maryland golf |

Tag: maryland golf (page 5 of 6)

Maintenance Day Ramblings

I played yesterday at Redgate, and was not impressed with the conditions.

Ko’olau Golf Course. Not a bad place to be right now.

I’d like to sugarcoat things, but if I’m being honest, the course wasn’t in the greatest shape. The greens had been punched 1-2 weeks prior (again- nothing on the course’s website about this), and the tee boxes were scruffy at best. Lots of dead spots and divots. The fairways were okay, but not great (I’m not sure why, but my cart didn’t have any divot mix containers). Several of the greens had multiple divots and pitch marks; I do my best to repair my pitch marks and divots (a good rule of thumb- fix yours and if you don’t see a group behind you, fix another) even though I normally don’t take a divot from the fairway as I’m more of a picker than a digger.

I’ll grant you this- the weather has played havoc and I’m sure every superintendent in the DMV would love to have the weather we had last summer (who wouldn’t?) return, but unfortunately it’s been a full throttle of heat, humidity and thunderstorms. On the one hand, the rain is doing the work of sprinkler systems so water usage must be down a ton. So the amount of brown spots I saw yesterday really makes no sense.

The round itself was a mixed bag; after a couple early bogeys on easy holes, I rode the par train for seven straight holes before I got on board the bogey and worse train for a few holes before going par/par/double bogey/par to finish the round. Playing solo I was moving so I didn’t have a chance to take photos. I carded a respectable 81 (out in 39 but in with a 42) that was helped by only needing 32 putts (I got wild with the driver which didn’t help things). Didn’t help that the battery in my rangefinder died so I had to go old school for the last 16 holes but that’s a real case of first-world problems.

Which brings me to issue #2- putting people out on the back nine. I’m all for the “time for nine” idea. But if you go out early on the back nine, you can’t be a slowpoke. And when you see people waiting on you, and there’s not a single group in front of you, guess what- YOU’RE THE PROBLEM! Admitting it is a good first step but actually playing faster is a solution. Or better yet, wave the speed demons up and let them play through.

Look- Redgate is still a solid muni course and I, for one, am glad it exists. It was pretty busy as I finished up my round (despite having to wait on our slow-poke twosome I finished in 2 1/2 hours…pedestrian by my standard but in the DMV on a Saturday morning I really shouldn’t complain) which was nice to see.

Recently I came upon an article in Men’s Journal; another pile of bullshit (I’ll start with how they got the number of majors that Tiger Woods has won wrong- the article says 15, not 14 (if you want to count his 3 US Amateurs that’s 17…still not 15) about how the game is dying. Except that it isn’t (when the author of this dirge trotted out Tiger Woods it became dog-whistle garbage (Woods didn’t grow the game- he impacted TV ratings when he played; housing developments and terrible real estate management gave us too many courses- a lot of his fans may have purchased Nike hats but most of them already liked golf; at best, rounds grew by 1-2% when he was in his infancy). The industry had its best-ever sales of golf balls in April of this year. People aren’t buying golf balls for the sake of buying them. Golf Datatech produced actual research about this. The NGF and Golf Datatech have done enough research that shows that weather plays a HUGE role in rounds played. Think about 2012 when we didn’t really have much of a winter. Courses stayed open, rounds played were up. Now think about the last two winters, and how cold and snowy they were. Courses weren’t open and rounds plummeted! Amazeballs, right? I know I didn’t play in March, and was willing to freeze my “one meat, two veg” off in early April just to be able to play.

What has changed is that the days of being able to spend all of your weekend at a country club is no more for families and that myself and younger folks aren’t buying private club memberships like our parents did. But this isn’t news. How the industry deals with this will be interesting. I’ll be watching.

The other thing that this article talked about was the old chestnut of how millennials aren’t playing. And yet, I took a long look at the faces of the golfers who were either teeing off or getting ready to tee off yesterday, and it was a very heavy millennial-leaning crowd (probably 75% white and 25% Asian/African-American/Latino). I’ve played with three different groups of millennials this year. All of them the kind of folks you’d be happy to have in your group.

And last, but not least, you can now find me on Instagram. I’m here. So add me and I’ll start adding photos (mostly golf-related; I think I’ll pass on taking pictures of my food (wine and scotch do not apply to this).

Rattlewood Course Review

July 12, 2015 / currin290 / 0 Comments

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).

