Review: University of Maryland Golf Course (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at UMGC, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is a mid-length par 4 playing downhill; the fairway is narrowed significantly by two bunkers jutting in from the right. You may assume that carrying those bunkers would provide an improved angle, but the best angle into the green is actually from the left. The approach is also downhill to a green jutting out into a small marsh, with a large bunker protecting the front right portion of the green.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is quite a long hole from all the way back at 230 yards, though it's a more manageable 170 from the next set of tees up. After clearing a marsh, the tee shot is uphill to a long, partially blind green hidden behind a pair of bunkers left. A draw will take the slope down to the hole, so if you can pull off that off, you can essentially bypass the bunkers.

The eleventh hole.

The twelfth hole is a fairly long par 4 at 445 yards, and it plays uphill the whole way. The playing corridor is not wide, so if you've got length, you may want to hit 3 wood, taking care to avoid a pair of bunkers right of the fairway. The approach is long and uphill to a semiblind green, though there are no bunkers around it.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The thirteenth hole is a 550-yard par 5 playing to a fairway tilted severely from left to right. If you want to avoid falling into the rough or a bunker right, you need to take your drive down the left side, preferably hitting a draw. That will still leave a long second from a hanging lie, but if you're laying up, there's not much to worry about. However, the third shot is still quite difficult. The green is small and semiblind, with three bunkers surrounding it. The one directly in front of the green is especially challenging to deal with. In addition, the green slopes from left to right, so missing the green left will result in a very difficult chip shot. This is definitely one of UMGC's most interesting and unique holes.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

Still approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is an extremely long and very tough par 3, playing 250 from all the way back (and 215 from the next set up). No water, but the green is set on a small promontory, with big falloffs right and long. The green is tilted from left to right and is neither particularly large or very inviting. There's also a bunker right to catch overly aggressive shots, as well as one left to threaten safe bailouts. This is not a hole where you aim directly at the flag; the best play is to aim for the left-middle section of the green and settle for a longer putt. Also, I think laying up just short of the left bunker and trying to get up and down is a completely legitimate option. At worst, you'll make bogey, and that's not terrible on this hole.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that bends left up and over a ridge to a blind landing area. The best line for the tee shot is over the left-side fairway bunker; clearing this bunker will provide the best angle and a clear view for the second shot. The green small and is backed by dense forest, with a large bunker short right and a smaller bunker left.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is UMGC's final par 5, and while it doesn't look like much off of the tee, things get a bit wackier once you round the dogleg. Since the hole bends nearly 90 degrees, you'll clearly want to favor the right side off of the tee, preferably clearing the bunker in the corner of the dogleg. Then you'll be surprised to find a 50-plus foot drop down to the rest of the hole. I'm not sure if anyone's managed to bend a driver around the trees and take the slope all the way down, leaving just a wedge into the green, but it seems possible to me. Anyway, for most people, the goal of the second is to lay up near a pair of small fairway bunkers about 50-75 yards short of the green. From there, the third is pretty simple. But if you lay up on the right side, you'll have a tough pitch over three bunkers to a small green backed by two more bunkers. That is not ideal. UMGC's first par 5 wasn't anything special, but the two on the back are fun and among the course's best holes. 

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is a fairly short par 4 at just under 350 yards. Much like 15, the landing area is blind, and the hole bends left, so you'll want to stick to the left side or risk running out of hole. A solid drive will leave a pitch or wedge into a green that actually has a fair amount of back-to-front slope to it. It also has a very steep drop-off behind, so long is definitely a very bad place to miss.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is the classic long par 4 finisher (at least there's no water). At 485 yards from all the way back, and 440 from the next tees up, it's by far the longest par 4 at UMGC. The drive is flanked by trees, but beyond 200 yards the fairway emerges into a wide open field, making the right-hand fairway bunker the only real hazard on the drive. Avoid that, and you'll have a long second into the green, which is medium sized and protected by three bunkers. Long and tough, but not particularly interesting beyond that. 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

UMGC is a good course let down by one fatal flaw. The greens are bland and dull, and so while it has excellent land movement and generally interesting strategy from tee to green, putting is an exercise in "don't overread this putt, it doesn't actually do anything." And that's not very interesting. Great greens can make a otherwise-ordinary course worth playing (see Cape Arundel), but the inverse is also true. I still think UMGC is better than your average course, with a few fun holes (the tiny eighth and the two par 5s on the back stand out), but if it brought someone in to add even a bit of spice to the greens, it could be a real standout among a relatively weak field of Maryland public golf courses. The course is in good shape, and at $55 to play on a Friday afternoon, the price is honestly not bad. Many of its competitors in the D.C. metropolitan/central Maryland area offer worse golf for more I would play it again, but it has the potential for so much more.