Review: Forest Park Golf Course (Part 2)

It's time to take a look at the back nine at Forest Park, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is 325 yards and a pretty big departure from what we saw on the front nine. The landscape is bolder and there's actual peril on the tee shot in the form of trees and brush immediately left of the fairway, which bends around the forest toward the green, perched up at the top of a hill. A bold drive, aimed over the corner of the forest, can get you quite close to the green, which is fairly large and has a single bunker right. A more safe drive will bring that bunker more into play.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh is likely Forest Park's best and most memorable hole. It's a 170-yard par 3 that plays slightly downhill to a medium-sized green surrounded on three sides by a massive horseshoe-shaped bunker. It's not an especially deep bunker, but it is certainly intimidating to look at, and since the hole isn't exactly short, it's not something you can ignore. The green here is sloped pretty significantly from front to back, which does help shots hold the green. At the very least, you'll remember this hole, and that's better than nothing.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a drivable short par 4 at just 280 yards, and boy does it basically nothing going for it. There's really no reason not to go for the green. The only feature this hole has is a greenside bunker right, and even that barely comes into play. If you don't walk away from this hole with a birdie, it's completely on you. Naturally, I made a bogey here because I hit a giant hook into the trees way left of the fairway.

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is not a long par 4 at 350 yards, but while it's lacking in distance, it makes up for it with narrowness. There's forest and O.B. immediately left of the fairway, with large overhanging trees right giving you very little space to work with. Fortunately, since the hole is short there's no reason to use driver. A 3 wood or long iron will still get you in wedge distance on the second shot. The approach shot here is a little tough, with the green perched precariously over dropoffs into forest both left and long; there's also bunkers on both sides, and the green itself is quite small. It's not a hole you approach boldly, and you're happy to make par.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is quite a short par 5 at just 465 yards, but when you step up to the tee, you probably won't be thinking of this as an eagle opportunity. This fairway is narrow and tilted sharply from right to left, with dense forest left and more trees right (though you can at least find golf balls right). Accuracy is the name of the game on the tee shot, as even a modest drive will get you close enough to bring the green into range in two. Still, this green is small, sloped severely from back to front, and closely guarded by bunkers on each side. Not exactly an inviting target, especially with a fairway wood or long iron in hand from a hanging lie back in the fairway. I played this with a 3 wood, a mid iron to about 50 yards, and a pitch onto the green to a few feet. That's the way to play this hole.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a 200-yard par 3 that doesn't have much going on. There's a bunker right, and a bit of a falloff left, but the green is pretty big and not very interesting. It's basically just a mid iron here.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is 330 yards and plays to a blind fairway. The hole is pretty straight and there aren't any hidden hazards, so a good driver can get you well within a hundred yards, leaving just a partial wedge for the second shot. The green here is medium sized and while it's pretty flat, it's flanked by sand and there's a big dropoff behind. 

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is a few yards shorter than the previous hole and has a similarly blind tee shot. Unlike 16, this hole bends pretty significantly left at around 225 yards, which means a solid driver will easily run through the fairway. Now, there isn't any immediate punishment for doing this, as there's nothing but open space right (there's even what appears to be an alternate green, though I don't know if it's still being used). However, this green is quite small and flanked by bunkers; the best angle to approach it is from the left, flirting with the left tree line. Playing safely out right brings the bunkers more directly into play.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is the longest hole at Forest Park by a significant margin, playing over 550 yards. You feel every bit of it too, as the drive is ... well, it's not my favorite thing in the world. Basically, the hole swings hard left at 225 yards (much like the previous hole), but with tall grass beyond the fairway, you're forced into either hitting a fairway wood or swinging a hard draw around the forest left. And since I don't imagine too many really good golfers are playing Forest Park who can play that sort of purposeful hook, the vast majority are stuck playing it safe. The second shot is basically just a matter of advancing the ball, though a series of mounds do interrupt the fairway about 150-200 yards out from the green. After the lay-up, the third will be a wedge or short iron into a medium-sized green sloped significantly from back left to front right with a single small bunker front left.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

While Forest Park is pretty similar to Mount Pleasant in terms of conditions and appearance, this course is let down by having some really dull holes. The opening in particular is quite bland, and while the back nine is generally better, the twelfth and fifteenth offer very little behind a fairway and green. I don't think it would take too much to spruce up this golf course, but that is the struggle with municipal golf. Especially in a city like Baltimore which is not exactly swimming with money. So, we just have to take Forest Park for what it is: an occasionally interesting golf course set over moderately interesting terrain. There are some solid and memorable holes, like the eleventh and fourteenth, so Forest Park is definitely worth at least one look if you're in the area. The price is relatively modest (sub $50), and while the conditions aren't spectacular, I would classify them as adequate. Still, I don't think this is worth a second round.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Maple Warlock

The brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, New York

Description (from Untappd): "The Dark Side just got a little sweeter! Maple Warlock lures you in with a magical dose of maple syrup to complement his dark and mysterious Imperial Stout base. Let Maple Warlock’s swirls of maple, pumpkin pie spice, and roasted malts enchant you sip by sip, casting an alluring spell you won’t want to break."

