Review: Rattlewood Golf Course (Part 1)

Back in 2018, I played Rattlewood Golf Course, with every intention of reviewing it. But I forgot my camera, so all it got was a couple sentences in my review of Little Bennett. I've always wanted to get back and actually get pictures for a full review, not because of any great quality but because the course is so close. It's just over a 20-minute drive, which is a pleasant change of pace after my last couple reviews. A 4-hour round trip and a 5-hour round trip for Deerfield and Jeffersonville, respectively. That's a lot of driving.

Rattlewood is one of nine courses in the Montgomery County municipal golf system, though funnily enough it's not entirely within Montgomery County, with several holes either partially or fully in Frederick County. It was built in the 90s by Brian Ault, so there's no great pedigree or history. However, it is laid out over pleasantly rolling terrain, so at the very least it has that going for it.

The first hole is a simple mid-length par 4, a good way to ease into the round. There are no fairway bunkers and just a few trees scattered around, but the fairway slopes from right to left, which makes holding the preferred right side at least a bit tricky. The second shot is uphill to a semiblind green with two bunkers protecting the left side. The green is medium sized, and while not dead flat, isn't especially undulating.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is a pretty long par 4 at 440 yards, and is actually the only par 4 at Rattlewood over 400 yards. The drive is mostly blind, with just a tiny portion of fairway visible from the tee. Other than that, there's no trouble, and the fairway is quite wide, so there's no reason not to get aggressive with a driver. That should leave anything from a wedge to mid iron into the green. The second shot is more complicated, with much of the green protected by a bunker front right (and another left). The green is also more undulating than the previous one. It's not the toughest hole in the world, but it presents a fair challenge. 

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is the first par 5 at Rattlewood, playing 530 yards, uphill the whole way. That sounds like something out of reach for most, but that distance only applies if you play the hole as a three-shotter. The third is straight for about 400 yards, then doglegs right nearly 90 degrees for the last 100 or so. There are some trees in the corner of the dogleg, but they can either be skirted or carried, since none are especially tall. I was able to get green high with a driver and a 3 iron, and my drive missed the fairway left (adding a few extra yards). The fairway on the drive is reasonably generous, but there is a bunker left and tall grass right. Another bunker sits in the corner of the dogleg. The green is pretty long and narrow, with bunkers short left and long.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a mid-length par 3, playing 180 yards over level ground. The green is medium sized but relatively shallow, and there are three bunkers protecting various parts of the green. The play here is to hit your approach in the middle of the green, in between the bunkers, no matter what. It's not worth risking a short-sided bunker shot. Of course, when the hole is cut in the middle of the green anyway, it makes things quite a bit easier.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a downhill 400-yard par 4, with the drive being completely blind. Rest assured though, the fairway is completely open; unless you hit an incredibly severe slice, you'll have a shot at the green. The second shot is trickier; while the green is fairly large, it's reasonably undulating, with a large bunker front left and a native area falling off into water behind. There's also a fairly deep hollow in the fairway front right, so bailing out there leaves just as difficult a shot as any other spot.

Not much to see on the fifth tee.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is the best hole at Rattlewood, and I don't think it's particularly close. At 350 yards, it's not long, but you have to think about things on the drive. The fairway slopes severely from left to right down toward dense forest, and narrows the further you go, pinched by a bunker about 275 yards out. There's not much space for a driver, but you can use it, and the green is nearly reachable if you can carry that bunker. For most, the play is to lay back into the wide part of the fairway and hitting a wedge to a mostly blind green protected by two bunkers in front. Rattlewood doesn't present much challenge or require much thought on its tee shots, but this hole is an exception.

The sixth green.

The sixth fairway is maintained by a small robot mower.

The sixth green.

Superficially, the 360-yard seventh hole also present a challenge on the tee shot, and it's certainly not a driver hole, but unlike the previous hole, this fairway is so narrow and the penalty for missing so severe that there's really no reason to use driver. Use a long iron, get yourself to roughly 150-125 yards, leave a short iron or wedge second. The green is fairly small, with a large bunker front right. This isn't a hole to play aggressively; hit two safe shots, make par, move on. It's not worth blowing up your round for the slight potential to make a birdie.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a little 140 yard par 3, and not a complicated one either. The green isn't large, and there are two bunkers, but this isn't one of those nasty short par 3s where you have to worry about double or worse if you miss the green. Rattlewood isn't a punishing golf course.

The eighth hole.

The ninth hole is the longest hole at Rattlewood, playing 550 yards, though it's mostly downhill. The fairway is expansive; while there's technically trouble in the form of trees, native areas, and O.B. on both sides, in reality there's a hundred yards to work with, so there's no need to fear using driver. To set up the best angle on the second, you'll want to favor the right side. Stray into the left rough and trees will block you out from going directly at the green. The green itself is protected by a bunker front left, and slopes right will guide a drawing wood onto the green quite nicely. There's also a bit of a falloff in the back portion of the green, so be wary of that when hitting a wedge right at the flag. You can easily slip over the back of this green.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

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