Little Bennett? More Like Big Bennett!

May 24, 2015 / currin290 / 0 Comments

The calendar says it’s Memorial Day weekend and the weather people say we’re due for a fairly intense heat wave starting on Monday, but none of that was apparent on Saturday the 23rd when I made the lengthy trek out to Little Bennett to start my weekend. At tee off it was 37 degrees, making me quite glad I had a fleece in addition to my wind shirt that I wear most early morning rounds.

Little Bennett #2. Hadn’t warmed up yet.

Because of its somewhat remote location it’s not always on the top of everyone’s “must play” list in the area, and I’m sure you could find better (and more expensive) courses in the area. Sure, there’s a couple windmill holes (#3 especially, and #13 to a lesser degree given the slope of the green) but it was and still is a fantastic test of golf.

Little Bennett 5th Hole. Don’t be left or right.

The tee boxes and fairways were in fantastic shape except for a couple of the par 3’s that had several divots but the area around them was fine (just needed to move the tee boxes and give the area a break). The greens were good, but not great. Not sure if it was that they hadn’t been rolled but the first few holes were a bit bumpy.

Little Bennett’s genius, from an architectural point of view, are the par 5’s and are, in my opinion, among the toughest on the course. The first hole gets your attention with a forced carry over a ravine, and it’s a slight double dog-leg that will require three good shots. The 5th hole requires a tight tee shot over a ravine through a chute of trees and has a green with a severe slope. The 11th hole is all about position for your third shot to a tight and well protected green. The 14th hole is dead anything left but also requires good positioning for the approach shot.

Little Bennett #14. Don’t Go Left (I did and it’s not fun).

Managed to bang home my first two birdies of the year, knocking a 9-iron to four feet on #2 and pitching to 8 feet on #12 and making both putts. A double on #15 didn’t do much for my ego, but I only had one three-putt (on #13), which is very easy to do unfortunately.

Little Bennett 12th Hole. Birdies Are Good.

I got up and down on the last two holes to save par for a solid 82. My chipping was inconsistent, and it’s hard to break 80 with three double-bogeys. If you’re not keeping track of fairways hit, greens in regulation and putts per hole, you’re not helping yourself. I’ve been doing this for years and it helped me understand the value of of putting, and where blow-up holes come from. Scores on the doors:

Scorecard from my round.

I used my new flat stick (review coming), and managed to one-putt six greens (with only one three-putt).

The People Of Golf- The Novice and The Woman

January 18, 2015 / currin290 / 0 Comments

As I will often do, I have debates in my head about things. Am I wearing pants, for example? Should I wear them or should I have no pants day? What should I have for dinner? And how do I turn two conversations 8 months apart into something meaningful, or should I split them up?

Sure- I could spend my commute time listening to podcasts and thinking of how to make the world a better place. Instead, this is what I think about. Well, that and scotch. And the Maple Leafs’ annual descent into complete shit show, paused momentarily by the firing of Randy Carlyle, who will be best remembered by this moment of brilliance last December during HBO’s 24/7:

If you’re scoring at home, that’s Toaster 1, Carlyle 0. And people wonder why I drink like I do.

So anyway, in lieu of two separate blogs, I’ve combined two separate interviews into one super-duper blog post.

Steve (not his real name) has been playing for less than five years, and I’d estimate his handicap at 18-20. We play occasionally, and he gets around pretty well but gives up strokes around the green (in other words he’s like most of you). He got bit by the golf bug like many of us, and he’s now at that healthy level of obsession that is so endearing; sadly with Golf Channel now showing “golf” he’s missing out on staying up until 3:00 a.m. to watch infomercials (in my younger days I had a sexual tryst while the Perfect Club infomercial was on- I feel like there should be some kind of award for this, but we digress). Now that some of you are possibly vomiting, I’ll steer back to point.

Sally (not her real name) has been playing for 10+ years. I’ve seen her at the driving range a few times, and like me, she shows up, hits her bucket and is on her way (I’ve seen her get bothered on several occasions while she’s hitting balls). I’m not sure she was particularly thrilled that I approached her in the pro shop to ask her about golf (at least initially) but she soon realized I had no motive other than her two cents on the state of golf.

Me: One of the things people often cite when asked why they don’t play golf is the cost. You’re not a millionaire. Did this bother you?

