Our second course of the day was Mountain View, which was one that I have been wanting to play! Last fall, I played nearby at Carroll Valley and stumbled upon Mountain View while doing research for my blog. From what I gathered, Mountain View was actually part of that resort years ago! Even though Mountain View is no longer tied to Carroll Valley, I’d say you’ll still want to check it out, as I enjoyed much of what the course offered.

The best things about the course are the setting, the playable design, and the conditions. I certainly found a lot to like! Obviously, tastes vary as my friend didn’t enjoy the course nearly as much as I did. The pace of play was slow, around 4 hours and 40 minutes, which took away some from the experience. Hopefully, the pace normally is more zippy!

As soon as we drove into the parking lot, I could tell that Mountain View had some charm to it. There is a large, red barn near the clubhouse, which is an old brick building that looked like it should be on a farm somewhere! Off to one side of the parking lot I saw the front nine loop around and the back nine head off towards the hills. Plus, the views are great here as mountains ring the course and the small valley where it is located! From most holes, you’ll be able to see what I think are still the Blue Ridge Mountains and you won’t have to deal with a mountain style, tree lined layout. Oh, and there aren’t any homes lining the holes either!

I played the blue tees which are 71.2/128/6396 (par 71) and found the course to be playable for the average golfer. The fairways aren’t wide but on many holes there is room to miss and find your ball. I hit poor tee shots on the 5th and 7th holes, slicing a 3 wood and pull hooking a hybrid, but somehow managed to get away making just a bogey on each! When I missed greens, I was able to chip it close without always having to hit the high lob. I’m glad that was the case as I don’t practice that shot much anymore! So, there is some room to work around the greens.

The front nine is a par 35 that plays only 3,056 yards and has just one par 5. The par 5 is the 8th hole and at 476 yards, is a great chance for birdie! Even without the 8th hole, the front is relatively easy with the par 4’s being on the shorter side. I only hit two drivers on the front, including on the 6th hole which is one of the tougher driving holes on the course. It moves left and water guards the dogleg! Overall, I enjoyed the front nine the most because it has a parkland style layout and there is more space between the holes.

The back nine is longer but tighter and more cramped, to the point of where other groups (or you depending on your game that day!) can be playing the wrong hole. The back nine has some nice holes as it works its way near a hillside and has trees guarding the 15th and 16th greens! The trees are short and right of those greens, making it tough to get to pins on the right side. The 18th is a good risk/reward par 5 to close. It is reachable, but water lurks short and right of the green. I’m sure I would have enjoyed the back a bit more without so many golfers out and about when we played. Make sure to get your pars and birdies on the front because you may need to spend a few on the back!

By far the biggest challenge at Mountain View are the greens. That shouldn’t be a huge surprise considering that Mountain View is an Ault, Clark, and Associates course. As a design firm I think AC&A goes overboard with the movement of the greens! Worthington Manor and Locust Hill come to mind in that regards. Here, I just found the greens tricky to read and never felt comfortable on them. But, I think that is fair at a shorter course. I misread putt after putt so if you can get some input from a local that may help!

When it comes to the conditions, everything was wonderful except the bunkers. There’s no other way to say it, the bunkers were terrible as they had huge chunks of rocks in them! If I had newer clubs I wouldn’t have played from them. The tees, fairways, and greens were full and I always had nice lies. The greens were smooth and a nice holing pace. I’d call the course a good value for $38 on the weekend.

If you are visiting Gettysburg then I’d say that Mountain View would be a solid choice! It has good views, it was in good shape, and won’t beat you up too bad. In all honesty, it is an Ault, Clark, and Associates course that I kinda enjoyed!

#1 (402 yard par 4):

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#8 (476 yard par 5):

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#12 (172 yard par 3):

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