Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pennsylvania)
They share about as much in common as Ashley Judd and Judd Hirsch.
One is a reminder of the way golf courses used to be constructed. The other is testament to the latest in course design.
One has leagues and lines for the first tee. The other has no leagues and a starter with a tee sheet.
One has trees, fairways, greens and pull carts. The other has moguls, bunker complexes and fountains in water hazards.
And yet, despite vast differences in appearance, style, motif and clientele, Cranberry Highlands Golf Club shares a common thread with the courses at South Park and North Park: Each is owned by the county or municipality in which they are located.
South Park and North Park are owned and operated by Allegheny County. Cranberry Highlands, which opened in August 2002, is owned and operated by Cranberry Township. They are known as municipal courses, and they are the only such 18-hole layouts in Western Pennsylvania.
"We were in the Entertainment Book in 2003 and it was absolutely crazy here," said Jon Shuster, director of golf operations at Cranberry Highlands.
No wonder.
Cranberry didn't just assign a couple of workers from its parks department to construct a golf course. The township hired Bill Love, a nationally acclaimed architect from Kensington, Md., to design the 18-hole layout. Love came with sterling credentials, having designed TPC at Avenel in Potomac, Md., long-time site of the PGA Tour's Kemper Open, and the Tom's Run course at Chestnut Ridge in Blairsville.
Love did it right, too, building a municipal course that caters to nearly everyone in the township ... and beyond. Cranberry Highlands is not long by today's standards -- only 6,403 yards from the back tees -- but it has wonderful sight lines, strategically placed hazards and just the right amount of fescue grasses to bring a little Scottish accent to the township.
"We've seen the demand for the course stay at a very high level," Shuster said.
At South Park and North Park, you can't get a tee time because the courses don't offer them.
At Cranberry Highlands, you can't get a tee time because the reservation sheet is usually too crowded.
And that with a $49 weekday ($59 weekend) greens fee -- nearly double what a player has to pay at South Park or North Park.
Cranberry Highlands debuted at a time when the number of rounds played, locally and nationally, were stuck in a three-year downward spiral. But that hasn't stopped players and corporate outings from flocking to the course. Or even the West Penn Golf Association, which staged its 2004 Public Links championship there.
"Our demographics are good," Shuster said. "We're located near two major arteries, Interstate 79 and the turnpike, and between Cranberry and McCandless you have areas that have discretionary income to spend on golf. And they have taken advantage of it."
Cranberry Highlands is so good it almost refutes the image of most municipal courses (keep in mind Torrey Pines, site of the 2008 U.S. Open, is also a municipal course). It isn't the longest par-70 course by any means -- four of the par 4s are under 340 yards -- but it has a variety of holes that require precise shot-making, including No. 5, a 356-yard par 4 that might be the best on the course.
There are also scenic holes such as No. 3, a 194-yard par 3 that plays sharply downhill to a green surrounded on two sides by a man-made lake. Or even No. 12, a 331-yard par 4 with a lake running the entire right side of the fairway. The green is angled around the water and framed with rocks, creating a demanding approach.
The purists who prefer the more-traditional layouts at South Park and North Park likely will be offended by the decorative fountains in each of those lakes. Such, though, are the creative touches of modern design -- and why the paths of players from South Park and North Park are not likely to cross with those from Cranberry Highlands.
"The No. 1 attraction is the quality of the course," Shuster said. "Our superintendent [Dave Barber] has done a great job keeping the course quality high for the number of players we get, and the people appreciate that."
But, despite not being a man-sized course, Cranberry Highlands still has some teeth to challenge the better players. And it comes during the stretch run, where the finishing holes are the 215-yard 15th, the 438-yard 17th and the 573-yard 18th, which plays slightly uphill.
Afterward, players can adjourn to the clubhouse for a bite to eat, which, in premise, is the same opportunity afforded those at South Park and North Park. But, at Cranberry Highlands, the clubhouse cost approximately $1 million and features a pro shop, office space, locker room, banquet rooms and grill room. There is even patio seating.
Not your average municipal course.
"We don't have leagues," Shuster said. "People can come up here and play in the afternoon."
Not like those other municipal courses.