Would I buy it again? There may be beers more appropriate to the Halloween season than an imperial stout with both pumpkin and maple in it, but I'm having difficulty thinking of any. All Southern Tier had to do was not mess it up with too many hops, and I'm happy to report that they did not. This is a great beer, thick and maple-y with just the right amount of pumpkin spice to compliment. You can't do much better than this.

Review: Forest Park Golf Course (Part 1)

This is not the first time I've talked about Forest Park, one of Baltimore's municipal golf courses. Back in 2021, I wrote about an interesting National Geographic story about a rare type of rock being discovered in Maryland. One of the locations where this rock could be found was Forest Park. Back then, I'd never played it, but now I have.

Forest Park is likely most notable as the center of Baltimore's Black golfer community, a role it's filled for more than 50 years. Which is very cool, but is there anything worthwhile in terms of design? Mt. Pleasant, the other Baltimore muni I've played, was quite good, so we'll see if Forest Park can compete in that regard.

The first hole is, aside from a rather large tree just left of the tee, about as basic as a golf hole can get. There is no elevation change, no bunkers, and the green is basically just a flat oval. It's really just a 410-yard par 4. Just don't hook it off the tee and you'll be fine.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is 335 yards and is a bit more interesting than the first simply because there's a little bit of elevation change and the green is actually protected by a pair of bunkers. A tee shot down the left is favored, especially if you want to use driver. (And since there are no fairway bunkers or other hazards in play, why not use driver?) 

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is 200 yards and plays slightly uphill to a small green with a decent amount of back-to-front slope and a bunker front right. It's not a terrible hole, though the green speeds are very slow at Forest Park, which does remove a significant portion of the challenge. You really don't have anything to fear from being above the hole.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is another par 3, this one 225 yards. It does play downhill, which does mitigate some of the length. The green here is quite large and a single bunker protects the front left portion. The green is highest in the middle and falls away slightly toward the left and right sides. A running shot will do well here; unfortunately, the prodigious rains Maryland received in May (I played here in early June) really nullified any chance of that happening.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is 420 yards and uphill the entire way, making it the longest par 4 at Forest Park in every sense of the word. The tee shot is quite straightforward, though there is O.B. lurking left of the fairway. It's not exactly close, but it is there. The tee shot is a short or mid iron up to a small narrow green with a significant back-to-front slope. There are two bunkers and a former bunker protecting it, making the second shot much more difficult than anything the golfer has seen so far.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is 350 yards and doglegs right around a cluster of pines that sits directly between the green and tee. You can't really hit driver without running out of fairway unless you hit a big fade, and while there's a lot of space left, you need to reach a crest in the fairway about 225-250 yards out in order to get a view of the green. The green itself is quite well defended, with one bunker left, two right, and a big dropoff behind. Honestly, really not a bad hole at all.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is 330 yards but plays pretty significantly uphill to a blind fairway. It's a pretty easy drive, but the fairway does slope from right to left. This slope makes the second shot more challenging, as the green is quite small and also sloped from right to left, with a pair of small bunkers protecting the left side. It's definitely best approached from the right, so that means hitting a fade down the right side on the tee shot is the best play.

The seventh hole. I swear it's up there.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a potentially drivable par 4, playing just 280 yards. It's downhill too, though a cluster of three pine trees directly between the green and tee, just like on the sixth, does make the green a slightly less tempting target. Only slightly though; that green is just too alluring to pass up, at least for me. If you're smart, you can play a long iron out right, then have a pretty simple pitch to a green sloped from back left to front right. There's a large bunker left of the green and three small ones around the back right.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is the first par 5 at Forest Park, playing 500 yards as it bends right the entire way. The big tree right of the fairway isn't a big concern unless you're a short hitter, but it is a pretty major obstacle. The green is reachable in two for long hitters, but most will look to lay up, and for that, you're best off favoring the left side, flirting with a long fairway bunker about 75 yards out. It does make the hole play a bit longer, but it does give you a better angle into the green, which is angled from left to right and has a bunker front 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.

What's Going On With Central PA Golf Courses and AI Data Centers?

Golf, in theory, emerged quite robustly from the shadow of the COVID pandemic. It is, after all, the perfect social distancing sport. Participation numbers have been growing for years, with more than 28 million Americans playing at least one round in 2025, an increase of 1.5 million from the year before. If you add in the people who only visit the driving range or other non–golf course facilities, that number grows to almost 50 million. 

So, why is it that golf courses around Harrisburg are being sold to make way for godforsaken AI data centers? Dauphin Highlands has been on the market for months and will likely close by the end of 2027, and now there's news that Royal Manchester is also heading to the ChatGPT chopping block. These aren't super-basic courses either, both are quite solid and two of the three best golf courses in the Harrisburg area. Dauphin Highlands does at least 50,000 rounds a year, which is about as much as you could possibly expect for a course that doesn't have a realistic year-round golfing season.

