First Truly Pristine Comet Discovered

It's more space news this week, as there's been a new study published about Comet 2I/Borisov, an interstellar object that passed through the solar system back in 2019. As if that wasn't unique enough, apparently this comet was completely pristine, in that it had never previously been affected by a star's heat. The scientists who conducted the research were able to determine this by studying the polarization of light emitted by the comet's coma, which was brighter than any other comet save for Comet Hale-Bopp . Hale-Bopp was quite the sight back in 1997, as I can personally attest, and it was also almost completely pristine, with scientists believing that it had only visited the Sun once.

While Hale-Bopp and 2I/Borisov were similarly bright, the polarization of 2I/Borisov was uniform while Hale-Bopp was not, indicating 2I/Borisov hadn't even had that one visit that its predecessor had. It's actually quite the stroke of luck, finding all this out; I can't imagine truly pristine objects come flying through the solar system on a regular basis. In fact, I'm willing to bet we don't see a truly fresh comet in our lifetime. Slightly depressing, but hey, cosmic time scales just work differently.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Raspberry Milk Stout

Brewed by: Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from the website): "Nothing burns quite like the cold. For that reason, it’s recommended you stay indoors for the duration of winter, hide under a pile of six blankets, and crack open a beer. This beer. Fresh, jammy raspberry adds sweetness and complements the dark malt flavors of chocolate, coffee and lonely isolation. Enjoy, we’ll see you in a few months."

Would I buy it again?: It was better than the other raspberry beers that I've had in the past, as the raspberry taste was nicely balanced with the milk stout base. I'd say it was slightly above average, but I'm not going to go out of my way to buy a beer that's only a bit better than average. That said, if it's sold alongside the S'more Porter like it was in the case that I bought, I'm going to encounter it again, and that's fine. I can live with it.

Hubble Spots Atmosphere Forming on Earth-Sized Exoplanet

Before you start packing your bags for GJ 1132b, be aware that, while it may be Earth sized and is forming an atmosphere, it's not going to be a nice place to visit. GJ 1132b is in very close orbit around a red dwarf, making a full orbit in a day and a half, is tidally locked, and the surface is almost certainly nothing but molten rock. And that fresh atmosphere is composed of hydrogen, hydrogen cyanide, methane, and ammonia, with a hydrocarbon haze to top things off. 

But it is interesting nonetheless because it shows that planets, even those super close to their stars, can reform an atmosphere. Scientists believe that GJ 1132b started out as a sub-Neptune, but that the initial hydrogen-helium atmosphere was lost when the planet moved in close, leaving the dense rocky core completely devoid of atmosphere. They think that the hydrogen was actually absorbed into the planet's surface and is being released by volcanism at a faster rate than the solar winds can strip away, leaving a thin atmosphere similar in pressure, if not composition, to Earth's. This is good news for finding habitable planets, because it shows that planets don't have to start out Earth-like to eventually become habitable. If these young sub-Neptunes can lose their thick atmosphere but regenerate a thinner one, they could eventually become nicer places to live once the solar system settles down. Hey, anything to boost the odds of finding a habitable exoplanet is good news.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Vernal Elixir

Brewed by: Midnight Brewery, Rockville, Virginia

Description (from the bottle): "This saison is sure to quench your thirst for a light, refreshing brew. It's true-to-style character and strong dose of New Zealand dry hops and lemongrass import a lemon-lime fruitiness you're bound to enjoy. Cheers to the bright days of spring!"

Would I buy it again?: It's a bit too hoppy for my taste, but it's not bad. A nice refreshing beer for the start of warmer weather. I wouldn't say no if I find it again. I will say that my choice of beer glass was absolutely horrendous though. It took 10 minutes to get the full bottle into the glass. Lots and lots of foam with this one.

