I’ve lived in Howard County for well over a decade, and whenever possible, I want to promote and help golf courses in Howard County.  It’s frustrating that I can count on one hand the number of public courses in the county, but I want them to be successful and I want them to be part of growing the game.  Seeing the options grow would make my weekend mornings improve by not forcing me into driving 40-60 minutes out of the county to tee it up.

With that being said, golf in this county is, to put it politely, terrible.  I don’t write this with glee and I don’t take any pleasure pointing out the state of affairs here.  We have three public courses and several limited access or private tracks.  For a growing county with our affluence, this is ridiculous.

But it was with hope and optimism that I set out to Waverly Woods in hopes of seeing my home county show that it can hang with the big boys.  Waverly Woods is the sister course of Blue Mash (located in Montgomery County).  I came away realizing that I’ll have to continue trekking into Montgomery County for my golfing fix because the people that run Waverly Woods can’t see the forest from the trees.  Letting your so-called members run amok while doing everything possible to scare off non-members is a recipe for disaster.

I wanted to have a great experience.  I wanted to tell people that no, it’s a great course.  With that being said, it’s a good layout with a wide variety of holes, and a lot of elevation changes.  It will challenge your game for sure.  They have a range with grass tees, a practice putting green and a chipping green to get you warmed up before your round.  I checked in at the pro shop and paid my green fee (paid $79 to ride on a weekend morning); didn’t exactly get a friendly welcome (I’ll point out that the Montgomery County courses all have friendly folks who are at least hospitable).  Didn’t get warm fuzzies from the starter about how they needed my cart so I’d have to pair up with someone.  Is being friendly that difficult?

I was paired up with a threesome (a family of really nice folks whose company was, if nothing else, enjoyable- they were fine folks and I enjoyed meeting them) and being the second group out, I was optimistic of a fairly good-paced round.  Unfortunately, this didn’t happen.

Practice Green. Great chance to chip, putt and hit sand shots.

The trouble started at seeing the foursome in front of us with three walkers.  Slow walkers.  VERY slow walkers.  On a course that, frankly, isn’t really walkable due to the topography and some long hikes between holes.  To put three walkers out first…there’s a word for this.  If that wasn’t bad enough, we had fog for most of the front nine.  And by fog, I mean “holy crap am I back in San Francisco?” next to no visibility fog.

2nd hole at Waverly Woods. I think. It’s out there somewhere.

As the lead group, you’re setting the pace.  In this case, they played 18 holes in four hours and 45 minutes.  With NOTHING in front of them.  If you were in the 7:00 a.m. group and you’re reading this, YOU NEED TO PLAY FASTER.  OR LET OTHER GROUPS THROUGH.  OR PLAY LATER IN THE DAY.  A four-ball should get around in well under 4 hours, especially if you’re members and know the course.

Of the holes on the front side, #2 is probably the toughest.  A big dog-leg par 5 to a well-protected green; it’s a three shot hole.  Period.  The 8th hole is the #1 handicap hole; it requires three good shots to a well-protected green.  The fairway is open off the tee but the hole tightens up.  It’s a great hole.  The 9th hole is a long-ass par 4 that plays into the prevailing wind (no chance of that).

Waverly Woods 9th hole. Starting to be able to see a bit.

After the 9th hole we were hoping to be able to bypass the slow-pokes in front of us, but no chance of that.  And that’s when things went from bad to worse.  One of the guys in our group was also a member, and complained to the marshal (a useless nitwit who served zero purpose) and someone that was working in the pro shop.  To hear someone say that 2 1/2 hours as the first group out is an acceptable time for 9 holes doesn’t understand pace of play (he blamed the fog, but there was no fog on the back nine and it still took these rubes 2 hours and 15 minutes to get around).  If you’re adding that up, that comes out to 4 hours and 45 minutes for the first group of the day.  Read that sentence again and then wonder if slow play is a problem.

For a course to allow members to play a four-ball in just under 5 hours as the first group of the day is letting the inmates run the asylum.  If the marshal isn’t willing to tell them “guys you’re playing way too slow- you need to pick up the pace” then the marshal serves no purpose.

11th hole at Waverly Woods. Waiting on the group in front of us.

