The Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania have long been a weekend retreat from Manhattan and Philadelphia, 90 minutes to the east and two hours south, respectively. It’s a destination famous for mountain scenery and outdoor activities like skiing, fishing, hiking and camping. It’s been a honeymooning getaway and tranquil escape from big-city hustle and bustle. But the Pocono Mountains are now developing an identity as a stand-alone golf destination, with a wide range of worthwhile courses culled from different eras. It’s an attractive amalgamation of old and new.

Old
Donald Ross happened by in 1922, and his Buck Hill Golf Club design, since expanded to a 27-hole layout, remains a classic more than 80 years later. This parkland-style routing has no forced carries but some leg-strengthening climbs and small, devilish greens with steep-faced bunkers. Furthermore, the course wends lazily deeper into the woods as the round progresses, particularly when playing the White-Blue combo, in that order, and culminates in a crescendo of spectacular golf holes. One feels alone in the golf universe on the Blue nine and in concert with the architect, whose legend and aura seem present in the old-growth trees and unspoiled surroundings.

New
Great Bear is a Jack Nicklaus creation with loads of characteristics seen in modern architecture. Forced carries, huge greens and Nicklaus’ signature left-to-right shot routing are prevalent throughout, particularly on the testy par 3s, two of which measure a meaty 222 and 199 yards, respectively, from the Black Tees (back tees, 74.8 rating, 142 slope). Both of those one-shotters are on the back nine, not coincidentally, as the course gets increasingly tougher as the round progresses.

Old
A.W. Tillinghast designed his first-ever course at Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort. The resort now features 27 holes, a golf academy, short course and Sam Snead’s Tavern, among many other amenities.

A shot from the No. 8 hole teeing area on the Blue nine at Buck Hill Golf Club course.

Its rich past includes the first-ever meeting between Arnold Palmer and his soon-to-be-wife, Winnie. The 1938 PGA Championship was held and won at Shawnee by Paul Runyan over the resident pro, a fellow by the name of Sam Snead. Shawnee is in the midst of developing its second heyday with the addition of amenities such as the aforementioned golf academy and short course, a spa soon to be added and recent renovation of inn rooms. The course conditions suffered this year, the result of a flood by the Delaware River which winds through the property, but course managers anticipate they will return to form next season.

New
Woodloch Springs is a Rocky Roquemore creation from 1992. His efforts there prompted Golf Digest magazine to call it “a sanctuary of golf and greenery.” It’s a memorable combination of tight fairways and sizeable elevation changes, as the course curves and bends its way through fern-carpeted forests, lush wetlands and broad upland meadows. With four sets of tees on every hole, all levels of play can be accommodated. The brawny 14th hole requires a dramatic 220-yard carry over "Hells Gate Gorge" which is carved from the rugged mountainside by rushing water some 200 feet below.

Old
Skytop is a classic antiquity. This farmland golf course might be what comes to mind when you hear the words “pasture pool.” It’s a 1920s-era design by Robert White, a native of St. Andrews, Scotland, who later became the first PGA president. Here you can play the ball from tee to green along the ground on almost every hole save for No. 18, which is a curious finishing hole that requires a nearly vertical short approach over a chasm and stone wall into a green that tests even the best putters, so canted is the surface from back to front.

A scenic view of the Woodloch Springs Golf Club course.

The imposing main lodge is a stone monolith, 125 guestrooms in all, with outbuildings that contain another 30 rooms and cottages. The surrounding 5,500 acre property, filled with lakes, streams, hiking and horseback trails, makes Skytop one of the premiere destinations in the region.

New
Split Rock is another Pocono Mountains golf and resort property which mirrors Woodloch Springs in its mandate that golfers both think and execute shot after shot with guts and precision. And also like Woodloch Springs, this 27-hole complex (with another nine forthcoming) is a course that’s both an emotional and literal roller-coaster. And while both Woodloch Springs and Split Rock will leave a golfer feeling fully engaged, a full complement of golf balls in the bag at day’s end is another matter entirely.

Old
Being 35 years old doesn’t make Fernwood Golf Club a bona-fide antique like some of the other examples from the “Golden Age” of golf architecture in the ‘20s and ‘30s, but this 1969 Nick Pshaias design in the town of Bushkill has a retro sensibility, with narrow fairways and challenging greens in a bucolic mountain setting. Golf is just one attraction at a hotel/resort that’s extremely family friendly, with numerous dining, entertainment, sports and lodging options.

Soon to Come
Split Rock isn’t the only golf project under development in the Pocono Mountains. Nearby Jack Frost National Golf Club in Blakeslee, a par-72, 7,200-yard championship layout, is currently being constructed and projected to open in the fall of 2006.

Speaking of soon to come, gaming will be descending on the Poconos in the near future, adding yet another attraction to this pastoral four-county region. The staple recreations of skiing, hiking and honeymooning have been augmented by the burgeoning golf scene, and the advent of NASCAR racing. This gaming element represents yet another evolution in a region that attempts and succeeds in offering something for everyone in terms of recreation and diversion.

For more information about “Pocono Mountains: Discover Golf’s Great Destination Secret” visit www.poconosgolf.com or call 1-800-POCONOS (762-6667). Comprehensive Pocono Mountains visitor information is available online at www.800poconos.com.