Review: Bulle Rock Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to take a look at Bulle Rock's back nine, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is a very wide hole, measuring about 370 yards. The ideal drive, in my opinion, is a fairway wood out to the right, avoiding the bunkers down the left side. Sure, it lengthens the hole a bit, but this isn't a long hole, so it's a difference between a sand wedge and, say, a pitching wedge. The green has the usual bunker protection and there is a fair amount of undulation, but nothing crazy.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is, by any definition of the word, a brute. From the tips, it's 665 yards, and from the golds it's still 625 yards. That is a lot of golf to cover in one hole. To make matters even more fun, it was playing into a fairly stiff breeze the day we were there. It's not a tough tee shot, and the fairway is pretty wide, but there are quite a few bunkers around so it's not a case of being able to blast away without worry. A series of small bunkers narrows the fairway about 175 yards from the green, and if you don't hit a good drive, they're definitely a concern. There's a big cluster of bunkers right of the green that extends about 75 yards into the fairway, plus a few bunkers left, so if you are a long hitter, it's probably still best to lay up about 100 yards away. No need to leave yourself a 50 yard bunker shot. The green is pretty big and a bit deceiving, since it looks like there's a pond right behind it. In reality, the water is 50 yards away and is nothing to worry about. Yes, I got fooled and ended up in one of the greenside bunkers because I didn't want to go in the water.

The ridiculously long eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green. 

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is the sort of par 3 you expect to see at a Pete Dye course. The pond is just a few feet from the right edge of the green, and yes, it's got railroad ties. Clearly, you'll want to avoid the water, but there are three bunkers left that make it a less palatable spot to bail out. The green is not large and fairly flat, so that's something at least. This is just one of those par 3s where you hit the green, or you risk making a big number.

The twelfth hole. Note the pond shored up by railroad ties.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is, in my opinion, the best hole at Bulle Rock. Yes, it is the longest par 4 from the gold tees, playing a not-at-all-friendly 462 yards. The hole doglegs right around a small ravine filled with jungle and a stream at the bottom. You can play away from that, but that turns the hole into a par 5 (though that's not the worst way to play the hole, it must be said). If you keep your drive close to the ravine, you'll have a mid to long iron into the green, which is not big and is guarded by a big bunker left and a few smaller ones right, not to mention the ravine further right. You even get to hit over a rock outcropping on the second shot, so there are all sorts of hazards available on the thirteenth. A fade aimed at the left bunker is the ideal shot here, since the green is tilted from left to right. This is a very tough hole, but it's not excessive, and there's room to breathe if you're not so keen on challenging hazards. The fairway even widens out 50-100 yards from the green so you can lay up without worry.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is 100 yards shorter than the previous hole and much friendlier. Most golfers will take the fairway out to the left, leaving a wedge or short iron into the green. However, the cluster of bunkers right of the fairway can be cleared if you can carry a driver about 300 yards. That leaves just a little half wedge in, and the angle is better too. For most, however, the second shot will be from the left to a pretty small green with a bit of a hump in the middle. 

Not much to see on the fourteenth tee.

A little more of the fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a bit out of position; usually Pete Dye has his short gambling par 5 as the sixteenth hole. The task on the tee shot is fairly simple: the closer you get to the stream running to the left of the fairway, the better angle and shorter second shot you'll have. Miss wide right like I did and it becomes a struggle even to carry the stream over to the second half of the hole. If you're in a good position, you can go for the green in two. It's not an easy second shot, as the green is narrow and defended by the creek (and more railroad ties) just a few yards to the right. The green does have a fair amount of bumps and humps, so it isn't the easiest green to putt either. Even so, this is a very birdieable hole, though it's also one you can make a big number on. I can attest to that personally; if it hadn't been for the triple I made on this hole I might have broken 90.

The fifteenth hole. The lighting got a bit weird toward the end of the round.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green, complete with railroad ties.

The sixteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that plays downhill the whole way, so it practically plays 10-20 yards shorter than the 387 on the scorecard. It's a fairly wide fairway and the only trouble for most people is the pair of fairway bunkers right. If you're me, you'll manage to find a little stream in the left trees. The green is small and protected by a bunker right and four left, and there's a rise short that will kick run-up shots right, keeping them from reaching the green, which is incredibly annoying after you've hit a really good punch shot out of the trees.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is 175 yards, plays uphill, and has some reverse Redan characteristics. A fade is definitely the shot to hit here, as it gives you a lot more green to work with, plus the slope will lead the ball closer. Go straight for the hole and the green is very shallow, and that front bunker is fairly intimidating. There are bunkers left though, and if you get caught up in the rough you'll have a downhill chip to a green sloping away. Not an easy hole, but at least it's not an island green.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is a classic Pete Dye finishing hole: a long par 4 with water running down one side. The fairway isn't overly generous, but it's not narrow, and there's plenty of room to miss right. Of course, doing that means getting to the green in two isn't guaranteed. The green isn't too big and has a fair amount of undulation to it; once again, you can bail out right so long as you don't go long, as the pond does curl around the back of the green. Not too much to say about this hole, it's a long, tough eighteenth hole, exactly what you'd expect. Not my favorite thing in the world but it hardly comes as a surprise.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

I am obviously unfamiliar with Pete Dyes broader work, but nevertheless, I feel fairly confident in saying that Bulle Rock was not his best work. Was it bad? No, of course not. There was no hole that I thought: "Gee, this is dumb." Not even the 620 yard par 5, because that's more a product of me being stubborn and playing from too far back (though that hole is still just under 600 yards from the next set up). It's long, but it's wide. However, other than the second shot on 13, I didn't really feel like there were any standout holes. It was solid but unremarkable golf the whole way through. And compared with the reputations of his other designs, Bulle Rock lacked a lot of that Pete Dye je ne sais quoi. It didn't feel like a golf course a professional golfer would balk at. The greens especially were disappointing; again, not bad, but nothing memorable.

That brings us to the price. A round at Bulle Rock used to cost well over $100, but after the course was sold in 2017 (Bulle Rock and its associated housing community was supposedly losing six figures a year) to new owners the price dropped significantly. The most you'll pay now is $100, but that's still quite a lot. And you're not paying for pristine conditions either. Once again I'll say this: It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I was expecting more for the price point. Overall, I'd say that I'm glad I played it and if someone asked me to I'd go there again (and pay for it), but I'm in no hurry to do so, and I have no plans to go back. Once was enough for me.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Regular Beer

Brewed by: DuClaw Brewing Company, Rosedale, Maryland

Description (from the website): "This is beer that tastes like regular beer. For the times you want to drink regular beer."

Would I buy it again?: DuClaw is a pretty big deal in Maryland. They're an older brewery, dating back to the 90s, and they make some interesting beer. Well, I say interesting, but what I mean is I don't really like them much. Their most well-known beer is Sweet Baby Jesus, a beer that tastes exactly like a Reeses, and not in an appealing way. Frankly, they were the last people who I thought would make a plain standard lager like this. But they did, and I really like the fact that they did. Of course, by doing so they're competing directly with Yuengling, the titan of affordable lager. And yes, this beer is more expensive. But I will buy this beer again because I like the label and the name, and I appreciate that someone out there realizes that beer has gotten a bit ridiculous. A four pack will cost $18 or something, and you'll get some weird triple IPA brewed with lactose and five kinds of fruit, or maybe you'll get a stout stuffed with peanut butter and cream and who even knows what else. Sure, they're fine on occasion, but sometimes I just want a regular plain old beer. And that's what this is.

Review: Bulle Rock Golf Club (Part 1)

Pete Dye is almost certainly the most important golf course architect in the past 70 years. While his unique style is not currently in vogue, many of today's best golf course architects got their start working for him. However, Pete Dye did not do much work in the Northeast. He was from the Midwest, and his most well-known designs are there or in the southern half of the country. 

That brings us to Bulle Rock, located just northeast of Baltimore. It is a pure Pete Dye course, unlike P.B. Dye which was built by one of his sons. While it never hosted a PGA Tour event, Bulle Rock did host the Women's PGA Championship from 2005 to 2009, so it does have a tournament pedigree. And it's certainly a very long golf course, playing nearly 7,400 yards from the tips (my brother and I did not play from all the way back). But does it have the signature Pete Dye flair and style golfers have heard so much about?

