Loose on the Internet: December 2021

It's the end of 2021, which means it's once again time for my yearly roundup of all the new golf courses I've reviewed this past year. Note: Reviewed does not necessarily equal played. Actually, of the 16 courses on this list (one more than last year's roundup), I played 9 in 2020. Hey, I played a lot of golf in 2020. And in 2021. There wasn't much else to do with the whole pandemic still hanging around. And I like playing new golf courses. Anyway, onto the list. I'm sure all these courses are anxiously awaiting my opinion.

16. Maryland National Golf Club (Middletown, Maryland)

The first green at Maryland National

The ninth hole

Something has to be at the bottom, and this year the worst course I reviewed was Maryland National. The front nine isn't the worst thing in the world, and I kind of like the second hole, but the back nine is a routing disaster, and the architect was not up to the challenge of making that work. The sixteenth and the eighteenth are absolutely terrible holes, and the twelfth hole is frankly dangerous. A long par 3 with a green from another hole right next to it? And another tee? I imagine "Fore!" is yelled quite often from the twelfth tee. It may be 10 minutes from where I live, but I don't ever want to go back.

Find my review of Maryland National here and here.

The eleventh hole.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The sixteenth hole, otherwise known as the least drivable short par 4 in the world.

15. Heritage Hills Golf Resort (York, Pennsylvania)

The first green.

The tiny par 3 fifth.

The sixth hole. Yes, this is probably the narrowest hole I've ever played.

The ninth hole. Nothing like a narrow par 4 squeezed between water and O.B.

For years my younger brother has regaled everyone who would listen about the terribleness of Heritage Hills, a course he had to play for a high school golf tournament. So I decided to see if it was as bad as he thought. My conclusion? Well, it's certainly not good, but conditions made it ever so slightly tolerable. They didn't have the course playing as fast for my round as his; if it had been, this probably would be down at the bottom. The sixth hole is 10 yards of fairway between trees and a massive hillside, the ninth is the long par 4 cliché, and you might as well skip the tee shot on 16 and drop your third at the drop zone, because the odds of not losing your drive are slim.

Find my review of Heritage Hills here and here.

The tenth green.

The thirteenth hole.

The fifteenth hole. Good luck if you come up short.

The sixteenth hole. Yes, it is just as stupid as it looks.

14. En-Joie Golf Club (Endicott, New York)

The first hole at En-Joie. This sums up most of the drives here, trees crowding in on both sides. Very exciting stuff.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole.

The ninth hole.

Do you enjoy bowling? Ever wished golf could be more like a bowling alley? Well, good news, En-Joie has got you covered! You never have to think about a drive here, every single one is the same. Trees on both sides, narrow fairway, parallel holes. It's about as monotonous as golf can get. And as a special bonus, En-Joie's been worked on by half a dozen architects, leaving the course with a muddled identity. There is really very little that's interesting at En-Joie. It does have a couple of things going for it: History (it hosted a PGA Tour event and currently hosts the senior tour) and affordability. Also, unlike Heritage Hills and Maryland National, it doesn't have any really stupid holes. So I'll give it a couple points for that.

Find my review of En-Joie here and here.

The tenth green.

The fifteenth hole. A lot fewer trees, but that's not really a good thing. I don't like it, but I wouldn't call it a bad hole per se.

The sixteenth hole is a short par 4 that's actually almost interesting.

13. Gettysburg National Golf Club (Fairfield, Pennsylvania)

The second hole at Gettysburg National (but it'll always be Mountain View to me).

The fourth hole.

The eighth hole.

The ninth green.

This is about as vanilla as golf courses get. There's nothing particularly interesting about it, but there's nothing really annoying or bad about it either. It's just a golf course that goes about its business in a quiet, efficient, and friendly manner, and sometimes that's all you need from a course. It's very cheap and easy to walk as well, which are both bonuses. It is pretty easy though, especially the front nine. It'll make you feel good, but it won't exactly stretch your abilities to the limit. When it's November and you're not playing very often, I'd say it's a good thing.

Find my review of Gettysburg National here and here.

The eleventh hole. This one was my undoing during a particularly good round I played back in my junior golf days.

The thirteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The eighteenth hole.

12. Wild Wing Plantation - Avocet (Conway, South Carolina)

The third hole at Wild Wing.

The fourth green.

The eighth hole.

The ninth hole.