Steve: Not really; my first set of clubs were used, I got them cheap, paid a few bucks to get them re-gripped and I was off. I found that by looking around and looking for value and sales, I could find stuff fairly cheaply.

Me: The other thing you hear is that new golfers are intimidated by more experienced golfers. Any issues?

Steve: Not really…never encountered any issues from other golfers. Most other golfers just want to get around and shoot good scores.

Me: Other than spending time outdoors, why did you take up the game?

Steve: I wanted a new experience. I wanted an opportunity to meet people, take up a new hobby, and be able to mix business in with what I do. And what they say is true- golf is a great place to conduct business, or at least get to meet new people.

Me: What issues did you encounter as a novice/beginner?

Steve: By far pace of play was the biggest issue. If you can keep up and keep moving along nobody bothers you.

Me: Okay, so if you had $500 to spend right now on golf, what would you buy?

Steve: A new pair of waterproof shoes! Playing early means the courses are wet. I’d also invest in some more lessons; maybe a short game clinic or something like that. Before I buy anything I’d do research though. I don’t care about a particular brand; I’m looking for value.

Me: Neither of us will ever play on the Tour (Steve and I are roughly the same age), so why do you play?

Steve: Having those great holes make for a rewarding experience. It’s fun to see if you can beat your best-ever round. I can see why you love to play even though you drink way too much. I mean, does Johnnie Walker sponsor you or something?

Me: How long should a round of golf take?

Steve: No more than four hours.

Me: If you could give one piece of advice to newcomers, what would it be?

Steve: Take lessons and don’t be afraid to play from the forward tees.

My chat with Sally appears below:

Me: So how long have you been playing?

Sally: Over ten years. I played off and on and have gotten more serious about it in the last five years.

Me: I’ll admit I see you at the range quite a bit, and every time you’re hitting balls at least one or two guys will come up to you. I’ve wondered what they’re talking to you about?

Sally: Equal parts tips on my swing and seeing if they can help me.

Me: From afar it doesn’t appear to be the case.

Sally: It’s not. I just want to hit balls, work on my game, and unwind. Is that too much to ask?

Me: Not at all.

Sally: (tone slightly irritated) I’m not here looking to meet anyone. I want to work on my game and ideally be left alone. Why do you guys think I need your help?

Me: I don’t. That’s what PGA Professionals are for.

Sally: Thank you.

Me: When you play rounds do you get bothered?

Sally: It depends. If I’m playing with business colleagues, generally everything is fine, other than having to remind them at least a half-dozen times that I play from the forward tees even though I tell them before the first hole. Getting paired up with a group of guys can go fine or it becomes really frustrating?

Me: How so?

Sally: For one, ask me what set of tees I’m playing from…don’t assume. Two, I don’t want your advice on my swing, stance, or posture. Three, I don’t want your phone number. Four, don’t assume I’m going to pick up or that a putt is good. Why do guys assume that anything inside four feet is “good”?

Me: Because deep down four footers scare the crap out of us.

Sally: Me too, but I didn’t start playing to avoid this. Just let me either finish, mark it, or pick it up.

Me: Fair enough. I noticed you have a pretty big cart bag. Any reason?

Sally: The first set I bought had everything (bag, clubs, putter), and it was pink. I like the clubs but I don’t want or need a pink bag. So I bought a giant bag (which actually works out- I can leave my waterproof pants and jacket in it).

Me: How do you get treated at public courses?

Sally: Depends. If I’m part of a twosome or a foursome there’s generally no problems, but if myself and another woman join a twosome of guys it can be difficult.

Me: How so?

Sally: Your “great, we have to play with women” body language. The idea that you might have to wait for us to tee off. The look that somehow we take forever to play when it’s usually men who have to play from the tips that slow things up (guilty). I’m not saying you need to bow in front of us…just some basic courtesy is all. Oh, and maybe not hit on us.

Me: How often does this happen?

Sally: Only occasionally, but it still puts me off- it’s not like I’m paying any less or something. I’ve become used to it to some level, I suppose.

Me: Thanks for your time, and best of luck this year.

Sally: Thanks.

Where SGIC Plays Santa for the Local Golf Scene

December 24, 2014 / currin290 / 0 Comments

Dozens demanded it, so on this day of celebrating Festivus, I dress up like Santa and hand out some gifts to the local golf scene. I spent ~~hours~~ wait…a good ten minutes checking my list to see who’s naughty and nice.

