Review: Maryland National Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Maryland National, go here to see the front nine.

The tenth hole is a short par 4, playing 340 yards and somewhat downhill, but it's not an interesting short par 4. That's because the fairway runs out about 50 yards short of the green, so driver is a completely impractical option if you're a decently long hitter. You'll just lose it, not to mention the O.B. left and thick trees right. Really, a wood or long iron is the only option, and that's just not as fun. The second shot is a wedge over a native area to a small green with a bunker left.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a fairly long par 4 at 430 yards, and it's at the highest part of the golf course, so there's some decent views. You do not want any part of that bunker right of the fairway, but if you avoid it left, you'll have a very long approach over a bunker to a pretty small green. There's a definite advantage to challenging that big fairway bunker on the right. This does compete with the second hole for being the best hole at Maryland National.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is very long on the scorecard: 250 yards. That's a lot of par 3. Luckily, the hole plays about 100 feet downhill, so it's not quite as bad as it looks. A long iron should be enough. This hole wouldn't be too bad in isolation, but there's an issue here that has to be mentioned: The routing here is terrible. A bunch of holes come very close together, and they're definitely in range of each other, especially from the tee here. I could see people hitting on to two wrong holes from this tee. Frankly, it's a bit dangerous, especially when someone like me comes along hitting the ball who knows where. Make the hole 50 yards shorter, and the routing problem would be alleviated. Well, somewhat, anyway.

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is sort of Maryland National's calling card. Not for any special qualities the hole possesses, but because you can see from Interstate 70. A lot of people drive that stretch, so a lot of people see this hole. I know I've wondered what it's like on the numerous times I've driven by. The hole is 540 yards, and the tee shot is pretty wide open. That pot bunker you can see from the tee isn't really in play. While in theory you could go for the green in two, I think it would be a bad idea. The green is elevated and behind some rather deep bunkering. It's pretty small too. It's honestly tough to hit, even with a wedge, so I can only imagine how difficult holding it with a wood or long iron would be.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole, a 186 yard par 3, is not technically an island green since there's no actual water involved here, but this is an island green. End up short, you're dead. End up left or right, dead. Long? Also dead. There's a tiny amount of wiggle room, but this is essentially a hit the green or else proposition. I guess it's a bit easier than normal island greens just because this hole lacks the intimidation factor of a green surrounded by water. If you do hit the green, this hole is definitely birdieable.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a short par 5 and easily reachable in two, since it's just under 500 yards. That effort is significantly easier if you can hit hit a big draw off of the tee, since the hole bends pretty quickly out of sight. The second shot is semiblind, and if you're not going for the green, you'll want to lay back at 100 yards or so. Go further and a line of bunkers that stretches all the way to the green will come into play. If you are going for it, another draw around the bunkers will be beneficial.

Not much to see of the fifteenth hole from the tee.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a very strange hole. It's 340 yards, so it's a pretty short par 4, and while the stream cutting across the fairway certainly seems like a good strategic feature, it kind of isn't. In an ideal world, that stream would cross in a place where it would either force you to clear it with a full driver or make you lay up with a long iron or fairway wood. This stream is only 200 yards from the tee, so if you want to lay up, you may have to use as little as a mid iron, leaving yourself an awfully long second shot on such a short hole. The obvious play then is a driver, but there is not a lot of room past the stream, so it'll have to be a pretty accurate driver. The green is small and for once is open at the front, so run-up shots are possible. With some more room to breathe, this hole could be okay, but it's just too crammed in as it is.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole plays right alongside the sixth, and they're fairly similar holes. Both play downhill and both have forced carries. There's a bit more room to be short on this hole, and a lot less room long. The green is pretty shallow, but pretty wide. Not a bad hole, but nothing special.

The seventeenth hole.

The eighteenth hole is a 435 yard par 4 which is quite frankly horrendous, especially when it comes at the end of a long and annoying round. For one thing, the hole is ridiculously narrow, wedged between a big hillside and a native area filled with trees. If you want a flat stance, there's like 20 yards on the right side, and if you go too far right in that 20 yard space, the second shot will be blocked out by more trees. Oh yeah, and if you go too far, the fairway ends in a big marshy area. Okay, it's pretty far from the tee, so it wouldn't be a concern for most people, but it is a big concern on the second (or third) shot. I bet there's a fair number of people who play the course who struggle to make the carry to the green. It's almost 100 yards, and that's too much for a second shot. The green is pretty big, but there are bunkers left and more marshy area right, so while it's not a tiny target, it's not exactly an inviting one either.

The eighteenth hole.

There's a lot to carry on the approach to the final green.

The eighteenth green.

I wasn't a big fan of Maryland National. The front nine isn't terrible, though the style isn't really my thing. The back nine though is ridiculously squeezed in, and you can tell that just from looking at the scorecard. The front is 3,600 yards from the back tees, which is something you'd expect from a course that's only 20 years old. The back is 3,200 yards though, which is surely not what the architect would have wanted. In my research on the course, I saw that Arthur Hills wanted the owners to purchase some extra property as what they had wasn't really enough. The owners refused and Mr. Hills pressed onward with what he had. And you know what? It wasn't enough land. Maryland National has big routing issues. The land is very severe, and you just need more room to deal with that successfully. So what we're left with is a course that feels like it wants to be big but can't because it's on a small course property. There's no breathing room.

The routing isn't my only issue though. Maryland National had very firm and fast greens, and ordinarily I'm a fan of that. However, the greens are also quite small, and more fatally, aerial approaches are required on most holes. Getting the ball close to the hole on small, firm greens where you have to fly the ball the whole way is an almost impossible task, and it results in a lot of putts from the backs of greens down the hill to the hole. It's just not as fun as it could be if there was less trouble in front.

Maryland National doesn't shine in terms of value either. It's $49 to play after 2 on a weekday, and considering that includes a cart, it's not awful. But normally it costs $70-$80 to play, and I'm sorry, but that's just way too much for what you get. I really, really don't see myself going back to play here, which is a shame since it's 10 minutes from where I live. I have my priorities though, and Maryland National just doesn't meet my standards.