From this point on, the golf is above average, and I'd be happy to play any of these courses again. We start on the good stuff with Wild Wing. In the home of cookie-cutter and flashy resort courses, Myrtle Beach, Wild Wing stands out by offering solid golf. It's not tremendously complicated; in fact, I'd call it kind of like Gettysburg National (that name feels so wrong) in that it's really quite a friendly course 90% of the time. There are a couple tough holes, and yes, there's water (this is Myrtle Beach after all), but for anyone looking to escape a long Northeast winter, Wild Wing is a great way to ease back into the swing of things. Plus, there are a few interesting holes, such as the ninth and fourteenth. It's decent value as well, at least by Myrtle Beach standards. Wild Wing wouldn't form the backbone of any vacation, but it's worth playing if you have time in between higher-profile courses.

Find my review of Wild Wing here and here.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole.

Looking back down the eighteenth hole.

11. Seaview Golf Club - Bay (Galloway, New Jersey)

The second hole at Seaview - Bay.

The fourth green.

The sixth green.

The eighth hole.

I wanted to like Seaview - Bay more than I did. Honestly, I was looking forward to it. A windswept Donald Ross course right along the sea (well, sort of marshy bay)? It sounds like a recipe for success, after all, the LPGA play here. And it certainly looks good with all that nice brownish fescue bordering the fairways. But here's the thing: It's not proper fescue, it's dense and thick, and it's a virtual death sentence if you go into it. Yes, the course is very short and that fescue is the only line of defense, but sometimes, you just want a course to be ... easier. There's no room to breathe, and sure, you can use long irons and fairway woods off of the tee to make your life easier, but that's just not fun. If it was real fescue and you could play out of it, I wouldn't have any complaints about Seaview. It wouldn't be much higher on the list, but it would definitely be higher.

Find my review of Seaview - Bay here and here.

The eleventh hole.

The twelfth hole.

The sixteenth hole.

The seventeenth hole.

10. City of Charleston Municipal Golf Course (Charleston, South Carolina)

The wild first green at Charleston Muni sets the tone for the round.

The Eden fourth hole.

The Punchbowl green on the sixth.

The Biarritz eighth hole. Sadly, the swale isn't especially impressive.

This is almost certainly going to be the most controversial opinion I have. The renovation of Charleston Municipal has attracted a significant amount of attention among golf course design enthusiasts, and I would certainly never argue that the renovation, done in a Raynor style, was a bad thing. The tee sheet was absolutely full, and despite that, the round didn't take any more than 4 hours. Most of the players were walking, which is always nice to see. It's a course for the community, and that's a good thing. All that said, I think the renovation could have been done better. A lot of the greens are just too small for the severe contours they contain. They're features that work on private courses where the quality of play is generally higher, but for a muni, greens like the Redan just seem not fun at all. My feelings on this one are a bit complicated; I think the design is fine, but I just didn't really have that much fun playing Charleston Municipal. I'll stick with my thesis from my review: If you want a municipal golf course renovated in the Raynor style, go see Keney Park.

Find my review of Charleston Municipal here and here.

The ridiculously evil Redan eleventh hole. Right is seriously dead.

The Cape twelfth hole.

The thirteenth green overlooking the river.

The Short fourteenth hole.

The wild fifteenth green.

The seventeenth hole.

9. Equinox Golf Resort (Manchester, Vermont)

An impressive vista at Equinox, with the first hole in the foreground. Yeah, it was difficult to pay attention to the golf with that view behind.

From behind the fourth green.

The fifth hole, which has an impressive view from the tee and is also a fun hole.

A general view from up on the fifth tee.

The fifth green.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

You know how I just said how the design of Charleston Muni didn't match up to the amount of fun I had playing it? This is the opposite. Equinox was originally designed by Walter Travis, but then it was redesigned by Rees Jones, who almost certainly ruined much of what was there. There are still some fun holes, like the fifth and the breathtakingly ridiculous thirteenth (who doesn't love a green guarded by a 40-foot-deep pit?), and Rees Jones didn't completely break the design, but I have to believe the course would be a lot better if it were restored. But just look at the setting. It's the mountains of Vermont in mid-October. You can't beat that ambience without an ocean next door. So yes, given the choice between Charleston Municipal and Equinox, I'd take Equinox. There's another controversial opinion, actually.

Find my review of Equinox here and here.

The tenth hole.

Looking up at the thirteenth from the twelfth tee. My brothers and I couldn't wait to play the thirteenth after noticing the 40-foot pit alongside the green.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole isn't quite what I'd call a good hole, but it's definitely unforgettable.

And the thirteenth's got scenery too.

The fifteenth hole. This is the last really impressive view at Equinox, and the last three holes are kind of a let down, to be honest.

8. Twisted Dune Golf Club (Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey)

The second hole at Twisted Dune.