SGIC as Santa doing research

To Falls Road GC, it’s a pace of play guide! In fact, a whole box of them! Give ’em to your marshals and anyone playing on weekends! Need more? Just ask Santa!

To Golfdom, it’s a lease option on a store in Maryland! A chance to expand the empire into Maryland, and a chance for Maryland golfers to shop somewhere that isn’t a chain!

To Golf Galaxy you’re getting a chance to sell big and tall sizes and wide width shoes! If you want to stay relevant, try stocking wide width (since it seems like these go pretty quickly). I’d love to actually try shoes on (and buy them) but when you don’t have my size in stock (and online isn’t much better) you’re practically begging people to go elsewhere.

To Hobbit’s Glen, Santa is giving you online tee times for all CA members! Bask in the glory of not having the same group of people take every weekend morning tee time! And for your pro shop staff, a big giant ball of friendliness! The people on the other end of the line are trying to give you money. They’re not bothering you. They’re why you exist.

To Waverly Woods, Santa is going pull the giant stick out of your butt for you! If you want to become a private club then by all means have at it. Otherwise, embrace the masses, especially if they’re trying to give you money.

For Sligo Creek and Old Gunpowder, Santa got you each a 2-year lease to continue to operate. Keep embracing and welcoming new golfers.

For Cross Creek, Santa is getting you an email spam filter because you’re sending Santa five emails a week. Let’s improve conditions a bit and see how that helps (however, I completely feel for you in losing your signature hole to the ICC).

For Timbers at Troy, Santa is going to give you a do-over. You can’t possibly be this poorly run and in that bad of shape two years running. Santa wants you to do well, and so do a lot of local golfers. So let’s pull it together.

For Redgate, Santa is getting you a chain saw to cut down all the damn trees on the 16th tee area so you can have actual grass in the tee boxes, and not hardpan dirt. And while we’re at it a couple sticks of C4 to blow the entire damn hole up and start over. And because Santa likes you a lot, he’s also getting you green grass tees for the range!

For Golfstyles Magazine Santa sends you good karma for your 2015 Solstice Survival series which benefits a very worthy charity and is a must-do for any local golfer who’s partially insane. But $20 for a coffee table book of bad writing so I can get your magazine for free? No thanks.

For the LPGA Tour Santa is begging you to bring an event to the DC/MD/VA area in 2015. Please.

Lastly, a holiday wish from Santa’s buddy Denis Leary (NSFW lyrics)

Happy Holidays everyone.

The 2014 SGIC Awards

November 29, 2014 / currin290 / 0 Comments

After careful consideration and a long and deliberative process (at least 15 minutes and a couple double scotches), I’m pleased to announce the winners of the 2014 Single Golfer In Cart Awards (SGIC) and general Airing of Grievances for Excellence in Whatever I Damn Well Deem Appropriate. Since the Grill Room at Fairway Hills was busy (someone put brochures on the one table), I held the awards at the House of SGIC. It was a black tshirt affair. The awards are only for local area golf courses. Below are the other members of the voting committee.

Molson and Kona. You guys rock.

Behold, our award winners:

The Refusal To Die Award: Shared among Old Gunpowder and Sligo Creek Golf Courses. These courses continue to exist despite their deaths the stuff of constant speculation. Both courses offer new golfers and the thriftier set options to enjoy the game.

The First Thing We’ll Do is Kill Pace of Play Award: To Falls Road GC and any other course that throws dozens of groups on the back nine on weekend mornings, resulting in play grinding to a halt. At one point there were 7 groups on 2 holes (at 9:15 a.m.). And you wonder why rounds take 5 plus hours?

The Why Are You Even Trying Pro Shop Award: Fairway Hills…where you can get a hot dog, a soda and a dozen Top-Flites in one stop. All in a room the size of a prison cell.

The Excellence In Conditioning Award: Northwest Park. While their green fees have gone up over the last couple years, you’re paying for top-notch fairways and greens. Proof that people will pay for quality.

The Excellence in Customer Service Award: Northwest Park, who phoned me and left a voicemail after a heavy storm in May to explain that the back 9 was closed and we’d be playing the front nine and the “inside 9” during our round.

The I can Has Technology Award: To courses who refuse to let people know their aeration schedule. This is not difficult. It should be on your course’s website and anyone booking over the phone should be advised, and a sign in the pro shop should be visible.

