MD/DC/VA Golfers - Twelve Monkeys Mental Divergence

[FAbb]

I'll put myself in the minority on this one. I don't think musket ridge is all that great. It's the furthest out from civilization of the "upscale" public courses in Frederick, and I just don't find it all that special.

[HighBoomingDraws]

I think it’s a nice course but certainly not in the area top 5. I think I’m even in the minority further by saying md national is better than musket. Name a cooler par 5 in md than Maryland national hole #2

[FAbb]

Maryland national is definitely better. If it weren't for the complete debacle that is the closing 3 holes at Maryland national, that course would be in the conversation with the best in the area.

[SullGolf]

Probably about 12 years ago I was at a conference where I heard the then-governor-now-senator from West Virginia talk about how mountain top coal removal was good for WV because it provided flat ground on which they can build real estate. He was probably half joking, but it had a point: otherwise it was too hilly to build. That's what comes to mind when I think of Musket Ridge (and Potomac Shores). It feels like they just bulldozed a golf course in to the side of a hill. They are pieces of property which are otherwise completely unfit for building a golf course upon.

I'm looking at pictures on google and it doesn't look as severe as I remember, so either I'm going crazy or the photos are deceptive.

[eagle1997]

ccofmd round recap coming, but not till i have a day off.

in short:

 

 

 

meanwhile, i clicked on an old link by accident an it took me to the last thread.

opening page of posts... classic. enjoy going down memory lane.https://forums.golfwrx.com/discussion/1547458/md-dc-va-golfers-this-one-goes-to-eleven

[thechief16]

Interesting. Wrx is pushing a banner ad at me for Westwood CC in Vienna. I can’t believe they are hard up for members. If they are, maybe drop your initiation below $85k (I’m guessing).

[dcmidnight]

EAGLE SAID: ccofmd round recap coming

[dcmidnight]

Managed to scoop 2 of 3 pots this morning after going out in 35 and coming home in 43. Had two bad drives today which left me shook - and with two triples - but I overcame that nonsense to add a third birdie to the card on 17. Actually felt pretty good to not entirely pack it in after that and finish strong.

Was rolling it today, felt like I was going to make anything. Greens are like glass right now with the combination of warm weather and a little time to dry out - so that helped.

Some f'd up weather so far this year. Colder than normal, then the wettest April in 20 years or whatever, then 90*, and now the remnants of a tropical storm. Yay.

[mizuno player]

I agree. I think they did a big renovation a few years ago. The held the Mid Atlantic Amateur there last year or the year before. It was brutal. Scores were really high.

[golfday]

Gents, I'm relatively new to DC and having a tough time establishing a regular group of guys to play with (current conditions aren't helping). Most of my local friends either don't play much or have joined a private club. Can anyone point me to weekend group to join either online or at a course with public access?

I'm about 4 hdcp and would like to find a competitive group, but open to playing with all levels.

I'm also interested in public course suggestions. Thus far I've tried Falls Road, East Potomac, 1757, Old Hickory, Reston National, and Red Gate... not in love with any of those courses.

Thanks everyone!

[misplacedtexan83]

Howdy!

A few DC guys in here and others through out the area.

Definitely games going on especially now that’s it’s open.

 

 

[cydiego36]

Hey how’s it going I’m in the same boat. Moved to DC from Florida last year and have been looking for a regular game.

[cydiego36]

I don’t understand the foam in the cup thing. It seems much riskier typing in your code on the range ball machine than grabbing your ball out of the hole. The foam is a huge distraction, hope they end that soon. Also, why did so many courses wait until late in the lockdown to punch the greens?

[misplacedtexan83]

Unfortunately the punching time frame is always around the same time of the year beginning of handicap season

Then again later in the year.

Not enough Sun recently for the greens to heal but plenty of rain

[moose557]

Hey Cydiego and Golfday. I posted about the same thing a few months ago then Coronavirus immedietly happened and all courses shutdown so probably a good idea to post again.

Same boat as you guys. Also, moved last year from Florida and looking for a game. If you guys or anyone is interested in a round please let me know. I'm in Bethesda, but good with traveling.

[Yellow Jacket]

To follow up, I've neglected golf since moving to Arlington last year but quarantine and TXG's Youtube channel have me ready to go. I'm still only interested in public courses since joining a club doesn't make sense at this time.
Laurel Hill caught my eye last year based on difficulty and length, and earlier this week @Creedo77 said the conditions were the best he's ever seen, so I'll definitely check it out. Any other courses I should put on the list for this summer? I know you guys discussed Maryland courses in the last few pages but I was hoping for closer options.
On a related note, is there a good grass range/practice facility near me? Laurel Hill looks decent but as we return from quarantine, I imagine the traffic on 395/95 South will be unbearable.

[Creedo77]

You won't find a better short game area on any public track near you than Laurel, same with a grass range won't find another like it given your proximity. I live in Falls Church and its about 20/25 minutes (As you know coming from Arlington). I can't see the traffic picking up any time soon.

I don't really venture out anymore to play as I'm on the road for most of the year. However, I did make the trek down to play Royal New Kent and I was impressed, great layout, challenging, and above all a grass driving range without a mat in sight!

