Nice, never been out there. I just reserved 10:12a on May 16 if anyone is interested in joining …
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My buddy grabbed a tee time the morning of the 15th. Really looking forward to it. I never made it to the “old” course as it was closed before I really go into golf.
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The renovation pics look awesome. I booked a May 16 tee time at noon, because apparently you can’t walk until noon on weekends. But I would probably play there earlier than May 16 if there were Refugees eager to play there.
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Got a May 16th tee time as well, 9:24. County resident discount is very nice
I’m a big fan of a lot of the top tier courses that have been mentioned here (Whiskey, Musket, L@LS, etc.), but how would you rank the county or municipal courses in the state? Some that come to mind are:
Greystone
Rocky Pointe
Black Rock
Clustered Spires
Northwest
Thoughts?
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I’ll leave it to someone else to do a ranking (I haven’t played any of the publics in/around Baltimore) but I’m playing Northwest on Monday for the first time in probably 10 years. It’s a US Open qualifying site and my recollection is of a classic parkland course that can be a pretty stiff test depending on the tees. Kind of a Blue Mash Lite. But I’ll report back here on conditties on Tuesday or so.
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Used to play Northwest a lot when I lived back that way - it can be punishing, especially mid-summer when the rough is up. Some really nice golf holes at NW though! Always thought the par 3s there are among the best in the area. I give my personal favor to Blue Mash though, if it came down to ranking those two. Blue Mash just feels unique in a part of Maryland with a lot of the same type of golf.
Side note: when my brother and I were kids, the Inside 9 at Northwest was our jam. Visited it again about 2 years ago and it’s still just as fun. Super cheap, always available to get on, and a great test to boot.
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Inside 9 is a gem. Source: Father of 2 under 5 who has had very little time to play golf these past few years. (Honorable mention to Sligo as well, which is not nearly as nice but is 5 mins from my front door!)
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My Dad and uncles grew up on Wayne Ave right near Sligo Creek - it was and remains a place where a lot of people play the game for the first time! So glad it’s hanging in there.
Not sure how we classify public/munis but, as far as MD public tracks you can play for under $100… (So ruling out Whiskey and Lighthouse and Musket and Worthington, which can sometimes be played for under $100 but have been covered in this thread)
- Bulle Rock
- Rum Pointe
- Blue Mash
- Mountain Branch
- Maryland National
- Waverly Woods
- Rocky Point
- The Woodlands
- Greystone (would be ranked higher if not for the 7th and 9th greens, which are a crime)
- Rattlewood
- Pine Ridge
- Falls Road
- Fox Hollow
- Northwest (it’s a good county course but there is a sameness to a lot of holes)
- University of Maryland (a great deal on a weekday, an overpriced slog on a weekend that can take 6 hours).
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The Greystone ninth green observation speaks to me. Almost typed out a similar complaint earlier, so glad you’ve acknowledged how stupid it is.
“ Greystone (would be ranked higher if not for the 7th and 9th greens, which are a crime)”
Add the 12th (par 3) to that list of greens that are an absolute joke on an otherwise beautiful golf course. The in-course O.B. on hole 10 that now prevents anyone from playing down 18 fairway is dumb too.
I’d agree that bulle rock is probably the best public course on that list, management is kind of awful, but I hope it hangs around. I love whiskey creek, but think the 18th hole is a gimmick. Mt pleasant is my favorite layout of the Baltimore public courses, especially from the backs. Pine ridge may be my favorite walk in all of golf, and would be really great if updated a little bit.
This is so true. If the pin is front left, you actually need to miss the green on purpose as you cannot keep it on the green from anywhere else. Even two feet above the hole, you probably can’t stop it 6 inches beyond.
The fact that none of these are in southern MD drives me mad. Swan Pointe is good, if it hasn’t rained in a month, but that’s an hour from me. I guess I’ll keep hitting it in the nearest open field.
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I was thinking yesterday how cool it would be if National Links Trust took over the Baltimore courses. In a perfect world, Pine Ridge could be amazing if put hands of the right architect (assuming environmental regs/red tape could be worked around).
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Some of those holes would be the best in the state (views anyway) if they could cut down trees that would let you view the resivoir, though I concede that might create all kinds of erosion issues. But it sure does have good bones.
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If you could see more on holes 2,3,4, 9-17 it would be amazing
2-4
9
10-11
13-17 (this stretch would be the postcard)
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You like Falls Road? I’ve never played but I’ve been to the range. I heard it’s really slow and short, but I’m planning on trying out all the courses in the county at some point so good to know someone has a positive thing to say about it…
Me being Biased but Hog Neck I would rank up there for munis. Has 27 holes (18 championship and a 9 hole executive) and has two completely different nines in terms of style and difficulty