The I can Has Technology Award Runner Up: Courses who can’t be bothered to tell people they’re open after a horrible winter. See Timbers at Troy and pretty much anything in Howard County.

The Excellence in Lying Out Their Ass Citation: Columbia Association’s never-ending tv ads touting their two courses. One’s a complete shit show in terms of conditioning that has their own “club” that gets all the early-morning weekend tee times (Hobbit’s Glen) and the other one has at least two holes I’d like to fire into the sun (Fairway Hills).

Best Retailer: Golf Galaxy (by default). Mammoth Golf is but a memory, and Dick’s Sporting Goods (yes- same parent company) is a loud thunderdome populated by teenage jockbros. I’ve had two club fitting experiences at Golf Galaxy and both were pretty good. Plus, Dick’s got rid of all of their PGA Professionals so now you’re dealing with someone who might have been selling camping gear the day before. If Golfdom (see below) opened a Maryland store and started carrying big and tall sizes this could change.

Worst Retailer: Pretty much everyone in the area, because there’s no retail golf stores that sell big and tall sizes. I’d like to support a locally run golf retailer; other than Olney Golf Park (selection is very much meh) there’s not one that exists other than either your “green grass” retailers (at courses) or a big chain. Yes- I’m aware of Golfdom in Virginia, but that’s an hour-plus drive for me.

Best Online Retailer: TGW. They carry big and tall sizes, and their reviews are from verified purchases. If they’d stop emailing me every goddamn day that would be nice, but in the main I can’t complain.

Worst Online Retailer: Too many to mention.

The Oblivious Award: To the two jackasses I played with at Laytonsville back in April who spent half their day on their cell phones or taking 3-4 practice swings on every shot. Either pick up the pace and take on practice swing or take up tennis. Hopefully my golf didn’t get in the way of you talking on the phone.

Best overall Experience Award: Despite rain, my round at Whiskey Creek was, for the most part, what I was hoping for. The course was in good shape, pace of play was good, and the staff was uniformly fantastic. I enjoyed Worthington Manor as well, but I’d have to shade it to Whiskey Creek.

Worst overall Experience: Laytonsville. It’s hard to believe that the same parent company that runs Northwest has this clunker, but it’s true. The marshal giving me the gears over pace of play (and not my playing partners), conditions that were lousy at best, and a round that took way too long? No thanks.

Places I’m in no rush to re-visit: Tied between Timbers at Troy (a complete shit show- I had one visit there to renew my handicap and it was a 45-minute ordeal) and Waverly Woods (the public track that thinks it’s a private course replete with the attitude). Their collective policy towards single golfers is the equivalent of an extended middle finger. I can be treatedly warmly by Worthington Manor and Whiskey Creek (and countless other tracks), and I will spend my dollars accordingly. My experience at Waverly Woods from 3 years ago was not exactly welcoming. A great layout and conditions are nice, but treating people like you’re doing them a favour in letting them play is not how you build a business.

Best new purchase: The Titleist AP1 irons I bought this past February have been a welcome addition in the bag.

Worst new purchase: The Titleist Golf Bag I bought. I love everything about it except for one thing- THE STRAP IN IN THE BACK OF THE BAG WHICH MAKES CARRYING IT A NIGHTMARE. A suggestion- put buckles in both sides so that the main strap can get moved. Otherwise…it’s a great bag.

The Why is This a Thing Award: Courses that feel the need to have US Open level rough. It kills pace of play when you’re spending forever looking for a lost ball. Cut the damn rough.

Holes that need to be blown up: Tie between Redgate #16 and Hampshire Greens #2. Two holes that are set up to destroy pace of play. Stop with the “signature hole” bullshit. Redgate punishes a fantastic drive and encourages a layup to a brutal third shot. Hampshire Greens #2 starts innocently enough but makes the second shot brutally hard with invisible hazards. This doesn’t challenge the average player- it punishes them. Even having red or yellow stakes that are visible would help you see where you can and can’t go.

Hard hole that does what it should: Falls Road #12. Straight shot that favors the right side to an uphill green. Anything left is dead. I’ve never scored well on it, but it’s fairly simple and doesn’t try to trick the player.

In Memoriam (cue the sad music): Montgomery Village Country Club, my old Ping G2 irons, the Dick’s Sporting Goods PGA Professionals, the LPGA International Crown at Caves Valley (moved out for 2015 and probably won’t return to the area), and any professional Golf (PGA Tour, Web.com, LPGA) in Maryland in 2015.