The first hole is a nice gentle warm-up hole. From the gold tees (the set up from the tips, where we played from, and where all future distances I mention will be taken), the hole is just over 340 yards, and there's quite a bit of fairway to work with if you lay up with an iron. The hole gets narrower the further you go, so I'd recommend not hitting driver. A long iron is enough to leave a wedge for the second shot. The green is long and narrow, with two pot bunkers left and one right. I wouldn't call the green flat, but there's not a huge amount of undulation or slope to it. Overall, it's a great opportunity to start with a birdie.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green from behind.

The second hole is a fairly long par 5 at 555 yards, however the tee shot at least is down a fairly big hill. Contrary to the first hole, I would not describe this fairway as being wide. It's not narrow, but with trees left and a native area leading into more trees right, once you get off of the fairway there's not a lot of wiggle room. If you've hit a good drive, you have some options. You could lay up short of the stream running about 100 yards short of the green, leaving a very long third. That's more if you don't hit a good drive. You can lay up on the far side of the stream, leaving a shorter but potentially awkward wedge. Or if you're really feeling bold, you can go for the green in two. It's not a particularly friendly target, even with a wedge. The green is angled from left to right, and there's a deep bunker in front that I'm sure catches quite a few shots.

The second hole.

It's still 200 yards to the stream from here.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is the shortest hole at Bulle Rock, playing 165 yards to a green built into a hillside. The green is definitely sloped from right to left, though it's not extreme. Clearly, there's a side to miss and a side to avoid. Go right and you may bounce back onto the green. Go left and at best you're in a bunker 10 feet below the green. Guess which one I did?

The third hole.

The fourth hole is a 380 yard par 4, which is definitely on the shorter side for Bulle Rock. This course actually has a pretty mild opening. The fairway meanders through a pair of long bunkers and then narrows significantly about 275 yards from the tee, so a 3 wood may be the best choice.  

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is where things get tough. A 450 yard par 4 is never going to be easy, but this one has a big dogleg and plays uphill. There's plenty of fairway right, but if you go that way, you'll be left with over 200 yards up the hill to a semiblind green. That's less than ideal. You can challenge the dogleg to leave a shorter approach, but the fairway narrows between a set of bunkers. Either way, it's still a long second shot. The green, once you climb the hill, is long, narrow, and wedged between quite a few bunkers, though it is fairly flat. Even so, this is not a birdie hole.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is another par 4, this one of a much more reasonable length at 390 yards. Plus the tee shot is steeply downhill. Once again though, a driver is probably not a good idea, as the fairway is interrupted by a stream between 275 and 300 yards from the tee. The green is best approached from the left side, and is perched above a very large bunker to the right and below a significant slope to the left.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green, featuring a rather irritated golfer.

The seventh hole is 175 yards, and I hope you like that yardage because this one and the two on the back nine are all the same length. The seventh plays slightly uphill to a semiblind green, protected by a small pot bunker front left and four bunkers to the right. The best shot to play is a little draw that goes around the pot bunker and takes the subtle right to left slope down to the hole.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a 520 yards par 5 with high grass running down the entirety of the left side. Of course the hole also angles from right to left, so if you want to go for the green in two it's best to flirt with that native area and the big bunker wedged in between that and the fairway. If you are going for the green, there are a few bunkers left and relatively little to the right unless you really miss it. It's not a big green though, so it won't be that easy to hit. Even so, you can definitely make a birdie on this hole.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

How long the ninth hole plays depends on how you play it. If you play it as most do, it's a big dogleg right measuring about 420 yards. There's a pond and a few bunkers right, but plenty of room left. Go this way, and you'll have a short or mid iron into the green, along with a good angle. However, if you're a long hitter and go directly over the pond, you'll find a section of fairway that turns the ninth into a straight hole, and make the second shot just a wedge. That said, while the second shot is much shorter, you do have to go over a big bunker to a much shallower target. Is it worth it? That's up to you, but I like that it has a definite benefit but a definite drawback. However, I do think it would be better if the carry over the pond was a little more realistic for people who can't hit a driver 300 yards. I can't do that anymore, so I only had one option. But even if I could reach the far fairway, I think I'd still go left. To me, having a longer club but a better angle is worth it.

The path most people take on the ninth hole.

The ninth hole is very, very wide.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll take a look at the back nine.