Review: Swan Point Yacht & Country Club (Part 1)

Can Maryland pass for the Carolinas? Or, more specifically, can Swan Point Yacht & Country Club, located at the southern tip of Maryland next to the Potomac River, really approximate a round down in Myrtle Beach? That's what their website said, and I have to admit, for some reason I was intrigued by the proposition. Sure, there was lots of water, but the course looked good. And I figured that it might be nice to look at some pictures of a nice-looking subtropical golf course in the middle of winter.

That's why I made the long 2-hour trip down south of D.C. to Issue, Maryland to play Swan Point. Plus, I'd never been to this particular section of Maryland before, so that was a nice little bonus. I don't think Maryland is a southern state, unlike the U.S. census, but as I was driving south down on the small peninsula formed by the Wicomico River and Potomac River that Swan Point is located on, I could definitely see a resemblance. Anyway, enough about geography, let's get to the course.

The first hole is a fairly simple par 4. At 375 yards, it's not long, and it's dead straight. Obviously, you're better off finding the right side of the fairway so you don't have to hit over the pond short and left of the green. In addition, the green is angled so shots from the right get more green to work with. The green itself is small and separated into a lower and upper tier. If it weren't for the pond, you could hardly ask for a milder start to a round of golf. Even so, this is hardly a challenging hole.

The first hole is nice and wide open.

The second shot plays slightly over a pond.

The first green.

The second hole is the end of your warm-up. It's a long par 4 at 435 yards, and it doglegs nearly 90 degrees around a narrow arm of the Potomac River. The decision on the drive is obvious. Do you lay well back with an iron, avoiding the water but leaving a very long second shot? Or do you pull out the driver and cut off as much of the marsh as you can, leaving a more reasonable second? Go through the fairway at all and trees will prevent you from going at the green, which is small and on a narrow point overlooking the river. This is an awfully tough hole to throw at the golfer at the start of the round, and I wasn't a big fan. Still, it is quite good to look at.

The second hole. You can't see much because there isn't much hole to see.

Not an ideal place to be on the second shot.

The second green is not an inviting target.

Looking back down the second hole.

The view from behind the second green.

The third hole is a bit of a difficulty whiplash as we go from what is probably the hardest hole at Swan Point to the easiest. At 165 yards, it's not long, and there's no sand or water in play. The only issue are the mounds that meld into the green. It's not the easiest green to putt, but still, if you don't make a decent score on this hole, you have no one to blame but yourself.

The third hole.

The third green, with the fourth in the background.

The fourth hole is the first par 5 at Swan Point, and at 520 yards, it's not very long. I would hesitate to call this a good birdie opportunity though. The hole doglegs left, so to shorten the hole and bring the green within reach in two, the drive must flirt with a lake running along the left side of the hole. You then have a choice, lay up to the right of the pond or go for the green. It's an island green, but the island is quite large, so there is some wiggle room to the right. I don't imagine too many people go for it though, it's quite an intimidating shot. The hole isn't super easy when you play it as a three shot hole, since the water is still there, but disaster is much less likely. Play it safe and a par is pretty easy to get.

The fourth hole.

The island the fourth green sits on is generously sized.

The fourth green, snug against the lake.

Looking back down the fourth hole.

The fifth hole is a long, straight par 4. The lake from the last hole curls around the left side of this hole, but it stops before it can really come into play. The ideal tee shot is also up the left side, as this will give you the best angle into the green, which is guarded by a bunker and a pond right. A simple and straightforward hole, much like the first.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is the longest hole at Swan Point, and is a very long hole in general at 580 yards. This is a solid three shot hole to all but the longest golfers, especially on a day when the course was as saturated as it was. Anyway, the sixth is, once again, dead straight, with the pond by the tee really not coming into play. The cluster of bunkers on the left side is more concerning, as is the general narrowness of the hole. For such a long par 5, there's not a lot of wiggle room. A pond guarding the left side of the fairway between 50-150 yards from the green creates several options. You could try blasting a 3 wood past it, but then you're left with a short pitch to a small, elevated green guarded by four bunkers, providing you don't put yourself in the woods. You could lay up short of the pond, but then your approach is just as difficult. It really is a small target, and you're coming at it from at least 150 yards away. Or you could lay up to a normal wedge distance, threading in between the pond and the trees. The third is still fairly tough, but it's more reasonable with a wedge in hand.

It's a bit unfortunate that there are so many trees behind the green, because past them is an impressive view of the Potomac River. I'm not sure why the course management has decided to keep trees up, but hey, it's not my golf course.

The very long sixth hole.

Slowly approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green is elevated and very small.

The Potomac is sort of visible from the green.

This is the sort of view they could have without those trees behind the green.

The seventh hole is a short par 4 that doglegs left through dense forest. If you're feeling confident, you can use a driver to cut the dogleg and leave yourself a little pitch shot. Otherwise, it's a wood or long iron off the tee, followed by a wedge or short iron into a long, narrow green flanked by two bunkers. I would classify this hole as a good birdie opportunity.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green is a very narrow target.

The eighth hole is a fairly straightforward 200 yard par 3. There's a big bunker left that you don't want to end up in, but there's plenty of room to bail out right or short. Overall, not a particularly difficult or interesting hole.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is just under 400 yards, and bends left around another small lake. Much like the second, you can bite off as much of the lake as you dare with your drive. The more you cut off, the shorter your second shot will be. Playing safe gives you a wider fairway, but makes the second shot very difficult. The green is guarded by a pair of bunkers left and a lone loblolly pine right.

The ninth constantly curves left.

Approaching the ninth green.

Definitely didn't take a picture from here because I chunked my second shot. At least the third shot was pretty good.

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