Worthington Manor Course Review

September 1, 2014 / currin290 / 0 Comments

Much like Whiskey Creek, when Worthington Manor golf course opened in 1998 I wasn’t in the market of playing upscale daily fee tracks. It looked good and certainly got its share of accolades. Golfstyles magazine has repeatedly given it accolades as has Golfweek magazine (full disclosure- I subscribe to both publications) in their “best you can play” rankings.

Since I’m trying to expand beyond the usual tracks I play at, I took another flyer of sorts on Worthington Manor to find out how good it really is. How good of a course is it, and despite the fact that it’s been used for US Open qualifying on several occasions, does this still translate to a course that regular players can play on?

On a chilly summer morning (which we’ve had quite a few of- no complaints as I’ll take having to wear a windshirt over searing heat and humidity every day of the year) I got in the golf wagon and headed west (it’s in Frederick but only about 10 minutes from Whiskey Creek- you could, I suppose, play both tracks in the same day if that sort of thing had appeal).

Check in at the pro shop was quick and friendly (and I have to say that for whatever reason, I’ve had great luck this year by not running into your Golf Police types in the pro shop). They asked if I’d like to donate for Patriot Golf Day (I’m happy to say I’ve donated every year I’ve played over Labor Day weekend…it’s a worthy cause and worth a couple bucks if you’re so inclined).

If nothing else, Worthingon Manor seeks to provide value. Range balls are included, and there’s a serviceable short game area in addition to a practice green. My only complaint on the day I played was that the range was open for mats only. If we hadn’t had the best summer (weather wise) I can remember I’d totally understand (i.e. drought, course was waterlogged, they’d had fungus issues, etc.) but the range was green and lush. A friendly starter paired me with another twosome (very friendly guys…if they played faster it would have been perfect) and we were off.

While most courses give you something of a handshake opener, Worthington Manor immediately tests you with a forced carry over a ravine to a fairway running 45 degrees to the left of the tee box. It’s just enough to get inside your head and make you think about trying to make a good shot. From the back tees it’s soil yourself time, but from the blue tees (where I played) it wasn’t that bad.

Worthingon Manor 1st hole

The second is similar to the first hole; a forced carry at an angle. While not a particularly long hole, a wayward shot will get punished. The third hole is one of their “signature” holes, a long par 4 that plays shorter than the number on the card due to an elevated tee box (the view, seen below, is really nice). A second shot brings a large tree and another ravine into play. One oddity of their course- no intermediate rough. Your ball is either in the fairway or in some fairly lush and think rough. I didn’t care for this since several of my drives were in the cabbage by a foot or two. I’ll be polite and simply say I didn’t like this.

Worthington Manor 3rd hole

Four straight par 4’s to start was a bit boring, if we’re being honest. The par 3’s on the front along with the 9th are the gems, in my opinion. The sixth hole is the first par 3; a carry over water and a long bunker to a well-protected green. The 8th is a longish, uphill par 3 to a plateau green. Number 9 is a great par 5; a true 3-shot hole (the third requires a carry over a ravine to an uphill green; the number on the card might make a bomber think about going for it in two, but the green is very well protected).

The back nine is fairly mundane; 10 is a short par 4 with a green protected by water (another short and/or right is getting wet). 14 is a short par 4 that long hitters might try to reach (the elevated tee makes it play short). The closing holes are the best of the bunch. 17 is a classic downhill, tree-lined par 3 to a tiny green well protected.

Worthington Manor 17th hole

All courses should have a home hole that gives you something to remember, and Worthington Manor doesn’t disappoint. A tee shot through a chute of trees to a fairly open fairway that splits for the second shot, all leading to a well protected green (left is dead, right is heavily bunkered, and long is dead as well). I’d like to say my finish brought honor to my round, but I took a pedestrian bogey at the 17th and was lucky to save par at the 18th.

Worthington Manor 18th hole

There’s a bar and grill if an on-course 19th hole is your thing (I played early so they weren’t open); they have a pro shop that, while small, had a decent if not great selection of balls, hats, tees, and a couple racks of shirts and the like.

Course conditions were good; greens had clearly been punched but otherwise rolled fairly true and didn’t lack for speed. Fairways were in good shape, and the aforementioned rough was lush, thick, and deep (again, not having an intermediate rough or collar didn’t get me all giddy but the superintendent and his staff should be given credit for taking full advantage of favourable summer weather.

