Review: Musket Ridge Golf Club (Part 1)

Last January I reviewed Maryland National, a golf course very close to home, and one I really didn't like. Actually, that's being kind, it was actually one of my least favorite courses of all time. I can only think of a couple courses I liked less. Anyway, a year later, we return to Frederick and Maryland National's next-door neighbor, Musket Ridge. Seriously, they don't quite border each other, but they're less than a mile apart.

It's not just geography that Musket Ridge shares with Maryland National: They were built at virtually the same time, opening within a year of each other, and both share rugged topography that's basically unwalkable. Musket Ridge was designed by Joe Lee, an associate of Dick Wilson way back in the 1950s and 1960s when Dick Wilson was Robert Trent Jones's primary competitor. Of course, Dick Wilson died in the mid 60s, but Joe Lee continued on with his own design firm. Musket Ridge opened in 2001 and is actually Joe Lee's last design; he died in 2002. While Dick Wilson was known as a designer of heroic, difficult courses, Joe Lee built kinder and gentler courses, friendly to all kinds of golfers. Will that make Musket Ridge a more inviting prospect than its neighbor? Let's find out.

The first hole is a mid-length par 4 playing from the highest point at the course (the clubhouse, naturally) way down to a bowl-shaped fairway in a valley. The pond right of the green is quite a ways off, but since the drive is so far downhill, it can threaten longer drivers, and since the fairway narrows a lot about 100 yards from the green, a 3 wood is really all you need off of the tee, preferably down the left side. That will leave a wedge or short iron into the green, which is medium sized and protected by bunkers front right and back left. 

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is the shortest hole at Musket Ridge, playing 170 yards over the pond from the last hole. There are three bunkers on three sides; the front bunker is especially deep. Missing right isn't great either, since a shot could easily roll back down the hill. The green is reasonably undulating, and there's a shelf in the back portion of the green that I imagine provides some pretty tough hole locations.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is 400 yards, though it can play a lot shorter than that. The fairway doglegs almost 90 degrees to the right, so you can cut off a lot of fairway by cutting the corner. Just be careful, there's a marshy area right of the fairway hidden behind some trees. For the second shot, you could have anything from a short or mid iron if you play safely to a half wedge if you're more aggressive. The green has a bunker short right and is sloped from back to front.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 450 yards from the back, though it's a more reasonable 390 from the next tee up. The fairway bunker right isn't really in play, but the one left is, and if you want the best angle into the green, you'll want to hit your drive close to it. That'll leave a wedge or short iron into the green, which has a bunker right. The green is sort of domed and falls away on most sides; you especially don't want to go long, the ball might bounce down a long way.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is another mid-length par 4, with this one featuring some blindness. The fairway crests the top of a ridge, and if you want to see the green, you'll need to use a driver. Of course, the fairway is narrow that far, squeezed by a bunker and hillside right, and O.B. left. The green has a single bunker left, meaning you're better off approaching from the right side, but you're more likely to have a blind shot, so there's a tradeoff.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is the first par 5 on the course, and the tee shot plays significantly downhill to a fairway threaded between a hillside right and forest left. You can hit some pretty big tee shots here, so even though the hole's 520 yards, it's pretty easy to reach in two. I'd recommend it too, if you can, since there are three bunkers about 50-100 yards from the green that narrow the fairway and guard the ideal angle into the green. The green is elevated above the fairway to the right and surrounded by forest on every other side, so if you do bail out a bit right like I did, you'll be left with a really tough chip to a shallow target 10 feet above you. This hole isn't as easy as you might think standing less than 200 yards away after a 300 yard plus drive.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is a long par 4, almost as long as the fourth, and this time the next tee up isn't so far forward. The fairway is quite narrow, carved out of a hillside. There's forest left and more sporadic trees right, though they're still dense enough to block out any shots. You can use a fairway wood or long iron to make hitting the fairway more certain, but then you'll have a really long second shot. The green is on the quieter side though, and there's only one bunker left. Plus, shots bailed out right will likely bounce back down toward the green. They might not get onto the green, but they'll be contained. 

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a fairly long par 3 at 215 yards, and with a bunker right and one short left, there's not much room to run up the mid or long iron you'll be using. The green is sloped from right to left, so if you're going to miss, I'd recommend going left or short. I missed right, and my bunker shot rolled right on through the green. 

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is the longest hole on the course, and it plays steeply uphill, so you're going to notice every last bit of its 570 yards. Also, the fairway is really narrow, forced between two significant sideslopes covered in pine. I mean, that's what you get routing a fairway on the side of a hill. A good tee shot will give you an easy lay-up, but if your tee shot isn't great, a pair of fairway bunkers about 150 yards from the green will be in play. The third shot is up the hill to a semiblind green guarded by two bunkers right.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

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