The back nine starts out seemingly easy with a short par 4 to an open fairway (naturally I hit my one big power fade and ended up in the trees) before moving to a tight par 5 to an elevated green.  Got up and down from a crappy lie (they had aerated around the greens so I was dealing with mud pellets most of the day) to save par, which was nice.

The first par 3 on the back side is a toughie; you have to clear a ravine to a well-protected green; I was happy to 2 putt for a bogey here (you’ll see our slow-pokes on the green in the photo below…a recurring theme).

13th hole at Waverly Woods. There’s a green out there. I swear.

The sun came out after this hole and then it warmed up.  The 15th hole was the last par 3; a seemingly easy hole that had all kinds of hazards waiting.

15th hole. Group in front of us taking forever. Guys, WHILE WE’RE YOUNG!

The last 3 holes might well be some of the most interesting.  16 and 17 share a super-wide fairway, while 16 has pine trees that wouldn’t look out of place in the sand hills of North Carolina.

16 hole. If you miss the fairway to the right…take up tennis.

A fortunate birdie on 17 by your humble scribe led us to 18, which is a fantastic finishing hole.  A good second shot made up for a poor tee shot, and I was able to close with a par.

18th hole. That took way too long.

It’s a shame, really, that this is what has become of Waverly Woods, because it’s a fantastic layout.  Conditions weren’t the greatest but I’d put that down to the greens having been punched and the weather hasn’t really been that cooperative.  One thing- for some reason people here don’t seem to care about replacing divots or ballmarks (including their precious members).  I’d also point out that whoever is cutting their holes on the greens isn’t that good at it (judging by the mess that their earlier efforts looked like).  With all that being said, a less-than friendly atmosphere and borderline negligence at willingness to enforce pace of play doesn’t exactly equate to me rushing to come back.

I wish Waverly Woods the best of luck, because eventually, they’ll need it.

I’ve passed by Rattlewood Golf Course at least a dozen times over the last two years, often to playing at Little Bennett, PB Dye or Whiskey Creek.  At no point did I ever think to stop in and take a gander, make a tee time, or look a bit closer.   I took a couple comments from a couple guys I played with once (who both hated it) and let that act as judgement on the course.  Upon further review, they were wrong.

If I were to say that Rattlewood is the jewel in the crown of the MCG courses, I’d be wrong.  With that being said, you could do a lot worse than spending a day at Rattlewood.   If I didn’t like the course I’d tell you so, and more importantly, I’d provide evidence of what I didn’t like.  I won’t say it’s an upscale member-for-day experience (it’s not), but I will say that if you’re looking for interesting holes and good playing conditions that won’t destroy your wallet (I paid $59.99 to ride on a Saturday morning; Hampshire Greens and Northwest run $25 more), then you could certainly do a lot worse.

Pullig into the parking lot amid rain, I wasn’t sure what I was in for.  The lot was empty, and I didn’t see much in terms of activity.  After I schlepped my bag to a cart and loaded up, I went inside, paid my green fee, hit a few practice putts on their practice green (picture below) and waited to tee off.  When the group before me wasn’t around, the starter (first woman starter I’ve seen in recent memory) sent me on my way playing solo.  As is my want, it took me about 1/1000th of a second to get to the tee, put a peg in the ground and send one airborne (I probably should have tied my shoes but really- that’s overrated).  Normally I wouldn’t play from the tips, but 6501 yards is at the high end of my wheelhouse and there’s only one par 4 more than 420 yards (my cutoff).  The par 5’s are your yardage hogs; the shortest one is 527 yards and the longest one is a robust 551 yards.  The whites come in at 6,104 yards and will give most golfers plenty to deal with.

Pro shop and clubhouse at Rattlewood. The carpet is from Caddyshack and is spectactular

After a fairly pedestrian opener, the second hole provides a stiffer challenge at 440 from the tips.  The photo doesn’t show that it’s raining, but it still is on #2.  The tee box is elevated so it plays shorter, but it’s still a lot of golf hole.  The rough wasn’t terrible when I played it, but given all the rain we’ve had it’s not hard to see how it could get pretty lush.  One thing I didn’t like- no collar or intermediate rough…you’re either in the fairway or in the deep stuff.

