MD/DC/VA Golfers - Twelve Monkeys Mental Divergence

[davechen]

2 hours ago, gsrjc said:

Did you join Arygle?

 

Yep.  Heard about the epic prizes at Bingo Night and I couldn't say no.

 

[gsrjc]

33 minutes ago, davechen said:

 

Yep.  Heard about the epic prizes at Bingo Night and I couldn't say no.

 

 Nice dude. I’d be happy to play a round with you and junior. 

[ALTSean]

6 hours ago, gsrjc said:

 Nice dude. I’d be happy to play a round with you and junior. 

Let me know if you need a 4th, for Bingo Night!

[Kent01putt]

I don't think River Downs is that awful. It is just a target course and a tuff one at that. 

Trotters Glen was a POS and the old lady was real fun to deal with.

There used to be a course called Worthington Valley out in Green Spring Valley right next Caves. It was the biggest POS for years. Then the grandson took it over after becoming a certified greens keeper, turned it into a very decent place. The owner(his mom) sold it for real estate money. It did have the same old lady(grandmother) issues as Trotters, but she did play on the LPGA at one time. The old man died who built the place along with his grumpy old friend named Ben Hogan who added his advice to the course.  Anybody ever play there?

[willboyrd]

20 hours ago, TheCityGame said:

The Hive has events at Bulle Rock and Whiskey Creek this year. Arguably 2 of the top 5 public tracks in the state. 

 

Also at River Downs and Gunpowder. Inarguably 2 of the worst 5 public tracks in the state. 

 

Because that's how we roll. Our events are about a lot more than playing at nice courses in nice conditions. 

 

Also -- and, I don't think this is privileged information -- we have the whole course to ourselves the day of the event.  Not something you can pull off everywhere. 

Thanks for city-splaining all that to me lol

[Terphack]

Names of the other 3 of 5 worst tracks in the state?

 

Edited March 25, 2021 by Terphack

[TheCityGame]

27 minutes ago, Terphack said:

Names of the other 3 of 5 worst tracks in the state?

 

Patuxent Greens. Which is now closed. 

There used to be a golf course out near Westminster that had 3 nines. You'd go "red yellow" or "yellow white" or whatever. Horrible course. I don't know if it still exists. Can't remember name. Kent probably knows it. 

Carroll Park has very little to offer as a golf course. It's a good "bunny slope" but it's just flat and straight. 

 

I'm not sure what else I'd plug in. There are courses that I simply won't pay to play, but other people like them. . .Diamond Ridge for instance. I won't pay for Rocky Point. I'm not a big fan of Northwest, and I hate the transfers but I like the holes at Hampshire Greens.

 

I'm not a fan of a couple of the sides at Compass Pointe. 

[Terphack]

28 minutes ago, TheCityGame said:

Patuxent Greens. Which is now closed. 

There used to be a golf course out near Westminster that had 3 nines. You'd go "red yellow" or "yellow white" or whatever. Horrible course. I don't know if it still exists. Can't remember name. Kent probably knows it. 

Carroll Park has very little to offer as a golf course. It's a good "bunny slope" but it's just flat and straight. 

 

I'm not sure what else I'd plug in. There are courses that I simply won't pay to play, but other people like them. . .Diamond Ridge for instance. I won't pay for Rocky Point. I'm not a big fan of Northwest, and I hate the transfers but I like the holes at Hampshire Greens.

 

I'm not a fan of a couple of the sides at Compass Pointe. 

Agree with your list with the exception of Rocky Point which I like for outing events. Maybe because the most fun outings I have played were there- maybe it was just the company.  Patuxent Greens was a super cheap place to play beer focused rounds but if it rained within the previous month forget it. Cross Creek was only good during the first couple of years it was open, after that I wouldn't play there for free. Side note- I played the 5th paid tee time/round at Cross Creek, a guy at work was adamant about playing there as soon as the course opened. 9 hole Sligo was pretty bad the last time I was there. South and East at Compass are never good. Patriots Glen in Elkton was horrible. Westwinds was pretty bad, now closed. Not a fan of Clifton Park though I know some like it. Prospect Bay in Grasonville is not much. Bay Hills in Arnold is pretty bad.

[TheCityGame]

There's no course I dislike top to bottom. 

 

Patuxent had some interesting holes. I liked 1. Short z-shaped par 5, so if you hit one in the right spot, you could have a mid-iron in but otherwise, you had to play the Z with wedge-weedge, or go over trees. 

 

7 was a par 3 with a green shaped just like #4 at Augusta but it was wedge/9 iron. I always liked that hole. 

 

6 was a driveable 4, but you had to be accurate, or it was bogey city.