[dcmidnight]

So I'll probably be the only one that throws up my hands and says "huh?" when it comes to Seminole. I was REALLY looking forward to seeing it on TV. I love Florida golf. Love Donald Ross designs. Totally in the tank for Coore/Crenshaw work. But I guess I missed something. If you didn't tell me it was Seminole I would have said it was a really nice Florida track. Just dont see how that course is bordering on being in the Top 10 in the country. Other than the fact that its ultra exclusive. Don't get me wrong, loved the layout and would love to play there, I just feel like I missed something.

Also thought the broadcast was boring AF. They mic'd up the players but ended up talking over them half the time or having a million commercials. It was live golf - sort of - so better than nothing. DJ was amusing when he forgot how bag straps worked and couldn't carry his bag but I think he also put 5 balls in the water.

[TheCityGame]

CCofMD Friday with Eagle, Fort, Goosehook was great. went off at 8:30 and there was a two some maybe 7 holes ahead. and a foursome behind us that we dusted.

Conditions out there were, like goosehook said, 15/10.

My game through 6 holes was 9/10. The rest of the day, like 1/10. Cared only mildly. As long as I know I have some of my old putts and shots, they'll come more frequently.

There are a couple greens out there that would maybe be top 3 out of EVERYTHING I've played in Maryland. No joke. The 15th is as dramatic and difficult as 12 at PB Dye without being as exaggerated.

The par 5 15th.. . .The front left of the green is a big bowl that drains towards the fairway and that's where the pin is. Fort his his third shot and it was a little short, but it rolled past the pin, rolled up a slope. rolled back down past the pin, off the green. Then he chipped past the pin, the ball stayed up top, then he putted that one off the green. I think he made double and that was with "almost" holing his 3rd shot twice.

Meanwhile, Eagle has a putt from the top and takes a line on the putt essentially 90º from where I was looking. No joke. I was starting that putt NORTH. He was starting it WEST (directions are egocentric and relative, not geographically accurate). His putt rolled off the green (IIRC). So we go back to hit the putt again and I'm like, "I'm just starting that at the hole and hoping it stops somewhere 8 feet right of the hole". And it kind of did. He starts his putt way left and drops it.

And I'm not even sure that was the craziest pin location on that hole. I picked up when I was around a snowman. goosehook made bogey (could have been par) after being pin high in 2 and that won it easily.

The 12th green slopes to the back and the back 1/4 of the green is scooped out sideways, like you could pave it and watch Tony Hawk work it like a quarter pipe. highside towards the green. Pin is all the way back in the quarter pipe. Goose tells us hit something to the middle and let it release. Well, I've got 190 and I hit a 6 iron that just catches the slope of the pipe and I've got 40 yards coming back up to a BACK pin.

Aside : that 15th hole is really quite long and has a pretty tricky drive. I think it would be vastly improved by making it like a 490/515 par 5. Instead its 560 and plays all of it because it's a hard dog leg. The green is so good that I just want every to have shots in and let it be decided up there. The way it is now, two good shots are still going to leave you a full wedge up to an 7 iron in and now you're leaving most players the option of just trying to land it on the green, not play to a position. Now that MIGHT be colored by the fact that I played it poorly, but they will tell you that it's a tough two shots. the drive is through a valley with red stakes left and a big grassy hill with trees right. The second shot is uphill and blind. It takes two "A" shots just to get a long wedge in your hand. A bomber can cover the corner and give himself 250 in, but I'm just saying that green is so good, I'd like to see it more accessible to clever play if you hit two good shots.

I played twice with Fort and Eagle last week. Fort right now is a match play murderer at a 15. Both rounds he's made like 8 pars and 10 whatevers. He had an amazing birdie on the 9th at CCMD.

Saturday walked 36 in the Sun to finish a big long week of golf. Put together a decent first 18, most complete round since we got back.

[GooseHook]

I think you nailed it though. Famous architect+ exclusive = automatic top 10 on a list, most of the time. IG highlights were superior to the TV broadcast though for sure.

 

[TheCityGame]

as far as seminole goes. . .I'm not one to just "trust the experts" but I'm also not going to slag the course because I saw one foursome play it on tv.

It's got ocean views. Some of the driving lines were incredible, with options. Those greens rejected off-line shots, but they also got stuff close to the hole. The CTP hole was playing about 120 (I think?) and two professionals missed the green entirely. There's gotta be something going on there. Short game shots looked "fun" like at other Ross courses. Wide driving corridors. Dramatic bunkering. They were mis-reading putts. DJ was mostly crud then had the best look on 18. There was the one par 5 that was playing about 525 and the best Rory and DJ could do was about 12 feet for bird and they both missed. Looked pretty sweet to me.

