ve never heard a bad thing about either course, so I’ll be sure to try them out next trip.

Toftrees plays about 6300 from the whites and over 7000 yards from the tips. We played from the whites and really enjoyed the experience. The Pro Shop was well-stocked with shoes, polos, headcovers, and everything you’d need.

The Lodging

Toftrees has a great hotel, but we chose to stay downtown. I went to Penn State, so I wanted the boys to experience the various bars downtown, and I thought it would be better than Ubering. Walking was really easy as we chose to stay at The Graduate, a Hilton property. 

We got two conjoined rooms, one suite, and one double queen. It was more than enough room for everyone, and the accommodations were clean and comfortable, as always. It is usually my pick when I go back up to my Alma Mater.

The Price

The van and hotel came out to $100 per person, the golf was $89. The fun was priceless.