Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa

About Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa

The Old Course at Bedford Springs is one of the oldest in the country, and three famous names are layered in it. Spencer Oldham of Baltimore laid it out in 1895. A.W. Tillinghast, early in his career, cut it to nine holes in 1912, and Donald Ross, reusing many of the existing holes, brought it back to 18 in 1923. In 1901 the head pro, Charles Thorn, rebuilt greens and tees and irrigated the course from the resort's natural springs.

It's short by modern standards and full of old-school touches: a donut bunker, a set of short par 3s including the Volcano at the 4th, and the 14th, Tiny Tim, a little par 3 that Tillinghast was fond of, with mounds left of the green. The course sits next to Shober's Run, and water comes into play on nearly every hole.

Ron Forse restored it in 2007 as part of the resort's revival. The low holes flooded badly, so the stream and wetlands were lowered to their old levels and about 70,000 cubic yards of topsoil raised the valley holes. Forse kept features from the 1895 course, even the grass on them, and replaced the tidy mown creek banks of the 1950s with native grasses. It was renamed the Old Course, and the hotel reopened to overnight guests on July 12, 2007.

It's one of 20 courses Yoink watches in the State College & Altoona area, and the closest alternative is Bedford Elks Country Club, about 1 mile away — handy when your first choice is booked solid.

How to get a tee time at Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa