Bob O'Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park

The pros are that this course has a very nice clubhouse and beautiful views of Oakland and downtown Pittsburgh. It's also affordable -- but, you get what you pay for. The course itself is not very well marked, there are no paths and some of the holes are very steep (#2 especially). For anyone that has trouble walking, I do not recommend this course. There are also no golf carts, walking with pull carts only (they do have some available). There are no fairways or sand traps on any of the holes. We were waiting on tees multiple times, sometimes 2-3 groups back. They need to be better about tee times especially on weekends, there should not be so many pairs and single golfers at peak times. The play just gets so slow. It's a convenient location for those close to the city but there are so many better public courses a little ways out that are worth the trip.

It is very convenient for me to play here because of the location. This is one of the better walking courses nearby. I meet a buddy of mine twice a month to play a round.

Like mentioned before, if you go into this course knowing what kind of course it is then you will have a good time. It's a shorter course with a somewhat odd layout but still offers a peaceful round with views of Oakland and downtown. At one point I found three separate putting greens within what seemed like 100 yards of each other. Neat lil' clubhouse with a good selection of used clubs. $10 twilight round starts at 4:00 and is perfect for getting some practice in.

Golfed the Bob O'Connor "Schenley Park" course for the first time this morning. If you approach this course with a basic understanding of what kind of course it is, you will have a great day on the course.First off, this is a short golf course located in Schenley Park that plays at 4620 yards from a universal tee box. The tee boxes are made of artificial turf, so you need to insert your tee into one of the three tee holders embedded in the tee box, or use a rubber tee. If you keep in mind that this is pretty much a practice course, and the home of The First Tee Pittsburgh, it might help you get past one of the biggest cons of playing this course.The second issue that may deter a large selection of golfers is that this course is walk only, and in all honesty a pretty brutal, hilly walk at times. During my round this morning I observed some of the older players on the course completely skip certain holes because of the terrain.Now onto the positives of this course that will keep me coming back regularly:Price. The rates here are very affordable. As of this posting, it is $15 to play 18 holes. $10 for a twilight round, if you are a student with a valid student ID, or are police, fireperson, or military.Greens. I have played a handful of practice courses like this, and typically the greens are horrendously maintained and aside from debris or patches, not challenging at all. That is not the case at the Bob. The greens here are immaculate and surprising for a course like this. A little slow and on the longer side because of rain the night before, but ultimately a good putting challenge. On a dryer day with a closer cut, these greens are probably better and faster then a lot of other courses where you're paying a premium rate.The course also has memberships for those who decide they want to play a whole lot of practice rounds for a cheap price. The bottom line is, get the early season kinks out of your game by practicing here before you go spend a bunch of money hacking it up at a nicer course.See you out there. -S

The Bob O'Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park is one of those hidden gems that, for some reason or another, doesn't get the credit it deserves. I've played there quite a few times this past summer and was blown away by the value. For $10 (9 holes) or $15 (18 holes) you get a view of the Pittsburgh skyline and some great golf.While it definitely isn't country club quality with turf tee boxes and the occasional over-the-road or fence obstacles, the value really can't be beat. For this price, I was really expecting the worst but was really surprised by the quality of the fairways and greens. Whether you're a low handicap player or a newbie, I think everyone would have a good time.Just watch out for balls, some days it feels like you're standing in a shooting gallery. 5-stars for an unbeatable value.

Bob O'Connor is a gem. The clubhouse staff are cheerful and helpful. Because it's a smaller, tighter course, you must be conscious about your club selection, stroke, and other golfers. You tee off of mats, but you'll understand why when you get there. The 6th tee you hit over a road, but a 5, 6, or 7 iron is more than enough loft/distance to get safely on the fairway. The sight lines of the surrounding neighborhood & city are beautiful and the course was pristine. Is it Augusta National? No, It's Bob O'Connor, and a good time.

Just know before you go and have the right attitude. This course has many shortcomings. As others have mentioned:-turf tee boxes-poorly maintained greens/fairways-The clubhouse is a wreck-Short course (Par 67, no Par 5's)-no golf carts on a hilly courseI would add that they no longer provide water coolers throughout the course, which would be fine if I could easily refill at the clubhouse at the turn...but hole #9 does NOT lead back to the clubhouse, and hole #10 is even further out, so its extremely inconvenient to take a break at the turn to refill on Powerade, grab a hot dog, etc. Also, as I'm about to tee off on #1, some jag-off on his afternoon jog strolls right through the entire fairway. I might have seen someone walking their dog thru the course at one point as well.But at the end of the day, the price is right. $15 for 18 holes is CRAZY cheap ($12 with school ID!). AND it's so close if you live near town. Great practice and you don't have to drive 30+ minutes out of town. Worth it.

Although the course itself was in average condition and the tee boxes were synthetic, the design along with the hole length can challenge even the best of golfers and encourage a good experience. My only complaints are that women had to play from the Mens' Tees because there was only one tee box per hole and no golf carts. The views of Pittsburgh from the course were also beautiful. I had a great time playing the course and I look forward to playing it again.

Overall not a bad course to play. I had fun however the course was in disarray. Every other flag was down on the greens and the huge divot on the 6th green was atrocious. Now I know it's inside a public park and all however when I go to tee off on the 8th hole and kids are waiving the pin flag like something out of Braveheart is ridiculous. The price was decent but the course being in disarray was a killer.

The beginner golfers and tight fairways make you fear for your life. However, you get to counteract that by hitting over a fairly busy road 4 times, making the drivers fear for their lives. It's not the best course in the world(turf tee boxes, crummy greens, short holes), but it's only $15 for 18 holes. How can you complain about that?