The course has four sets of tees- the blue tees measure just over 6500 yards on the card, which is my upper limit. The white tees were just over 6000 yards (the black tees are over 7000 yards and should be avoided unless you’re a scratch golfer). A set of forward (red) tees are just over 5200 yards and still offer plenty of challenge.

Comparing one course to another is, at best, subjective, however it’s worth noting that Worthington Manor’s prime weekend rate is more than $10 below that of Whiskey Creek (I played on a Friday and paid substantially less). Both courses are among the best that the state offers.

All in all, I had a great time. Would I go back? Yes. A friendly staff coupled with great conditions and a challenging layout puts it as an option for me to consider.

Emptying the bag out

May 25, 2014 / currin290 / 0 Comments

On a day that might be as perfect as you’ll ever hope for to go play (seriously- go play…this will be here when you get back), I’m inside emptying out my bag with all kinds of stuff.

Went to go renew my handicap today at (club name redacted for my own sanity)…a 20-minute slog of patiently and quietly watching someone try to figure out how to collect money so I can post the horror show of scores I have to put in and have some half-wit call me a sandbagger (not really the case- I tend to play really well when I’m playing at a fast pace but when it’s a 5-hour slog my game goes to pot). I don’t know how the MSGA works with clubs on handicaps, but a way to renew online would be totes awesome.

My first two interviews are almost done. They’ll be posted in early June. I hope they’re informative.

If you haven’t heard, the LPGA is returning to Maryland in July (the old LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock is no more, having been moved out) with the LPGA International Crown which is a 2-person international team event at Caves Valley. I wish the tournament a ton of success and weather similar to today.

The former AT&T National has been re-named the Quicken Loans National. Next year (2015) it moves to RTJ in Manassas, VA. So there’s that. RTJ has been used on three occasions to host the President’s Cup.

Right back where we started

May 10, 2014 / currin290 / 0 Comments

It’s been a while, and between work and everything else that goes on, the migration out of the old blog into the new site is done.

So let’s talk about slow play. Really. No, put the baseball bat down. It won’t help.

I started my year with two of the slowest rounds I can remember, and for no good reason. If you decide to play early, you’re committing to playing fast. Seriously. This means YOU.

I had the misfortune of playing a round at Laytonsville last month, where we were paired with your classic “well if Tiger does it then it must be great” rubes. Million dollar wardrobes, Air Jordan golf shoes, top of the line equipment and these two clowns would have made Kevin Na scream “while we’re young!” Playing early we got around in a tidy 4 hours and 40 minutes. On a course that isn’t exactly on anyone’s toughest in the region list.

The list of particulars is an all-too-familiar refrain. One of these two took 2 minutes 10 seconds to hit a putt. 20 seconds is more than sufficient. But he had to walk every square centimeter of the green, and then proceed to hit the putt short and leave it on the amateur side (on greens that were punched). They both were taking 3-5 practice swings on every shot. I have to say that the marshal/ranger was of little help- when we got rightly confronted I explained what was going on…and he proceeded to ignore them.

So, for those of you new to the game, a few tips on how to speed things up-

1) Ready golf on the tee if you’re all hitting from the same set of tees. This also means taking one practice swing. One. Not two. Not three. If you do the Sergio Garcia “waggle the club 10 times” bit…just stop. It’s one practice swing. That’s it.

2) You do not “need to see all of it”…courses are doing a better job of listing handicap index recommendations by set of tees. Take their advice. Seriously. You’re not going to be castrated if you move up to the middle set of tees. You might find that you’re hitting shorter irons to the green…when you’re bragging to your buddies about making 3 birdies in a round, do you think they’ll mock the fact that you played from the middle set of tees (hint- they’ll be jealous). When you make a birdie, does the fact that you didn’t play from the tips cheapen it? NO! You still had to drain the putt.

3) Continuous putting. The Ohio Golf Association did a study that says you can chop 20 minutes off rounds by doing this. Try it. If you’re playing an official match you can’t do this (under match play rules) but how often does that happen?

4) In a casual round, if you spend more than 2 minutes looking for a ball then wear a sandwich board that says “I’m the reason your round takes forever.” One stroke penalty and drop one. Hint- stop using ProV1’s. Oh, and if you have one of those ball retriever doo-hickeys and it gets used more than once in a round? You also get the sandwich board.

