Toftrees Resort & Four Star Golf Club
State College, Pennsylvania
Toftrees' 18-hole, championship golf course is continually one of Pennsylvania's top "Places to Play". Toftrees Golf Resort has recently been rated 4 1/2 stars by Golf Digest and ranked as one of Pennsylvania's Best Resort/ Public Golf Courses. Designed by nationally renowned golf course architect, Ed Ault and established in 1968, the pristine beauty of the golf course challenges the skills of all levels. For devoted golfers, it's a compelling a reason to send your offspring to "Happy Valley" for their education - considering the non-resident memberships offered to Alumnus and football fans. The 7,107-yard course cuts through 1,500 acres of oak and pine forest with such abandon that rarely do you glimpse another hole, let alone another golfer. The holes are wonderfully individual and the terrain so varied that you can play Toftrees multiple times and each round feels like the first time. The 634-yard, par-5 eighth hole is the showcase of all that's enjoyable about Toftrees. From an eagle perch of a back tee, your drive must bullet through a chute of pines to a generous fairway with water and woods on the sides. Only the longest hitters will have to concern themselves with a patch of rough dissecting the fairway about 330 yards from the tips. The green is rarely reachable in two. Approach shots need precision to avoid winding up on the wrong side of the two-tiered green. No. 9, a 392-yard par-4, is a beauty, too. A large lake in front of the tee requires a 225-yard carry to the landing area. It's all uphill from there. The green is protected by deep bunkers in front and the only birdies most golfers will see here are in the trees. The back nine opens up for some breathing space before encroaching with a vengeance on the narrow finishing holes. The 438-yard par-4 no. 18 has trouble both left and right, and requires a tee shot that hugs the left side of the fairway, preferably with a draw, or face an approach near 200 yards to an elevated green guarded by deep bunkers.