The third hole.

The fourth hole.

The eighth hole.

Twisted Dune is one of many faux-links courses out there in the world, and while that's usually a polite term for "not a good golf course," there is plenty of artistry and thought to the design. This is a good course, if a bit severe for less-skilled golfers. It is far from perfect though. The "dunes" are always out along the perimeter, which looks good but it makes all the holes play a bit too similar. Amphitheater-style golf kind of loses a bit of its impact after you see if for the fifteenth straight hole. It also makes the airflow through the course not so great, and when there are no trees, you do miss that breeze on a hot, humid summer day. So aim to play this course on a cooler, cloudy day, and you should be just fine.

Find my review of Twisted Dune here and here.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole.

The fifteenth hole.

The sixteenth hole.

7. Vineyard National at Renault Winery (Egg Harbor City, New Jersey)

The first hole.

The third hole.

The sixth hole.

The ninth hole.

Yeah, courses with "National" in their name can never hope to match the name, but Vineyard National is actually a pretty good golf course. Yeah, it's the most standard of the courses I played in Atlantic City, since it's just another parkland course, but that doesn't mean it has no interesting qualities. Plus, it's nice to play a course where missing a fairway by a few yards doesn't mean you're in yard-high impenetrable fescue. It's pleasant and playable for higher-handicap golfers while still maintaining plenty of challenge for more skilled golfers. I especially like the first hole with its central-line bunker. The negatives? Well, for one thing it's too expensive for what you get, and the last few holes aren't very noteworthy.

Find my review of Vineyard National here and here.

The eleventh hole.

The thirteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

6. Bulle Rock Golf Course (Havre de Grace, Maryland)

The second hole at Bulle Rock.

The third hole.

The sixth hole.

Looking back at the ninth hole.

We've come to the Pete Dye section of this list. Bulle Rock was the first Pete Dye course I played, and I was looking forward to it. A course by the most influential golf course architect of the last 70 years, his only design in Maryland? A course that hosted an LPGA major for several years? It sounds promising, but as you can tell from its placement on this list, it wasn't as good as I was hoping for. Pete Dye has a reputation for designing positively evil golf courses that give even the greatest golfers fits, but Bulle Rock didn't feel evil. It felt completely fair, and since the greens weren't anything to write home about, this course just came up a bit short. Still very good, and it's worth playing during the week when the rates are more reasonable, but not a course to go out of your way to see.

Find my review of Bulle Rock here and here.

The green for the ridiculously long eleventh hole.

The thirteenth hole.

The sixteenth hole.

The final green. Wouldn't be a Dye course without having a long par 4 with water all down one side to finish the round.

5. The Dye Club at Barefoot Resort (North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina)

The second green.

The third green.

The sixth hole.

The seventh hole.

The eighth green.

I know they're right next to each other on this list, but there's a big difference between Bulle Rock and the Dye course at Barefoot. It's kind of funny, considering Bulle Rock has the advantage of varied natural terrain while Barefoot was conjured out of featureless South Carolina swamp, but Pete Dye has kind of made a living out of pulling interesting golf courses out of nothing. It just feels like Barefoot had more effort put into it. The greens here were far more interesting, the tee to green stuff was also better, and I just liked the look of Barefoot more. It's not worth the $150 price tag, but we're not talking about value here.

Find my review of Barefoot - Dye here and here.

The tenth hole.

The twelfth hole. Lots of things going on, most of them just distraction.

The fourteenth hole.

The fifteenth hole.

The eighteenth green. Yeah, another long par 4 with water.

4. Rock Spring Golf Club (West Orange, New Jersey)

The first hole at Rock Spring. It was not the greatest day for golf.

The Redan third hole. This one is better than Charleston's, in my opinion.

The Short sixth hole.

The seventh hole.

Part of the reason Charleston Municipal is such a big deal is the style in which it was renovated. Seth Raynor is one of golf's most highly esteemed architects, but there are almost no examples of his courses available to the public. He worked for the elite, and by and large his courses remain highly private. But while Charleston Muni is a love letter to Seth Raynor, Rock Spring is the genuine article. A former private course, designed by Raynor himself, Rock Spring was bought out by the town of East Orange, just outside New York City and is now a public municipal golf course, available to all. It is not his best work, but it doesn't need to be to place high up on this list. It's still extremely good, despite being not in the greatest shape (both condition wise and design integrity wise). Happily, thanks to the uptick in golf participation (the course was packed on a rainy weekday in mid-November), Rock Spring is doing better than ever, and its future as a golf course is secure. It's a bit unusual in that there are only three par 3s and two par 5s, so the 13 par 4s can get a little gratuitous, but they're good and interesting par 4s at least.