5) Know your yardages (meaning how far you hit clubs). Easy hint told to me by a club pro. Go hit your 5-iron at the range until you know how far you hit it. Subtract 10 yards for the 6, add 10 for the 4. So if you hit your 5-iron 170 yards, you probably hit your 6-iron 160. Will you occasionally nuke one? Sure.

6) Figure 10 yards of distance gained/lost for 10mph of wind.

7) If you use a DMD (distance measuring device), use it while someone else is hitting. If it takes you more than 20-30 seconds to get a number, go find one that works faster. The one I use measures distance to the pin. Takes 10-15 seconds. I will, if asked, measure distance and give it to the other players in the group (i.e. “it’s 157 yards to the pin”) and go about my business (and distance is NOT considered giving advice per the rules of golf).

8) Put your mobile phone away. If you must, take a peek to make sure there are no emergencies as you’re waiting to tee off (so let others go first). Updating facebook/twitter or making calls in earshot of other golfers? Unless you’re dealing with an actual emergency, PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY. YOU ARE NOT THAT IMPORTANT. IF YOU WERE (AND YOU’RE NOT) YOU WOULDN’T BE ON A MUNI COURSE ON A SATURDAY MORNING.

9) Have an extra ball in your pocket. Ideally it would be different number or have a different marking than the one you’re using. Also, keep a few tees, a divot tool (and for the love of God and all that’s holy learn how to use one), and a ball marker in your pocket (hint- do this BEFORE you tee off so you aren’t scurrying about looking for a peg).

10) The goal is to keep up with the group in front of you. Are you more than a hole behind them and the people behind you are on your ass the whole time? We have seen the slow players, and you’re it.

How hard can this really be?

March 8, 2014 / currin29 / 0 Comments

So with today being quite nice, and Monday and Tuesday of this week expected to be nice as well, it’s not unreasonable to ponder sneaking out of work early to go play golf (I mean, the clocks go forward Saturday night- it’s like they’re doing this on purpose or something).

And yet, here in Howard County, you’d think that our courses would want to let folks know what’s going on. You would think that.

My goal was to send out a blog on what courses are and aren’t open, and hopefully see signs of excitement after this really cold and snowy winter we’ve had. Well, it didn’t quite turn out that way.

Timbers at Troy and Waverly Woods “should” be open. I say should, because their attempt at communication is poor at best. Timbers at Troy has a Twitter account, which is nice (except that it hasn’t been updated in 2 years). Waverly Woods is worse- no tweets since 2011! Their websites have nothing on them that say “we’re open” or “we’re opening on ‘X’ date.” So they might be. Maybe. Or not. Unless they are.

Waverly Woods does, however, have a Tumblr page from their Superintendent that was updated on 2/24/14 but makes no proclamation of “hey everyone we’re open!”

Timbers at Troy? No clue. Their website has great photography, but nothing about being open (it does have a calendar with all of their outings and league dates).

I hate to keep hitting them with this stick, but compare that to Montgomery County Golf. They sent out tweets TODAY for every course (most of them along the lines of “open and cart path only” or “open and walking only”), and not only that, but they have a PUBLISHED aeration schedule! You can see when they’re going to aerate what courses.

Columbia Association? Nothing about golf in the last month.

Turf Valley? Nothing about golf this year.

At January’s PGA Merchandise Show, there was no amount of bleating about trying to grow the game. It’s not easy, it’s not cheap, and it takes several hours to play an 18-hole round. One good thing to do is to reach young people, and that would be via social media (seriously- it takes about 30 seconds to send out a tweet). Updating your website might be good, but I can understand that this can take time. Twitter is easy. Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram are also easy. This is where young people (and Gen-X’ers like myself) go for info. Yes, your website is important, but sending out a Tweet is cheap, easy, and is a great way to reach people.

Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go ask my magic 8-ball if our local courses are open.

Tag: maryland golf (page 5 of 6)

Maintenance Day Ramblings

Rattlewood Course Review

Little Bennett? More Like Big Bennett!

The People Of Golf- The Novice and The Woman

Where SGIC Plays Santa for the Local Golf Scene

The 2014 SGIC Awards

Worthington Manor Course Review

Emptying the bag out

Right back where we started

Recent Posts

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Categories

Meta

Tag: maryland golf (page 5 of 6)

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Recent Posts

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Categories

Meta