The Unexpected Return Of The Metacomet Saga

It's been nearly 3 years since Metacomet Golf Club shut its doors for the last time. And it's been nearly 2 years since I had anything to say about it. I really didn't think I'd have anything more to say about Metacomet. And yet, here we are. Golf is returning to the Metacomet site. 

It won't be the golf course Donald Ross designed. The so-called Met Links will only be nine holes, and the back nine is completely gone. Which is a little bit of a shame, since the fourteenth was the course's best hole. In addition, Met Links has to be placed into a space where seven holes were originally. However, five of the original greens on the front were able to be saved and will be incorporated into the future design. That's a little something, at least.

The new course is slated to open in 2024. And while I admit to being a bit curious, Providence is a little far away for me to go and casually check out a nine-hole golf course. So don't expect a review. It's just nice knowing Metacomet isn't completely 100% gone. 

Beer of the Week

The beer: Rare Vos

The brewery: Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, New York

Description (from the website): "Our take on the smooth, easy drinking ambers poured in cafés across Belgium, Rare Vos (Strange Fox) takes its name from a tavern near Brussels known for cycling contests, pigeon races and outstanding ales. Pouring a brilliant copper with a creamy white head, this bright, beguiling beer is sensational to session, and pairs wonderfully with mussels, frites, and other pub fare. Because at the end of the day, it’s good to enjoy the end of the day."

Would I buy it again? I'm not sure about this one. It says easy-drinking, but honestly, it's somehow denser and thicker than you'd think. The taste is good, but it's more of a sipping beer than one you'd find refreshing. It wouldn't be bad on a colder day, but it's not a summer beer, and since that's when I'm drinking it, I'd have to give this a pass in the future.

Review: The Links at Challedon (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is a long par 5 at 585 yards, and has trouble in the form of high grass and trees running down the right side. The fairway doglegs pretty hard right about 250 yards out, so there's plenty of opportunity to cut the dogleg and make the hole play a little shorter. Still, I don't imagine many people hit this green in two, not with the green being tucked behind a cluster of three bunkers. Plus it's quite a shallow target. For most, this is a very three-shot hole, with second shots looking to favor the left side to gain the best angle into the green.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a short par 4 at 340 yards, so not quite drivable. While you could certainly lay up, that's a mistake in my opinion, since that brings the pond right into play. Far better to use driver and carry the water completely, taking it out of play. However, that will leave a potentially awkward pitch, since the green is guarded by three bunkers in front. It's not a large green and rather narrow, but still, this is a relatively easy hole.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a mid-length par 3 with a green surrounded by three bunkers and a fairly significant back-to-front tilt. Not much else to say about this one, hit a good iron and you can make a birdie.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 playing slightly uphill. The fairway has two bunkers on each side, protecting the landing area; if you want a reasonable view of the green you'll want to favor the right side on the drive. Go left and you'll have a semiblind approach. The green is guarded by two more bunkers, with steep falloffs right and long into dense forest.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is a fairly long par 3 at 210 yards. The hole plays over a valley with brush and a stream at the bottom, and of course dense forest surrounds the hole, but all they really do is frame. You probably won't lose a golf ball unless you hit a really bad tee shot. The green is quite large and fairly undulating, with a bunker on each side.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is just under 420 yards and features the tightest drive on the course. There are trees running down the right side, close to the fairway, and O.B. in the form of a road takes up the entire left left side. The safe play is to use a fairway wood or long iron, but that will leave a mid to long iron into the green. And that's not something you want, since the green is fairly small and undulating and has two bunkers in front. If you want to get close, you need to have a wedge or short iron for the second, and that means using driver. So, not an easy hole here.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a short par 4 at 330 yards, but it's not one you can drive. The best play is to use a wood or long iron to reach the top of the hill; if you hit driver you'll end up with a half-wedge from a downhill stance into a shallow green guarded by sand in front and a steep dropoff behind. That's not a shot you want. But you don't want to lay back too far, or the second will be completely blind. Reaching the top of the hill will leave a full 100 yard wedge. The second shot from there is still not easy, but it's better than the alternatives.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is 540 yards, though practically speaking it plays shorter than that. The tee shot is completely blind and there's very little indication of where to go. Luckily the landing area is very wide and hazard free, so there's plenty of freedom. If you want to go for the green in two, you'll need to carry a pond and negotiate a L-shaped green protected on all sides by four bunkers. Laying up left of the water will leave a pretty simple pitch, so that's not a bad play (unless you're me and thin your third over the green, completely ruining the whole point of playing safe).

