Olde Stonewall Golf Club in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania

The front nine of Olde Stonewall Golf Club is a lovely walk through rural Pennsylvania, essentially lowcountry in nature, but when you get to the back nine, the course soars up there higher even than the castle/clubhouse.

The holes, especially Nos. 11-16, take you high up over Lawrence County, and they wow you with the views at the same time they wow you with the actual golf.

This is a beautiful golf course that deserves the recognition it has received from the golf establishment: Golf magazine has rated it one of the top 10 public courses in the U.S., and Golf Digest has included it in its 100 Greatest Public Courses, for example.

Olde Stonewall is a par-70 layout, 7,052 yards from the back - or "epic" - tees and plays every yard from back there. Try it from the tips: They don't mind a bit here if you want to rough yourself up.

You don't get all this for pennies. Green fees are $160, which includes carts with GPS, range balls and use of the locker room facilities. There are twilight rates available for $100.