 

14-18 was a decent finish. Decent. Not great. 17 was hard but not a good hole. 

 

And, I'm not a "conditions" guy, but golf wasn't meant to be played on mud, either.  That land is basically an up-jumped swamp. Good for turtles.  

[dcmidnight]

 

10 minutes ago, TheCityGame said:

There's no course I dislike top to bottom. 

 

I'd have to think about all the MD courses in the area but the front nine at Rocky Gap might be the least fun I've ever had on a course - literally built into the side of a mountain. But the back was OK, nothing special. 

 

I played probably 100 rounds at Northwest before finding out there were people that absolutely hated the place.

[gregh729]

Trotters Glen, now closed in Olney, that Vinay and I discussed before was horrible. Maple Run in Thurmont is/was awful. not sure if that is still open.

 

[Kent01putt]

City is probably talking about Wakefield Valley. That was a good course until they added the 3rd 9 holes. They stole holes from the first 18 and mixed them up with the new 9. Not a good idea.

They did the same with Compass Point. They mixed and matched holes there that did not improve the overall courses.

Another course that has gone to the dogs is Geneva Farms in Harford county. Just no well taken care of due to financial issues. Like the course a lot but conditions suck. 

[Kent01putt]

Maple Run was a short but fun course, but conditions were not the best ever from day one.

[GooseHook]

Anyone who dislikes mud rounds (myself included) should never pay their well-earned money to play Lodestone. The damn course was built on top of mountain springs and has very little drainage. The greens are large, undulating, and would be great but they usually run at like 7 on a stimp. 

 

A couple years ago I would have had similar opinions about Eisenhower but that place is undergoing a massive renovation so it might be decent this season. 

[FAbb]

Hating on Maple Fun will not be tolerated. That place gave me my first job and opportunity to play golf when I was 14. 

[mizuno player]

On 3/24/2021 at 11:04 AM, davechen said:

Took the family out for the first time to play the front 9 at Argyle. My wife was very impressed with the course.  She mainly golfs for the exercise and the pretty scenery, and she likes the views, so that's a win.  

 

Jr hit some bombs out there.  Some of the downhill tee shots must have gone over 300.  I hit one or two good ones too.  And my daughter hit some nice shots too.  So it was a win all around.

 

Oh, and I got shouted at from across the course by HBD. 

 

I got some free guest passes too, so there's a standing invitation for any of y'all to come play.

 

After playing the front we went and checked out the practice area.  The short game area is really nice.  Good chipping green. Separate sand bunker/green.  Posts marking 10 yard intervals so you can work on all the partial distances.  Jr wants to grind this summer, so he's gonna be out there all day every day.

When did you join? Do you know what if any deals they have now? It would be a little bit of a hike for me. Ive always enjoyed playing there. Looking at Holy Hills too as it's 5 min from my house. All dependant of business keeps up!!! 

[mizuno player]

There was a course in PG county I think. We called it Lake Out of Bounds. ( Could have been pax greens. I'm old and can't remember) 

 

Wakefield at one time had really tough greens. At least one nine did. 

 

My memory is probably off on this too. I thought there was a course out near Eldersburg or Reisterstown. Had  a few too many fairways the ran side by each for my liking.  Lots of balls incoming.  

 

 

[ScottHutch2]

I have not been here long but Carroll Park in Baltimore, aka "The Jewel Of the City" is up there with dinkiest courses of all time. It is only 9 holes, but some holes just straight up have chain link fence up the side of them. Hilarious course, but about what you would expect for $16 walking.

Edited March 25, 2021 by ScottHutch2

[davechen]

4 hours ago, mizuno player said:

There was a course in PG county I think. We called it Lake Out of Bounds. ( Could have been pax greens. I'm old and can't remember) 

 

Wakefield at one time had really tough greens. At least one nine did. 

 

My memory is probably off on this too. I thought there was a course out near Eldersburg or Reisterstown. Had  a few too many fairways the ran side by each for my liking.  Lots of balls incoming.  

 

 

 

We joined this week.  They did give us a break on the initiation.  It sounds like they're getting close to capacity, so not sure how the deals will be going forward.

[mizuno player]

54 minutes ago, davechen said:

 

We joined this week.  They did give us a break on the initiation.  It sounds like they're getting close to capacity, so not sure how the deals will be going forward.

Nice. You'll have fun there. Lots of good people and my favorite pro. If he's still there? Fran? He's just a great guy. 

[SullGolf]

My roommate took her only golf lesson from "Fran the Man".

[Kent01putt]

Those chain link fences help from getting you killed.

[mizuno player]

13 hours ago, SullGolf said:

My roommate took her only golf lesson from "Fran the Man".

Fran is a great guy. We played an A team match once at Norbeck. Didn't get home until 130. Am. 

