Review: Little Bennett Golf Club (Part 1)

This was not supposed to be this month's review. In mid-April, I played Rattlewood Golf Course in Mount Airy, Maryland, and that was the course I wanted to do for May. But I forgot my camera, and to be honest, Rattlewood is really not that good a golf course. It's marginally better than Glade Valley, simply by virtue of the fact that it has more elevation change. That's a very easy way to give a course some interest. There, that's my review of Rattlewood Golf Course. It's a two for one deal today.

Looking back down the seventh fairway at Little Bennett.

Anyway, since I was lacking material for a May review, I decided to play a different Montgomery County-owned public golf course. Little Bennett is south of Frederick but north of Germantown, and is actually pretty close to P.B. Dye, which, if you'll remember, I quite liked. Little Bennett is situated inside a Montgomery County park of the same name, and features some extremely rambunctious terrain. Carts are required here, and while I don't often agree with that policy, I can see it here. There are some huge elevation changes, and they are everywhere. I don't think there's a single hole that I would call flat.

The first hole is pretty representative of what the golfer can expect over the course of the round in terms of terrain. It's also the longest hole on the golf course at nearly 570 yards, which is not something you normally see. The tee shot plays over a valley, at the bottom of which is a stream called the Dark Branch. It's apparently environmentally sensitive, and thus untouchable. So get used to forced carries. The golf course handles them with mixed results, as we'll see. This hole gets it right, cross the gap on the tee shot. It's a little disconcerting on the first swing of the day, but given the location of the clubhouse, there wasn't much choice. Anyway, if you can hit your drive to the top of the hill, you'll have a flat stance for your second. There are a couple of bunkers sort of near the green, but in general, they're not much threat. Most of this course's defense comes from the slopes. This may be the longest hole, but it's not the hardest. So, not a bad start to the round.

The first tee shot of the day plays over a large valley.

The top of this hill is a good place to be for the second shot.

The first green.

The second hole is a mildly long par 4 at 420 yards. But it does play downhill, so that alleviates some of the distance. And there is a very nice view of Sugarloaf Mountain from the tee, a view that would be even better if those trees in the corner of the dogleg weren't there. I suppose they are guarding the optimum angle to the green, but still, they're kind of annoying. And they didn't even have too many leaves on them yet, I imagine the trees are even more annoying once the leaves have properly sprouted. This is another fairly mild hole over sort of flat terrain. Trust me, things get crazier after this.

You can see Sugarloaf Mountain in the background on the second tee.

The second green.

The third hole is a mid-length par 3 at 175 yards. Well, it is on paper, anyway. I knew going into the round that Little Bennett was pretty hilly, but I still wasn't really prepared for a hole like this. It's straight down into the bottom of a valley, and there is nothing long of the green. It's not the most reassuring view, and I'm willing to bet quite a few people end up short, like I did. The green itself is unremarkable, but it doesn't need to be flashy. It's not the primary attraction here.

The third hole.

Looking back at the tee gives you a better idea of how steep the slope is.

The fourth hole is a mid-length par 4 at 390 yards, and yes, it's our first blind tee shot of the tee. The first of quite a few. Frankly, with a course this rugged, blind shots were always going to be common. Some people don't like blind shots. I don't mind them. But I can tell you know that the right side of the fairway gives you a better view of the green, so if you can hit a fade or flirt with the right trees on your drive, that would be best. The bunker you see in the picture isn't really even close to the green, so it's not really anything to worry about.

The first blind tee shot of the day.

The fourth green is also semiblind.

The fifth hole is a par 5, much shorter than the first. But again, we've got a tee shot over a valley to a partially blind fairway. It's a very adventurous type of golf you have to play at this course. The second shot is also blind, thanks to a series of mounds running along the left side of the fairway, which I wasn't a huge fan of. This course is rugged enough, we don't need a whole bunch of artificial mounding to make it worse. However, I'll give this hole a pass because it does something that you don't see all that often. The green actually slopes slightly from front to back. That makes it much harder to hold, since even high shots will bounce and roll. It takes a bit of finesse to hit a green like that, and I appreciated the challenge.

Another tee shot over a valley.

Can't see too much from the fifth fairway.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a fairly long par 3 at 210 yards, but it does play somewhat downhill. I think the picture tells you everything you need to know about the hole, it's not the most interesting hole on the course.

The sixth hole.

The seventh hole plays very much uphill from the tee, and the drive is very blind. It's another mid-length par 4 with a blind drive and a semiblind approach, except on this hole you don't even get the interesting sideslope in the fairway. So it's a less interesting version of the fourth hole.

The seventh plays very uphill.

Another semiblind green at the seventh.

The eighth hole, comparatively speaking, is pretty flat. The fairway is wide, and at 355 yards, it's a pretty short hole. Unfortunately, this course essentially depends on elevation change for interest, so once again, it's a decidedly average hole. The eighth is a good birdie opportunity though.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is the longest par 4 at Little Bennett, weighing in at 450 yards, and I'd say it's the toughest hole on the course. Not only is the hole long, but you also have to lay up off the tee. Well, you don't HAVE to, but a 3 wood leaves you with a little under 200 yards and a reasonably level stance. From there it's a mid to long iron over a creek to a green that's, admittedly, not that tough to hit. It's pretty big, and very receptive to long irons. But it's not too often the lower handicap golfer has to use a long iron on the second shot of a par 4.

You'll want to lay up on the ninth.

The ninth green, across a valley.

That's it for now, next week we'll get the back nine.