Review: The Preserve at Eisenhower (Part 1)

It isn't too often you see something truly new in golf, and to be fair, a bunkerless golf course isn't a completely unique concept. However, it certainly isn't very common, especially when the course wasn't initially designed that way (and isn't a bare-bones par 3 course). But that's the path that the Preserve at Eisenhower took, which, despite the horribly pretentious name, is actually a municipal golf course just outside Annapolis, Maryland. It was initially designed in the late 60s by Ed Ault, and by 2017 the course was in rough shape. Municipal courses just get beat up, even when they're not quite as old as some others I've played in the past. 

To rectify their problem, the county brought in Andrew Green, an architect who has racked up quite a resume in the past few years, with his renovations of courses like Inverness, Oak Hill, and Congressional. He suggested that Eisenhower get rid of all its bunkers, both to save money and the pace of play. The county agreed, and the renovation went ahead, with the course opening in May 2021. So, the question is: How does a bunkerless golf course work? 

The first hole is exactly 400 yards from the blue tees. (Eisenhower does have a "championship" set of tees at over 7,100 yards, we won't be using those. The blue tees are 6,700 yards, which is much more reasonable.) It doglegs slightly right around a steep slope filled with trees, with the drive best hit down the left side of the fairway, which is generous but not exactly wide. That leaves a short iron or wedge into the green, which falls away sharply both left and long. It's a pretty big green, and if you miss right or short, you'll can putt from the fairway easily enough. It's not the most undulating green in the world, but it's not flat either.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is also about 400 yards and plays from a high tee across a marshy native area to a fairway that quickly heads back up out of the valley. There's dense forest on both sides and not a huge amount of space in between, so driver may not be the wisest play. Of course, using an iron or fairway wood means you'll have a pretty long second. Not much roll available on this fairway. That'll leave a short or mid iron up the hill to a shallow, undulating green. 

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is a bit longer than the previous two holes, but it plays downhill. You can hit driver off of the tee and get some pretty impressive distance from bouncing down the hill, but the fairway narrows considerably and you'll be left with an awkward stance. That's especially true if you just miss the fairway right, as there's a series of mounds running along for 50 yards, right where many people would hit their driver. Laying up at the top of the slope means you'll have a longer second, but it'll be from a level lie. The green is fairly shallow and slopes from back to front, with the back corner being especially built up. 

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 410 yards and plays gently but steadily uphill. The fairway slopes sharply from left to right down toward a native area, so if you play a fade you'll definitely want to aim down the left side. Of course, a series of mounds left pinches the fairway where a good drive would end up, so that's something else to think about. The green is semiblind but fairly large and very open, so there's room to miss it and still have a reasonable chance of getting up and down. 

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fifth hole heads back down the hill the fourth climbed up, though it's slightly longer and much tighter. It's a very tough tee shot, squeezed between forest left and native area (with more trees) right, though the fairway is a bit wider than it looks from the tee. Not by much, but enough. Driver is risky, but since the hole is 420 yards, using a fairway wood or long iron will result in a very long second shot. At the very least the green is wide open, but it's also pretty undulating. So all in all, not an easy hole.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

Finally, after five holes, the sixth hole is something other than a par 4. At 165 yards, it's not a long hole, but it's got native area left and a marshy area right. In addition, the green has several subtle but noticeable sections. It's not easy to putt or chip on, so even though it's decently sized, the sixth is not an easy hole.

The sixth hole.

The seventh hole is the first par 5 at Eisenhower, and the tee shot is not the most interesting thing in the world. The fairway is wide, and there's no real trouble other than the trees. So you can swing freely with driver to try and get within range of the green in two. For those who are laying up, a series of mounds about 75 yards short of the green eat into the left side of the fairway, and you don't want to be in those. The green is wide but not deep, and slopes from left to right.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a downhill par 3 that's on the longer side at nearly 200 yards. It plays over a marshy area, but there's a decent space between that and the green, so it's not a huge problem. Much like the previous hole, the eighth green is wide and shallow, and it's elevated on all sides. There's more native area and trees long, so you definitely want to err on the side of caution on this tee. Short is probably the best place to miss since the green slopes from back to front.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a 400 yard par 4 that swings right to left as it climbs up a hill toward the clubhouse. You're actually better off sticking to the right side on the drive; it leaves you a longer second but there's not as much risk of being blocked off by trees. That can happen if you go left and don't get far enough. Also, there's a group of mounds that can catch hooked drives. The second shot is to a semiblind green split down the middle into two distinct tiers, with the right side higher than the left. There's certainly more room to miss right, but recovery is easier from the left side of the green, since you can use the slope as a backstop. Not an easy hole to finish off the front nine.

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.