Diamond Run Golf Club

Enjoyed an intro round today, definitely look forward to finding myself here playing more rounds in the future, definitely one of the nicest courses if played all year.

Great looking course! Took my lessons here with Cam Lang and he’s helped me tremendously.

Scenic holes, challenging and interesting layout, tee and fairway of great conditions, green firm and fast. The bunker and cart path are now both in great shape. This is a fantastic golf course and it is well taken care of. The membership directors Lydia and Elliot are super nice and helpful.

The course has some good bones. But over the years, the course had deteriorated overall, despite a massive dues increase two years ago. I originally wrote a pretty bad review of the course a couple years ago because the rough was a weed patch, the bunkers were in desperate need of repair, the tees were worn out due to overuse, difficulty scheduling tee times, and beat up cart paths. Within the last year, the rough has been treated with herbicide using a drone flying several feet above the ground, and the weeds have significantly decreased. The attached photos show how bad the weeds had become compared to years past, but since they sprayed, it does look closer to the older photo on the left again. Due to a massive drop in membership after a dues increase to now to about $800/month, the tees and greens actually look better. The greens are very quick and firm. I personally don't see the infatuation with firm and fast greens. It seems more of a status symbol. It slows play and reduces the number of pin postions and makes some shots unfair. On the other hand, ball and club technology have changed, and perhaps this is a way to fight back instead of lengthening the course, but it still is costly. Initiation fees have fluctuated over the years, ranging from no Initiation fee to $10,000. Membership was at its lowest point at the end of last year but has been picking up recently. When Gary Player designed the course, he commented on how it looked so natural in a wooded landscape and like it was always there. I would think he would be appalled by the number of trees removed. Not every course needs to look like Oakmont. Oakmont started out without trees, this isn't the case for Diamond Run. The trees framed the holes at Diamond Run. They weren't boringly lined parallel to the fairways, but they were placed in strategic positions to challenge the tee and approach shots. Now, just bomb it—as long as you don't hit it in the weeds. Sure, some trees have died (like the ash trees), some trees blocked air circulation near green complexes and tees, and in some cases, sight lines have improved, but overall, in my opinion, the tree removal campaign should not have applied to this course. The bunkers have been completely redone as of April 2024 with a drainage system called Billy Bunker which seems to be doing well after multiple massive rains. The remaining bunkers look very nice. They removed 20-30 bunkers though, most of which were directional markers since many of these didn't come into play. It seems like they did not seek approval from Gary Player Design for these changes. Gary Player Design is now in partnership with Nicklaus, so maybe it was too complicated to ask. But, the course is really a lot different now without many bunkers and a massive tree removal campaign, so it shouldn't really call itself a Gary Player Signature Course, IMO.) The cart paths have needed upgrading for years. They did purchase new carts recently. I guess that profits get soaked up by ClubCorp/Invited, leaving little except for the basics—just a little more than an average muni. I remember showing friends the course several years ago and getting oohs and ahhs. Very few were impressed in what I am calling the dark days a year or two ago. Things look much better now. Employee turnover has always been high ever since ClubCorp took over. Again, corporate greed over treating their employees well. The range has always been awkward, being so elevated that shots less than about 125 yards can't be seen as they land. The chipping area and bunker for practice are fair for a private club. There is an area in front of the range that could be used for longer pitches, but it hasn't been developed yet. At this time last year and I had lost hope for this golf course and wrote a fairly negative review. But, there have been some significant improvements. For me personally, the cost of membership compared with how often I play, would not warrant me being a member.

Great private course in the Pittsburgh area. Challenging but still gives you the chance to score well.