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is a fairly uncomplicated mid-length par 4. Favoring the right side, flirting with the fairway bunker, is preferred, since a greenside bunker guards the left side of the green. The green itself is fairly small and narrow, and slightly domed. Not a bad way to finish, but not especially inspiring either.

The eighteenth hole.

The eighteenth green.

If a round at Challedon cost $30, I would say it's not a bad way to spend an afternoon. It's not a particularly good or interesting course, and the tees were in extremely bad shape, but for the right price point I can deal with a lot. But this is central Maryland, so of course it doesn't cost $30. It costs $60, and that's absolute highway robbery for what you get. The course is mediocre to average at best, the greens were slow, the tees were apocalyptically awful for that price, the routing is terrible in numerous places (essentially forcing you to take a cart to deal with several gigantic gaps between greens and tees), and there are houses everywhere, so it's not even a particularly scenic course. $60 can get you a round at George Wright with money to spare, and George Wright is light-years beyond Challedon. If you don't want to go all the way to Massachusetts, $60 can also get you a round at Mt. Pleasant in Baltimore, which despite being a muni features a far more interesting design than Challedon. Oh, and it's better maintained too. 

Frankly, how the course is open (and busy too!) is beyond me. The fact that golfers are willing to put up with this is the reason public golf has such a poor reputation. We can do better than this. We deserve better than this. Stop giving crappy courses your money, just for them to turn around and give us inferior product. Nothing will change unless we force their hands.

Bottom line, don't play inland courses with "Links" in the name. 

Beer of the Week

The beer: Pineapple Coconut Stout

The brewery: Guinness Open Gate Brewery, Halethorpe, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "Believe it or not, our stouts have been a big part of the beer culture all over the world for centuries - including in many tropical locales around the globe. With that in mind, our brewers sought to include the tropical flavors of pineapple and coconut in a traditional stout, adding pineapple puree post fermentation and then resting the finished beer on toasted coconut chips. Enjoy!"

Would I buy it again? I happened to be in the neighborhood of the Guinness brewery a while back and decided to stop by for a quick beer. I had a lot of options, but I absolutely made the right choice. This beer is delicious, with plenty of pineapple and coconut taste, but not so much to overpower the stout. Obviously, it's not as easy to drink as a lighter ale or lager, but the fruitiness still makes this a wonderful beer to drink over the summer. I'd love to get this again.

Review: The Links at Challedon (Part 1)

Here's a golf pro tip for you: If a course is called "The Links at X," you're probably better off steering clear of it. My first "Links at" was the Links at Gettysburg, which is by far my least favorite course. Seriously, it's so, so bad. I've been tempted to play it again so I could savage it in my review, but then I'd have to spend money to play an absolutely awful golf course. Plus the money on the 10 golf balls I'd lose. My second "Links at" was Brigantine, which was a housing development course, but was at least on the ocean and actually not terrible.

And now we have the Links at Challedon, located in Mt. Airy, Maryland, a town that is not anywhere close to the ocean, unless you're from Nebraska and your idea of ocean adjacent is anything within 100 miles. It was built in the 1990s by Brian Ault, son of Ed Ault, designer of so many Mid-Atlantic golf courses in 60s-80s. Like Brigantine, it's a housing development course, so the housing isn't nearly as omnipresent. That's still not a particularly promising start, but who knows, maybe Challedon will surprise us.

Spoiler: It won't.

The first hole is a par 5 of 540 yards with a tee shot playing up to a blind fairway. There's O.B. on both sides, but the playing corridor is reasonably wide. Not wide enough that it's no issue, but there's enough room to breathe and comfortably use driver. For the second shot, it's best to favor the right side on the lay-up, flirting with a small fairway bunker; this will give a slightly better angle into the green, which is fairly shallow and protected by two bunkers front left, as well as another bunker behind.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is a longish par 4 at 420 yards, but plays shorter since it's downhill the whole way. The tee shot is pretty open, though you'll want to favor the left side. That will leave a better angle into the green, which is protected by two bunkers to the right. The greens at Challedon generally aren't flat, but they're also very slow, so they're not as interesting as one might expect or hope for.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is a long par 5 at nearly 560 yards, and it's super fun in that it basically forces driver out of your hands. Wait, not super fun. The opposite of that. I mean, it's not like you can't use it, but there's very little space between the O.B. left and pond right. The pond makes this hole an exercise in safety: Hit a long iron off the tee, hit another up the fairway, which is wide open past the pong, then hit a wedge into the green. It's a shame, because I like the green site perched on the hill, and there's a definite advantage to favoring the higher left side on the second shot. That gives you a flatter stance and a better angle. But the unnecessary pond annoys me too much for me to like the hole.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a mid-length par 4 where, once again, you won't want to hit driver. The fairway ends about 100 yards from the green as the hole bends left over a small stream, so all you need is a 3 wood or long iron. The second shot is a wedge to a flat green protected by the stream and a bunker to the right.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a nice little par 3, playing just 130 yards downhill. The green is medium sized and surrounded by three bunkers, plus there's steep falloffs into jungle left and long. I wish the green was a little more interesting, but short par 3s are always good to see.

