Pennsylvania
Erie & Northwest PA Golf Courses & Tee Times
Northwest Pennsylvania golf runs from the Lake Erie shore down through Crawford and Warren counties to the Shenango Valley on the Ohio line. The City of Erie lists two courses of its own. Down in Hermitage, Buhl Park has run a free nine-hole course since 1914, which the park calls the only free golf course in the country. Next door, the 18-hole Buhl Park course, now Avalon at Buhl Park, is more than 100 years old.
Can't get a tee time in Erie & Northwest PA? Yoink watches 12 public courses, from Russell, Waterford, Hermitage, Titusville and Warren. Pick your courses, set the day and time you want, and get a notification when a tee time opens, cancellations included.
The longest layout here is Tam O'Shanter Golf Course at 6,537 yards.
Who runs public golf in Erie & Northwest PA
The City of Erie lists Downing Golf Course, an 18-hole layout in Harborcreek that plays 7,200 yards from the back tees, and J.C. Martin, a 9-hole short course next to the Erie Zoo built for beginners and leagues. Buhl Park's nine charges no green fee at all. Anyone can play if they sign in first, and donations are encouraged. Kids can use Youth on Course here through the Western Pennsylvania region: $60 a year (as of December 2025) and $5 walking green fees. The Western Pennsylvania Golf Association, founded in 1899, runs amateur golf in this part of the state.
Public courses worth knowing in Erie & Northwest PA
- Downing Golf Course: Erie's 18-hole course plays 7,200 yards from the tips. The city says it has hosted the National Public Links Championship.
- Buhl Park Golf Course (Dum Dum): A free public nine in Hermitage since 1914. Sign in, play, and leave a donation if you like.
- Avalon at Buhl Park: A course more than 100 years old, 5,450 to 6,369 yards, that finishes on a par 3 over water that can stretch to 220 yards.
Booking tee times in Erie & Northwest PA: the local rules
Downing's first tee time is 7:30 AM every day, per the city. An undated Explore PA History listing says Downing takes reservations only for weekend tee times. Buhl Park's free nine doesn't take tee times; you sign in when you arrive.
Yoink
The window opens once. Cancellations happen all week.
Booking windows decide who gets first pick. After that, times come back one at a time as plans change. Yoink watches all 12 courses in Erie & Northwest PA and tells you when a time that fits comes back, so you're not refreshing the page all week.
12 courses in Erie & Northwest PA
Cambridge Springs
Meadville
Titusville
Other
North Hills Municipal Golf Course
One hole moves 72 feet from tee to green — water borders nine of the eighteen.
Pinecrest Country Club
Par 70 and 5,741 yards from the back tees: Pinecrest Country Club is a shorter 18-hole course in Pennsylvania.
Tam O'Shanter Golf Course
Par 71 and 6,537 yards from the back tees: Tam O'Shanter Golf Course is an 18-hole regulation course near Hermitage, Pennsylvania.
Why tee times in Erie & Northwest PA are hard to get
The season in Erie & Northwest PA is short, running roughly from late spring into fall, so every good weekend in that window is contested. The first warm Saturdays of the year are the hardest tee times to get.
Each course releases its tee times on its own schedule, commonly a week or two out, with residents of town and county courses often booking first. Leagues, outings and members claim chunks of the sheet in advance, and whatever prime weekend times are left tend to go on release day.
When tee time cancellations happen
A full tee sheet rarely stays full. Many courses let you cancel without a fee up to 24 or 48 hours before your time, so spots tend to reappear in the last couple of days. A bad forecast shakes more loose, and a foursome that drops to three opens a single. None of it is announced. The time just shows up again on the booking page, and whoever looks first gets it.
How to get a tee time in Erie & Northwest PA
Yoink
Watch all 12 courses in Erie & Northwest PA. Hear the moment one opens.
Yoink checks all 12 courses in Erie & Northwest PA every few minutes, so every open time is in one place and you're the first to know when one that fits your day, window and group appears, cancellations included.
Doing it by hand? Here's what works.
- Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
- Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
- Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
- Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
- Widen the map. If your first choice is full, check the next town over. Russell has 2 courses on Yoink and Waterford has 2.
Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked
Tee times in Erie & Northwest PA: questions
How do I get notified when a tee time opens up in Erie & Northwest PA?
Set a watch in Yoink for the courses you want, the days you can play, a time window and the number of players. Yoink checks those tee sheets every few minutes and sends a notification as soon as a matching time appears, cancellations included. You book it directly with the course.
When do tee time cancellations usually show up?
Mostly in the 24 to 48 hours before the tee time, as golfers cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline, and whenever the weather forecast changes. They appear without notice and tend to be rebooked quickly.
How far in advance can you book a tee time in Erie & Northwest PA?
It depends on the course. Many public courses open bookings 7 to 14 days ahead, and town or county courses often give residents an earlier window. Each course's own booking page has its policy.
When is golf busiest in Erie & Northwest PA?
Demand is highest from late spring through early fall. Weekend mornings are always the hardest tee times to get.
Does Yoink book the tee time for me?
No. Yoink tells you when a time opens; you book it with the course on its own booking page, at the course's price, with no extra fee.
More golf in Pennsylvania
- Poconos & Lehigh Valley · 59 courses
- Philadelphia · 49 courses
- Pittsburgh · 44 courses
- Harrisburg & Central PA · 26 courses
- State College & Altoona · 20 courses
- North Central PA · 9 courses
- Washington DC & Baltimore · 7 courses
- Upstate NY — Capital & Central · 1 courses
- Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester · 1 courses
Just across the state line
Markets with courses within 25 miles of a course here.
- Cleveland, OH · 111 courses
- Pittsburgh, OH · 3 courses
- Erie & Northwest PA, MI · 1 courses
- Western NY — Buffalo & Rochester, NY · 73 courses
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages, checked 2026-09-28. Rates and booking rules change, so confirm with the course.
- erie.pa.us · government
- erie.pa.us · government
- explorepahistory.com · media
- buhlpark.org · official
- buhlpark.org · official
- en.wikipedia.org · media
- thegrandresort.com · official
- crosscreekresort.com · official
- wpga.org · association
- youthoncourse.org · association
Tee times in Erie & Northwest PA, without the refreshing
Watch as many courses as you like. When a time opens that fits your day, window and group, Yoink tells you first.