Mountain Laurel Golf Club

White Haven sits in the heart of the Pocono Mountains, where the Lehigh River cuts through dense hardwood forest and the elevation changes are anything but subtle. It's coal-country Pennsylvania turned vacation country — a region that built its identity around the outdoors, and where golf courses tend to reflect the rugged, wooded terrain rather than fight it.

A par-72 layout in this landscape almost certainly means navigating tree-lined corridors, uneven lies, and the kind of dramatic fall foliage in October that can distract even a focused player. The mountain laurel — Pennsylvania's state flower, blooming in pink and white clusters each June — is native to exactly this terrain, and a course named for it is almost certainly surrounded by the real thing.

The Poconos have long attracted weekend golfers from Philadelphia and New York, making courses here less about prestige and more about a genuine escape: fresh air, forested scenery, and a round that feels a long way from the city. Mountain Laurel fits that tradition.