The fifth hole.

The sixth hole is an awkward hole, especially from all the way back. It's 395 yards from the tips, and the drive is straight up a miniature mountain to an incredibly narrow fairway threaded between trees on both sides. You'll obviously want to exercise restraint off of the tee with a wood or long iron, but you need to carry the drive almost 250 yards to have any view of the green. If you can thread the needle, you'll have a wedge into the green, which is long, narrow, and guarded by a bunker left. The hole's a lot better if you play from the next tees up, which cuts 50 yards off the total length and makes it much easier to clear the hill, even with a long iron. Requiring accuracy off of the tee is one thing, but this hole goes a bit too far.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is a semiblind par 3 with two bunkers in front. It's 160 yards, so not too terribly long. The green is pretty big, so some long and very slow putts are possible. 

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a mid length par 4 where once again driver is taken out of your hands. Shorter hitters are probably fine, as the pond that separates the fairway from the green is nearly 300 yards away, but it is something to think about. A good 3 wood is fine. That will leave a wedge or short iron into a green with a decent amount of back-to-front slope fronted by bunkers on both sides.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a short par 4, but at 340 yards it's not really drivable. If you're using less than driver, you'll want to favor the left side, flirting with a large fairway bunker. That will give you the best angle into the green, which is narrow and protected by a bunker front right. While you probably won't reach the green, a drive that can carry 275 yards or so will take a sharp downslope and gain a fair amount of extra distance. You can get pretty close, but you'll have a potentially awkward half-wedge over a bunker to a shallow target. This may or may not be worth it; it depends how confident you are in your short game. Laying up is probably the smarter play.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

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

Beer of the Week

The beer: Til Our Paths Cross

The brewery: Antietam Brewery, Hagerstown, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "Hazy IPA with aromas of citrus and tropical fruit, full mouthfeel with citrus and tropical notes on your pallet."

Would I buy it again? In terms of being a hazy IPA, it doesn't exactly feel revolutionary, though I won't deny it's solid. It's tasty and easy to drink. But come on. Look at that label. It's amazing. Sure, I suppose this review could have been more timely, since season 3's been over for a couple months, but hey, better late than never. And timeliness won't stop me from buying another can of this if I ever see it again.

Saturn Becomes Moon Champion Of The Solar System

Jupiter and Saturn have a lot of moons. Many, many moons. Earlier this year, Jupiter edged ahead of Saturn in the official total, with scientists announcing 12 new moons, bringing its total up to 92, compared with 83 for Saturn. But Jupiter didn't hold onto the crown for long, as scientists have now announced 62 new moons around Saturn. This means Saturn now has 145 official moons, making it the first planet to have more than 100. That is a lot of moons. I distinctly remember growing up learning that Saturn only had 18 moons. And I'm not that old. Naturally, Cassini helped boost the total, but most of the new moons were discovered here on Earth. This batch of 62 came from observations out of an observatory in Hawaii.

Naturally, all of these new moons are tiny, irregular rocks, just a few kilometers across. There are no undiscovered Titans lurking around Saturn. And of course, similar observations of Jupiter could reveal just as many similar moons, if not more. Jupiter may end up taking the title of Moon Champion back. But for now, Saturn is very, very far ahead.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Fried Ice Cream Stout

The brewery: Flying Fish Brewing Company, Somerdale, New Jersey

Description (from the website): "Imperial stout and fried ice cream flavors together. ... Why not indulge in two great things at once? This rich and complex stout provides ample aromas of roasted malt and vanilla, then gets paired with real vanilla ice cream, flavors of cinnamon, and dark chocolate to produce a truly unique treat."

Would I buy it again? Unfortunately, the ice creaminess of this beer is mostly lost on me. I can taste the vanilla and there's definitely a decent amount of cinnamon as well. Does this taste like fried ice cream? I don't know. Do I like it? Yeah, it's pretty good. I'd probably buy it again.