Review: Cumberland Golf Club (Part 1)

Not every golf course is exciting. Not every golf course is good. Not every golf course is especially glamorous, polished, or well-maintained. You usually hope to get at least a couple of those things though. But there are courses that manage to achieve absolutely none of these goals, and Cumberland Golf Club, located a little south of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is one of them. The lack of quality is especially noticeable considering I've spent the past 3 months reviewing three golf courses ranging from "Really good if the greens weren't stupidly slow" to "One of the best courses I've ever played." I couldn't keep that pace forever.

Oh, and don't worry, it was grey and dreary for the entire round, so I don't even have the benefit of nice weather to spice up these pictures. Frankly, considering how much rain we got in September, it's a miracle I found the time to do not one, but two reviews. And just to add insult to injury, the course was doing work on most of the back tees, which meant they had stuck the tee markers in vaguely flat spots in the rough nearby. So, now that I've hyped the course up, let's get to the review. It probably won't take long.

The first hole, strangely enough, is the longest hole at Cumberland, weighing in at 530 yards. If you can get your drive to the top of the plateau in the fairway, just past the two fairway bunkers (two-thirds of the total count at Cumberland), you'll have a clear view of the green, and you could potentially go for it in two. If you do lay up, the third shot will be up the hill to a small, elevated green flanked by two bunkers. Oh, be prepared to see the phrase "flanked by two bunkers" or some close variation a lot. As in, every single hole.

The first hole. The terrain is good, but that's pretty much it.

Not a bad place to be after the drive.

The uphill third shot.

The first green.

The second hole is a short, virtually flat par 4. The only real hazard on the drive are a few overhanging trees planted near the tee. The green is small and is protected by a bunker on each side. I actually birdied this hole, so I was one under after two. Of course, it didn't last long.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole plays parallel to the second, plays over the exact same terrain, and is virtually the same length. There is a road running to the right side of the hole, though you'd have to hit an impressive slice to reach it. Also, the green is significantly larger than the previous two.

The third hole.

The third green.

After the first of six road crossings, the fourth hole is the first of a surprisingly lengthy set of par 3s, none of which are under 200 yards. This one is uphill, and if you have to miss the green, right is the place to do it, as a chip from the left side faces a green sloping away. I bogeyed this hole, and that was that for my under par round.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green is slightly elevated.

The fifth hole is a 425 yard par 4 with the tee shot playing downhill to a wide open fairway. Seriously, plenty of room, you'd have to be some sort of colossal idiot to miss it. Oh, right, I was on the fairway to the right of this hole. The green has a pair of bunkers guarding it, and it was about at this point I realized that I was in for a very dull round.

The fifth hole plays significantly downhill.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is the longest par 3 of the quartet at Cumberland, and at a slightly uphill 230 yards, it's no pushover. Of course, it's not terribly difficult either. It's tough because it's hard hitting a long iron or wood at a small green.

The sixth hole

The seventh hole is 370 yards under normal circumstances, but as I mentioned early, quite a few tees were closed. The back tees were moved up a lot, which meant that this hole was actually almost drivable. I'd say this is the best hole on the front nine, as you have to decide whether or not to challenge the big pine tree on the drive. Doing so leaves a shorter shot. And yes, that barest hint of strategy is all it took to be the best hole on the front nine.

The seventh hole. I think the temporary tees provided a slightly more interesting hole than the normal ones.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is the shortest par 5 at Cumberland. It's easily reachable in two, but the playing corridor is reasonably narrow, and there's O.B. left to think about. A pond further narrows the fairway, but that's only a concern if you have to lay up after a poor drive. Or if you're a very short hitter.

The eighth hole.

The approach to the eighth green.

Looking back down the eighth.

The ninth hole is a long par 4 at 455 yards, which is only 30 yards shorter than the previous hole. It's not even the longest par 4 at Cumberland. The tee shot does play downhill. The closer you get to the treeline with the drive, the shorter your second will be. And that's about it.

The ninth hole is a dogleg right.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll check out the equally interesting and exciting back nine.