worst_shot_ever
I leave big divots
http://www.whiskeycreekgolf.com/kemper/courses/whiskey.asp
Wifey and I, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of our mutual binding, decided a day off from work to play golf together at a good course was in order. Several of my friends strongly recommended Whiskey Creek Golf Club, a high-end public course located about 40 minutes outside Washington, DC in Ijamsville, MD. Rounds cost about $100 a person, a bit of a splurge for marital golf. We both thought it was well worth it.
For starters, the staff was friendly, quick to offer assistance, and the level of service was excellent. The practice green and range are located close to the course and were in very nice condition. The carts are equipped with GPS, and the pace of play moved rapidly along as it should. The course itself is picturesque, and several holes, simply beautiful. The condition and maintenance of the course was remarkably good, especially given the amount of rain in the area in the days before our round. The design was a collaboration between J. Michael Poellot of JMP Design Group and Ernie Els. It seemed fairly hilly, snaking around densely wooded areas with a few water hazards in play and some strategic bunkering. The layout and shape of the course was clever, generally emphasizing solid strategy over pure bomb and gouge golf. The course offers four sets of tees. Wifey, an ultra-high handicapper, played from the forward tees and was able to thoroughly enjoy the round. Although I did not play them, the tips would seem to provide a challenging test to even the most accomplished. (But as to that, you can judge for yourself -- the slope and rating for the various tees are: Red (5,296 yards) – 70.5/121, White (5,979 yards) – 69.3/129, Blue (6,525 yards) – 72.3/136 and Black (7,001 yards) – 74.6/138.) My only real complaint, and it's not much of one, is that the pro shop does not offer detailed yardage books, in part because the carts have built in GPS. But you can't take GPS home with you for subsequent reflection on your round, and when the course has taken some rain and the cart-path only rules are in place, GPS in the cart isn't all that helpful either. That's an awfully small complaint, and otherwise we both thought the experience was first-class.
Of course, pictures are more descriptive than even telling use of adjectives, so here are a few I was able to grab during the round.
The Par-5 Finishing Hole
The tee shot on the signature par-5 18th hole requires a drive around ruined remains that I romantically decided were once a distillery that must have contributed to Whiskey Creek's name. It turns out I was wrong: it was just a 19th century German farmhouse. Although you are given a choice of either left or right, the trees crowd the left, while the wide right requires an approach shot to the green across a pond and cannot be reached in two. (Of course, I opted to go neither left nor right, but instead plopped my drive immediately at the foot of the forward wall, forcing me to attempt a Big Break-wall-style draw that totally failed of its purpose.)
The Ruin, Up Close and Personal
Looking Back at the Water Approach on 18 from the Veranda Behind the Green
On this one, the green lies just off the picture to the left. It's a much more tricky approach than it may look here, or at least I found it to be more tricky than it looks here.
Tee Shot on the Par-5 9th Hole (I Think)
I'm not so certain about this, but I believe this shot was taken from the cart as we passed from white to red tee boxes at the par-5 9th hole. It isn't that obvious from the picture, but the limbs of that White Oak tree stretch way further left than one would think, which really cast a cloud over my mind back at the teeing ground. I'm sure that is the reason I drove it into the hillside rough way left, out in the general direction of that cart in the picture.
Random Green Complex
Finally, I have no idea at this point what hole this was -- it was somewhere on the front 9 -- but I think the photo captures something of how heavily wooded is the area through which the course runs, as well as how well-groomed the greens were kept, even after having received a not insignificant amount of rain the day or two before.
In sum, wifey and I loved the course, and if the opportunity to try another round at Whiskey Creek presents itself, I will jump at the chance. Especially if someone else is paying.
Wifey and I, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of our mutual binding, decided a day off from work to play golf together at a good course was in order. Several of my friends strongly recommended Whiskey Creek Golf Club, a high-end public course located about 40 minutes outside Washington, DC in Ijamsville, MD. Rounds cost about $100 a person, a bit of a splurge for marital golf. We both thought it was well worth it.
For starters, the staff was friendly, quick to offer assistance, and the level of service was excellent. The practice green and range are located close to the course and were in very nice condition. The carts are equipped with GPS, and the pace of play moved rapidly along as it should. The course itself is picturesque, and several holes, simply beautiful. The condition and maintenance of the course was remarkably good, especially given the amount of rain in the area in the days before our round. The design was a collaboration between J. Michael Poellot of JMP Design Group and Ernie Els. It seemed fairly hilly, snaking around densely wooded areas with a few water hazards in play and some strategic bunkering. The layout and shape of the course was clever, generally emphasizing solid strategy over pure bomb and gouge golf. The course offers four sets of tees. Wifey, an ultra-high handicapper, played from the forward tees and was able to thoroughly enjoy the round. Although I did not play them, the tips would seem to provide a challenging test to even the most accomplished. (But as to that, you can judge for yourself -- the slope and rating for the various tees are: Red (5,296 yards) – 70.5/121, White (5,979 yards) – 69.3/129, Blue (6,525 yards) – 72.3/136 and Black (7,001 yards) – 74.6/138.) My only real complaint, and it's not much of one, is that the pro shop does not offer detailed yardage books, in part because the carts have built in GPS. But you can't take GPS home with you for subsequent reflection on your round, and when the course has taken some rain and the cart-path only rules are in place, GPS in the cart isn't all that helpful either. That's an awfully small complaint, and otherwise we both thought the experience was first-class.
Of course, pictures are more descriptive than even telling use of adjectives, so here are a few I was able to grab during the round.
The Par-5 Finishing Hole
The tee shot on the signature par-5 18th hole requires a drive around ruined remains that I romantically decided were once a distillery that must have contributed to Whiskey Creek's name. It turns out I was wrong: it was just a 19th century German farmhouse. Although you are given a choice of either left or right, the trees crowd the left, while the wide right requires an approach shot to the green across a pond and cannot be reached in two. (Of course, I opted to go neither left nor right, but instead plopped my drive immediately at the foot of the forward wall, forcing me to attempt a Big Break-wall-style draw that totally failed of its purpose.)
The Ruin, Up Close and Personal
Looking Back at the Water Approach on 18 from the Veranda Behind the Green
On this one, the green lies just off the picture to the left. It's a much more tricky approach than it may look here, or at least I found it to be more tricky than it looks here.
Tee Shot on the Par-5 9th Hole (I Think)
I'm not so certain about this, but I believe this shot was taken from the cart as we passed from white to red tee boxes at the par-5 9th hole. It isn't that obvious from the picture, but the limbs of that White Oak tree stretch way further left than one would think, which really cast a cloud over my mind back at the teeing ground. I'm sure that is the reason I drove it into the hillside rough way left, out in the general direction of that cart in the picture.
Random Green Complex
Finally, I have no idea at this point what hole this was -- it was somewhere on the front 9 -- but I think the photo captures something of how heavily wooded is the area through which the course runs, as well as how well-groomed the greens were kept, even after having received a not insignificant amount of rain the day or two before.
In sum, wifey and I loved the course, and if the opportunity to try another round at Whiskey Creek presents itself, I will jump at the chance. Especially if someone else is paying.
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