Second hole at Rattlewood from the rough. Don’t go right.

The third hole is the first par 5, and at 528 from the tips and uphill the entire way, it’s a 3-shot hole for sure.  The first two shots are all about position for the third shot (it doglegs to the right for your third shot; the greens are all fairly small and well protected but most holes have a run-up area that is a good miss); my third trickled on the green and I was able to 2-putt for a par.

Third hole at Rattlewood. Really pouring here. And uphill. And maybe a bear and a shark.

A couple fairly mundane holes lead you to #6, which, though having an elevated tee, requires a carry over water that shouldn’t be an issue, but we know how water can intimidate even highly skilled players.  If that wasn’t enough, I had to land my second shot on the green in between a dozen geese who were kind enough to leave their “mark” on the green.  Do you get free relief from goose shit?  Just asking.  The hole doglegs to the left; the green is just past the bunker on the left.

6th hole at Rattlewood. I think you get a free beer if you hit a goose. Maybe.

The front side closest with a tough par 5 (551 from the tips); it doglegs to the left twice (it’s the #1 handicap hole on the course if that sort of thing is important to you) to a slightly elevated green.  A good miss is right as it’ll typically kick left.  I felt pretty happy to 2-putt for a par.  The back side starts with a second difficult par in a row (see photo below); this one requires a pretty hefty carry over a hazard (it’s 521 yards from the tips).  I ended up in the left rough, left my third shot in trouble and 2-putted for a bogey.

10th hole at Rattlewood. I’d suggest clearing the hazard, but I’m not a pro.

The 12th hole (below) is a long par 3 (224 yards from the tips); for me that’s a full 3-wood.  From the whites it’s “only” 209 yards (plays slightly downhill but there’s a big bunker on the right that clearly must see a lot of traffic.  I cleared the bunker but was just off the collar; chipped and 1-putted for a very happy par.

12th hole at Rattlewood. A beast of a par 3.

After a couple 3-putt mishaps, I managed to par the last four holes (getting up and down on 3 straight holes to save par) to come in at a 79 (my first sub-80 round this year).  If I were being honest, I’d give some credit to my new big stick (a Titleist 915D2 driver that is at least 15-20 yards longer than my 910D2).

17th hole at Rattlewood. Do. Not. Go. Left.

Scores on the doors:

Scorecard from my round on July 11th. Feels good to break 80.

One of the issues with the golf scene in the area is that the public courses are starting to separate themselves.  You have your “member for the day” tracks like Whiskey Creek, Raspberry Falls, Lake Presidential, and the like.  Then there’s your top end public tracks (Northwest Park, Laurel Hill, Blue Mash, Waverly Woods come to mind).  And then what?

The Sligo Creek, Trotters Glen, Gunpowder courses serve a specific market, but in between I feel like we still have varying levels of mediocrity.  Cross Creek is slowly sliding into this end of the spectrum (and the infinite gong show that is Timbers at Troy is slowly heading down this path whether they want to admit it or not).

The course has a serviceable driving range (mats only), a short game green for chipping and a practice putting green.  The clubhouse is accessible at the turn should the need for sustenance come up; I don’t know if they have a beverage cart or not.  They have a pro shop that has the sort of things you’d expect to see at most public golf course pro shops.  The starter and the young man working in the pro shop were very polite and friendly.  Not sure what else you can ask for.

So my advice?  Stop…take a chance on the unknown.  You never know what you’ll find.  You may find something you needed, even if you didn’t know what you were looking for.  I needed Rattlewood today.  I just didn’t know it.  Sometimes you just have to get out of the way, and see things for what they are, and not what you might want them to be.  It was a great reminder of why I love this game, and the beauty that comes from a course you don’t know, and just you, a new sleeve of Titleists, your clubs, your swing, and your imagination.

Is Rattlewood perfect?  No, but neither am I.  The greens were a bit slow and were a touch bumpy (understandable given how much rain we’ve had), but in the end, I had a great day out, and really- isn’t that why we play?

Would I go back to Rattlewood?  In a word…yes.

Your song of the day is courtesy of Gordon Lightfoot (mock it and I’ll beat you with a bag of hammers).