[2moreTerpz]

bedford springs friday. some observations:

i've never seen a course so obviously bound by land forms. it's in this narrow valley. you leave the clubhouse and in some sense go straight out for the front nine and straight back for the backnine. southwest into wind for the front nine and then reverse course and northeast down wind for the second nine.

volcano report: it was into a decent breeze with a way back right pin. i hit three wood very solid but pretty left on the hill. pitched onto the back slope and mage bogey. i was the only bogey in our group. no pars.

hole 8: short hole. not overally tight. but the green is SMALL and some sections of it are tiny. i hit my drive about 6 inches into the rough. front pin. I had LW and absolutely no shot of getting this anywhere near the pin. so some people may not like having LW and no shot BUT if you are in the fairway and better than me you can get the ball close. It makes sense to me that on a short par 4 hitting the fairway and a very good wedge are both prerequisites to get it close.

hole 10: we had like 118 into a back pin. this green is two tiers with a steep couple foot slope between the tiers. the back tier is NOT deep. we were into a pretty good breeze and i hit a shot alllllmost over the slope. it rolled back off the front of the green. i don't feel like i have a lot of 119 yard shots that require that type of precision.

hole 15: this drive maybe the only one that plays across the valley and then the second shot turns in the same direction as the front nine. but there's a big tree right where you'd want to aim. i could see people hating this hole. i liked it. if you can crush it you'd have an option to go left of the tree and shorten the hole. i don't have that kind of distance. i hit a good ball at the very right edge of the tree and left myself a PW in. cool hole.

hole 17: i may be wrong but i think this is what people call a redan? par 3 that turns left and everything funnels back and left. pin was way way up front. i hit a flighted shot into the wind about 5 yards right of the pin. that's not actually green but the ball takes the slope left and slowly rolled down to about 2 feet. my only birdie.

hole 1, 10, 18 maybe others: short iron in your hand. pretty uphill shot. i enjoyed each of those.

i hit some D- wedges on the front and turned good drives into bogies and doubles. i doubled 14 from a green side bunker. 43/36 - 79.

american golfer comment: the plush seats on the carts were so so so awesome. serious lux life. i think the course would be totally walkable though.

after the round we were the first customer's the tavern had served since the shut down. good burger. 6 oz. i'm getting old. I prefer less than a half pound nowadays.

[FAbb]

I watched 2 holes of it, and they were great. The second hole with the approach playing uphill to a green cut into the right side of a ridge, followed immediately by the third teeing off across that ridge and playing to a green cut into the left side of the ridge. That's excellent stuff. Can't say anything about the rest of the course, since I didn't see it. I have it recorded, but there's about a 0.01% chance I actually watch it.

[dcmidnight]

Eh to be fair the "CTP hole" was them playing from a tee they normally wouldn't have played to and may have just been setup in the fairway - I was only half watching at that point. In regulation they played it at 190 yards.

I'm also not going to judge how good or bad it was based on how the pros played - DJ couldnt have made a putt into one of those manhole cover holes yesterday.

[dcmidnight]

The ending reminded me of how they ended the Tiger/Phil match at Shadow Creek. You hype up the course all week, hype up the match, play 18 holes in a cool event - and then just drop a ball and hit a 100 yard shot to decide the whole thing.

Terrible. Wish they had at least just played 18 again or something like that. Not like they were competing for TV time with the NFL or baseball. I think anyone that tuned in would have watched another 15 minutes.

[SullGolf]

I don’t think Florida golf is very exciting to watch. It’s flat. There’s water everywhere. Throw in some palm trees and off you go. The main thing that set it apart from being standard fare is that there are no houses on the course. But that can also make it harder to watch on TV because it’s flat and there’s no frame of reference. I had zero idea if the protracer lines were good until well after the fact.

I bet it’d be a blast to play. But some courses don’t translate that well to TV.

[FAbb]

Chef Boyardee - let's get a recap of glade valley golf and county club.

[HighBoomingDraws]

Glade valley was my go to back in my Frederick days when all the Clustered Spires tee times were taken. It was always a great value, packed in the mornings on weekends.

[SullGolf]

Played at WoMan yesterday with XHoop, Christian, and a Bethpage buddy.

I hit enough good shots to be encouraged. My course strategy was poor, and I couldn’t find the bottom on my irons, but overall felt much better than my score. I was actually hitting the D solid and irons poorly, which is the reverse of normal and probably a good sign.

We played the whites, and I bet it was worse for my score than the blues. For me it brings a bunch of extra trouble in to play, and requires thinking about your tee club. I was not in a thinking mood and just wanted to smash balls. E.g. I went long with short irons in to a few death spots because I wasn’t using a laser. I hit it in the left junk on 3 because I took too much club. When you make that mistake you have to drop AND lay up. Hit it left of the green on 5 with a wedge. Lots of bad course management.

Some good moments out there though.

Hoop hit a perfect drive and approach on 3, then sunk the 12ish footer for a rare birdie. He made another one on 13 with a stuffed wedge.

Bethpage buddy almost dunked it on 7 for a 2. No clue how it didn’t drop, but I’m blaming it on the foam insert.

I chipped in for birdie from over the green on 8. Had 27 putts which is very low for me, and is only partly reflective of how many greens I missed.

Great to be out on the course again. Went home and took a nap. Most normal I’ve felt in awhile.

[FAbb]

Glade is 1000% a better golf course than clustered, and I don't think it's even close. Clustered was just always in much better shape. Just thinking about glade makes me want to organize a hive expedition there. It's my personal "home of golf."