Review: Glenn Dale Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time for the back nine at Glenn Dale, go here if you haven't seen the front.

The tenth hole is a par 4 of reasonable length (420 yards) that plays hard against a property line left of the hole. The trees encroach quite a bit on the tee shot and honestly could use a bit of a trim. The left fairway bunker is hardly a concern because it's tough to get a drive in that position. The drive is down the hill, and the second shot goes back up to an elevated green with bunkers front left and front right. Shots that don't get far enough on the green will almost certainly roll back down a ways.

The tenth hole. Definitely don't want to go left on the tee shot.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a short par 4, only barely more than 300 yards. The hole plunges downhill and doglegs around a group of trees. The green is definitely reachable, though you'd have to be pretty brave to try carrying those trees. Experience helps, as first-time players, my brother and I had no idea where the green is; more importantly, we didn't know how far we had to go to get a clear shot at the green. As it turns out, the left side is covered by trees, and a front-left bunkers guards the elevated green from low punch shots. The right side of the fairway, followed by a full wedge, is clearly the best option. Even so, the green is small and raised, making any approach a fairly tough one.

The second hole.

The second green presents a difficult target.

The twelfth hole is, at 174 yards, the shortest hole at Glenn Dale. It plays downhill, and a single bunker rests to the left of the green. It's the easiest hole on the course.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is supposed to be a mid-length par 4 of 380 yards. However, the back tee was out of commission, so all the tees were moved up, meaning the hole only played 290. This section of the course is pretty heavily treed, and wouldn't you know, sticking a tee in the middle of a forest isn't a great idea. It's almost like grass does better when it actually gets light. Anyway, the hole, as we played it, is a drivable par 4 playing uphill through a narrow corridor of trees to an elevated green. If you're accurate, the green is gettable, but there's very little room for error. My brother and I both opted to lay up, though my long iron play is so precise that I was able to hit the cart path for added distance, meaning I hit a 250 yard 4 iron up the hill, which was something I totally meant to do. Anyway, the green is sloped pretty significantly from back to front, so you don't want to be above the hole. There are better birdie opportunities out there.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is actually a mid-length par 4 at 375 yards. It plays significantly downhill to an unseen fairway. Also unseen: A long fairway bunker stretching down the right side of the hole. However, there's O.B. left and nothing right besides that bunker, so if you're going to miss, right is better. And I used literally all the space to the right that I could. The second shot is pretty simple, the green is fairly flat, and I don't imagine the bunker long and right gets a whole lot of usage.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green. There's plenty of room to miss the fairway right.

The fifteenth hole is the final par 3 at Glenn Dale and plays 190 yards over level terrain. The lone bunker is front right, and the green, much like many others on the course, has a significant back-to-front slope.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a bit of a weird hole. It's 400 yards and plays uphill to a blind fairway up on a plateau. The hole bends slightly left, but it isn't that simple. For whatever reason, a group of trees was allowed to remain in between the green and the landing area. That means the sixteenth is a bit of a double dogleg, and that if you don't want to lay up on a 400 yard par 4, you'll keep your tee shot well to the right. The sixteenth is bunkerless, so it relies on its unusual path through the trees for defense. And it's quite an effective defense, even though the green is pretty big, this isn't an easy hole.

The sixteenth hole. Make sure to aim out to the right.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is the final short par 4 at Glenn Dale, though at 330 yards this hole is a bit longer than some of the others. This is another unorthodox type of hole, as the fairway bends nearly 90 degrees at about the 225 yard mark. The driving range and some big trees are left, but go through the fairway and you end up in more forest. So you really need to hit your drive a certain distance to have a clear shot at the green, but should you end up short and have to punch underneath that big tree in the corner of the dogleg, you can use the terrain short of the green to get a good shot near or even onto the green. So yeah, the tee shot is a bit silly, but the green complex makes up for it.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green is below the level of the fairway, meaning it will gladly accept run-up shots.

Glenn Dale saves its second par 5 for the very end of the round, and much like the last couple holes, the eighteenth is a bit quirky. First off, there's the drive, which has to be threaded through a 20 yard wide gap, if that. Seriously, if anything it looks even narrower when you're playing it. Then there's the length of the hole: 462 yards. If you recall, the ninth was a few yards longer, but that was a par 4. I guess because of the trees and the dogleg, this hole plays pretty long. Anyway, provided you've managed to thread the needle and find the fairway, the second shot is uphill to a green separated from the fairway by a sea of sand. Getting home in two requires a very good shot, and the green itself has some severe tilt to it, so you definitely don't want to be above the hole.

The drive on 18 plays through an exceedingly narrow chute.

The uphill second shot to 18.

The eighteenth green.

Glenn Dale Golf Club was never destined for greatness. There is very little of the spectacular within the confines of its property. At no point did I think, "wow, this is one of the best courses I've ever played." I'm sure it's never made a best of anything list. It's quiet, pleasant, unassuming golf. And that's why it was so depressing to find out that it's being closed down. It's a very likable golf course, there's not a lot of water in play, and while it could use some tree trimming, it's not narrow in most places. And it's not like it was built by a no-name architect either. Glenn Dale was built in 1950s by George Cobb, whose more notable designs include Quail Hollow, East Lake, and the par 3 course at Augusta National. While there are some bland holes, there's nothing offensive, and I genuinely like Glenn Dale's collection of short par 4s. They're interesting and don't involve slugging a drive as close to the green as possible. And the ninth hole is definitely a contender for best long par 4 that I've played.

And that's not even getting to the best part about this course: the price. If you play Glenn Dale on a weekend morning, it's $55 because the cart is mandatory. But at any other time, the course can be played for less than $30. It's easily walkable, the terrain is gently rolling, and tees are always reasonably close to greens. The maintenance is very good considering the price, this isn't a bare bones operation here. While it isn't my home course, Glenn Dale is the sort of course pretty much anyone would be thrilled to have in their backyard. And that's how I'd characterize Glenn Dale best. It's a great home course, and it's going to be a big loss to those people who do play it regularly. Not as big as it would be if Glenn Dale was in the northern D.C. suburbs rather than the east, but still noticeable. Although, Glenn Dale does have a cousin of sorts nearby: The University of Maryland golf course was also designed by George Cobb, and while it's more expensive, it's still within a reasonable price range.

If you're curious about Glenn Dale, the course closes on September 2 this year, so there's still time to get a round in. I would definitely recommend it.