Find my review of Rock Spring here and here.

The tenth hole is short, but this is a tough pitch up to the green.

The eleventh hole.

The fifteenth hole.

The sixteenth hole.

The eighteenth hole.

3. Omni Bedford Springs Resort (Bedford, Pennsylvania)

The first at Bedford Springs commands an impressive view, and this is mid-December.

The third green.

The fourth hole, otherwise known as the Volcano. One of my favorite holes.

The sixth hole.

The ninth hole, with the tenth up on the two hills at upper left.

Bedford Springs is worth seeing for its par 3s. Of the five, three are spectacular, with the Volcano fourth being in my top 5 all-time favorite holes. (I have a fondness for long, ridiculous par 3s.) The tenth and fourteenth are proof that you don't need length to make a memorable hole. And yet, the brilliance of the par 3s is countered by what are some of the worst par 5s I've ever seen. Four of the five approach or even exceed 600 yards, and most of them offer little in the way of trouble aside from their length. They're long slogs, traversing vast stretches of completely flat ground, and they bring Bedford Springs down. Now, it's still a really good course and worth playing at least once, but it's flawed, and there's no way I'd pay the $150 they look for in season. The $50 off-season price tag is completely reasonable and almost a steal though.

Find my review of Bedford Springs here and here.

The tenth is a tiny little hole that somehow isn't one of the par 3s Bedford Springs is known for.

The eleventh hole.

The thirteenth hole.

The fourteenth hole, otherwise known as Tiny Tim, Bedford Springs' second famous par 3.

The seventeenth hole.

The eighteenth hole.

2. Hidden Creek Golf Club (Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey)

The second hole at Hidden Creek.

The third hole, featuring an old quarry.

The Redan fourth hole.

The sixth hole.

The eighth green.

If you were to make a list of golf's greatest living architects, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw would likely be at the top. Hidden Creek is the first of their golf courses that I've played, and I have to say, despite my lack of experience with their designs, I don't think this is their best work. Not their best work is still incredibly good, and in terms of overall quality, Hidden Creek is probably the best course I've played. But best doesn't necessarily translate into favorite, and in my opinion Hidden Creek just doesn't quite make it to the top this year. The third, fourth, eighth, and eleventh are my favorite holes, and they're very good, but they're not outstanding. The greens aren't anything to write home about either, except for the eighth. From what I've seen of other people's thoughts, Hidden Creek may be one of those subtle courses that you don't necessarily appreciate on the first play, but since I only get the one round, I have to go with my first impression. The holes at Hidden Creek sort of bleed into each other, lacking a bit of memorability, and it somehow lacked a charm that some other courses have in spades. I hate leaving my opinion up to some vague, undefinable X factor, but some places have it, and some places don't, and Hidden Creek really doesn't.

Find my review of Hidden Creek here and here.

The very short eleventh hole.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The eighteenth hole.

1. Leatherstocking Golf Course (Cooperstown, New York)

The second hole at Leatherstocking, with the lake in the background.

The third hole, otherwise known as the time I hit a moving vehicle with a golf ball.

The sixth hole.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green, with more lake views.

The ninth green.

You know how I was just talking about charm and the undefinable X factor? Well, Leatherstocking has it in abundance. It is not a perfect golf course; the routing is incredibly tight and there are too many trees. A restoration would do the place wonders. There are some holes which are merely okay, compared with Hidden Creek, where every hole is very good. But Leatherstocking also has holes which are outstanding, and in my opinion that tips the balance in its favor. The eighteenth, bending around Otsego Lake, is the closest you'll get to Pebble Beach without going to the Monterey Peninsula, and the eleventh is my favorite golf hole, full stop. Hidden Creek is almost a constant 7 or so, never falling below 6 but only rarely getting to 8. Leatherstocking is more varied, sometimes falling down to a 5 but rising up to a 10 on a few occasions. And to me, that occasion glimpse of absolute brilliance is better than constant "yeah, this is pretty good."

Let's also not forget the environmental factors at work. Nothing against the sandy pine forests of New Jersey, but when it comes to ambience, Leatherstocking wins hands down, even in November when all the leaves have fallen. (And let me tell you, it felt like we were stealing one from Mother Nature here. 70 degrees in upstate New York in November? That just doesn't happen.) Leatherstocking is also public, which gives it more points in my book. Anyone can play Leatherstocking, and every golfer in the area should. It is absolutely worth your time, and it's my favorite course that I reviewed in 2021.

Find my review of Leatherstocking here and here.