[Ocgolfrick]

The following is a guest post by our good friend BethesdaRick.

 

'Lo there peasantry!  Just making one of my checkins on you folks.  I was just telling some of my friends at the country club some of your hijinks!

 

"And a lot of them joined Argyle because its a "step up" for them!"

 

My Silver Spoon set friends:

 

But I digress, let's bring the focus back where it belongs: me.

 

As the weather got a little cool there a week ago, my son asked if we could take a short golf trip to Florida.  I obliged of course, as I had a NetJets gift card given to me by the wife. I should get my own G5, but I have so many friends that have one and let me use theirs that it seems unnecessary to have my own. This NetJets thing seems like a healthy first step to owning my own though.

 

What really surprised me was when my son asked to play some "common man" courses.  I said I had rounds booked at Bay Hill and Seminole.  He stated he has to deal with the lower orders at some point or another, so why not start now?  Wise beyond his years, that boy.  So again I indulged him.

 

We booked The Reserve at Orange Lake, which unbelievably is a Holiday Inn timeshare property.  It has its own waterpark, shopping area, and 3 golf courses that are open to the public. Kinda nice for the working class.  Amazingly well kept shape, but your basic Florida resort course.

 

We then had an off day where I took him to Animal Kingdom, with a guide and express pass where we went straight to the front of every line.  That Avatar ride is great!  Even better is the look on people's faces as you whizz by them to the front of the line while they wait 3 hours.  As we rode it 4 times in a row, we got to go past the same people waiting every time! You should have seen the looks on their faces!   (chuckle)  And little known fact, you CAN ride the giraffes if you pay enough money to Disney.

 

We played White Heron next- used to be called Ridgewood Lakes.  This has been purchased by new owners who have dumped a lot of money into conditioning the course, but made some odd design changes.  The 8th is a Par 5 of just over 400 yards.  Then the 9th hole, which was a replica of the 18th at Sawgrass, was shortened to a 230 yard driveable par 4, with the rest of the hole made into a practice area.  Just not ideal.  Great shape, lots of water carries.

 

Took another off day and did Universal again with a guide and express pass.  Fantastic! My kid is a Harry Potter fan. As a special treat, I flew in Daniel Radcliffe to ride with my boy on the Gringotts Bank ride!  What fun!

 

Last day was more my speed. We hit ChampionsGate Country Club, which is slated to go private as soon as they have enough members.  I thought about joining, but without caddies yet they won't see another dime of my money.  Great layout for Florida, some unique bunkering.  Best shape of any Florida course I have been at.  

 

Tata for now folks!  See you next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[aiyyer]

Really don’t understand the Northwest hate. 

[NNY Lefty]

I don’t understand the Northwest hate either. It’s a big course so maybe guys who think they’re big hitters get a bit humbled by it. Granted, the layout is fairly basic, but the course is all in front of you and mostly wide open with no blind shots or crazy distractions. Thus, no excuses. 

[SullGolf]

Northwest is one of the better munis in the area.  For the most part it's a fun course that's kept in good shape.  I think the price can be a little steep for peak weekend times, but it's a great deal on weekday afternoons.

 

One of the things some people here get bent out of shape on is the mandatory drops from environmental areas.  That's irritating for a tournament, but good for a casual round for me.  They're far enough out of the way that you really shouldn't be in them.

Edited March 28, 2021 by SullGolf

[aiyyer]

6 hours ago, SullGolf said:

Northwest is one of the better munis in the area.  For the most part it's a fun course that's kept in good shape.  I think the price can be a little steep for peak weekend times, but it's a great deal on weekday afternoons.

 

One of the things some people here get bent out of shape on is the mandatory drops from environmental areas.  That's irritating for a tournament, but good for a casual round for me.  They're far enough out of the way that you really shouldn't be in them.

Hit it straight there! I’ve played at lot of $20 twilight rounds there and enjoyed both the company and the course.

[mizuno player]

Northwest was my first "home" course. Started playing it with cheap blades and woods bought from Best in the '81 or so. The thing that was nice is you didn't need a tee time. Handicaps were kept in a log book. Yeah I'm kinda old. 

 

It's just a long in your face course. Still love the layout. Gotta get back and play it one day. 

[willboyrd]

11 hours ago, aiyyer said:

Hit it straight there! I’ve played at lot of $20 twilight rounds there and enjoyed both the company and the course.

 

I have only played Northwest once and I think we played it from the one up tees, which at most muni or daily fee courses puts you at 6300-6500 but NW is 6800+ from those tees and at least the day I played it, played to every single bit of that scorecard yardage. 

 

I found it to be a really tough but fair challenge, but maybe not as 'fun'.