Of course, we all know the real answer: Golf turns a profit, but it's slow, while selling the land to make way for data centers is a quick, easy buck. These public golf courses also represent a community, and in 2025 America, we can't possibly have any of that. If you're not boosting your year-over-year quarterly profits, you're falling behind. And all those pesky health benefits from playing golf improving the health of the population, so annoying. Clearly what we need is every single person sitting in a dark room speaking only to ChatGPT. 

It's just so tiring hearing about all the various ways "AI" is making our lives worse, plus its frustrating hearing about good golf courses disappearing. We have more golfers, there should be more golf courses, not less! All those new private golf courses in the Carolinas or Bandon Dune-alike resorts in far-flung corners of the country are great, but they don't solve the day-by-day issue for most golfers. We need places to play, and we're not getting them.

Rant not over, but that's enough for now.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Nordic Jam

The brewery: Two Pitchers Brewing Company, Oakland, California

Description (from the website): "We’ve packed this tasty lager with cherries, elderberries, and strawberries - all staples of a viking warrior’s diet - to create a refreshing, tart, and downright delicious party in a can. Jam on, friends. Skol!"

Would I buy it again? This is kind of a moot question, since I already have, but yes, I would. It's an extremely good beer. So often these days, fruity beers are sours, which automatically puts them on my "not interested" list. Fruity lagers are even more uncommon. And that's a shame, because this is a great beer. Pleasant to drink, especially in colder weather. My girlfriend and I will likely buy much more in the months to come.

Review: Locust Hill Golf Course (Part 2)

It's time to take a look at the back nine at Locust Hill, go here to see the front

The tenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that doesn't have much going for it. Even the course's website calls it the easiest on the course, with its only advice "keep the ball in bounds." The fairway is wide and essentially hazardless beyond a few trees, and the green is quite large as well (though admittedly it does have some undulation to it). There are two bunkers greenside, but they're not difficult to avoid.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is quite a long hole, playing 440 yards uphill the entire way. There are no bunkers, but there's some very large trees close up on the left side. That definitely leads your eye out right, which lengthens the hole and gives you a worse angle on the second shot. The green is perched up at the top of a hill, with a steep dropoff right and three bunkers protecting the left side. And the green itself is hardly flat. I don't imagine too many birdies are made here.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is 180 yards and plays downhill over a pond (which isn't really a major factor) to a green angled from left to right and sloped quite sharply from back to front. It's surrounded by three bunkers as well. This is a real all-or-nothing sort of par 3, which can definitely work well, but this hole is way too long for the green complex. This hole would be fine if it was 130-150 yards, but not 180.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is a 550-yard par 5 playing out to a wide fairway with a small cluster of trees left crowding in quite close, leading the golfer's eye out to the right. That's certainly the safer play, but doing so means your second shot will be blocked out by a group of dense trees right that starts about 150 yards out from the green. You may need to lay up quite a long way back if you go too far right. Hugging the left side means you can go directly at the green on the second shot. Not necessarily reach it, since this is a pretty long hole, but get fairly close. Like the previous hole, this green has a fair amount of back-to-front tilt, and there's also three bunkers left.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The first few holes on the back nine haven't been terrible. Not great, but I was able to derive some slight enjoyment from them. The fourteenth hole ... not so much. This 430-yard par 4 is nearly a 90-degree dogleg, with the turn coming about halfway through. That means, realistically, you have to hit a long iron or maybe a fairway wood if you can hit a big draw threaded between flanking bunkers to match the fairway's sharp turn. At about 250 yards, the fairway ends, dropping down significantly to a second fairway and eventually the green, which is tucked in among mounding and is protected by a large bunker left. I know that doesn't sound completely unreasonable, but trust me, the margin for error on the tee shot is so small. You're coming out of a chute of trees, and if you miss the narrow fairway on either side, trees will block you out entirely from going at the green on the second shot. It's just not fun in any way. Holes like this can be good — there's a hole at Sagamore quite similar to this one that I really liked. The execution there, however, was far superior to Locust Hill (Donald Ross is a legendary architect for a reason). That hole was fun. This one is not.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is 425 yards and plays to a flat, featureless, very wide fairway with water lurking right. There's no reward for playing close to the water aside from a slightly shorter shot, as the angle into the green (which is more of an isthmus green than a true island) is actually better from the left. The water's just here to punish bad shots, which is not fun. This hole could have been ripped from any one of a thousand Florida golf courses; it's even got the tacky houses in the background to complete the effect. I guess I can say that the green is kind of interesting, with a little false front and some noticeable elevation changes. But that doesn't salvage the hole.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is 170 yards, 90% of which plays over an incredibly scenic and not at all algae-covered pond. The green is medium sized and has a fair amount of back-to-front tilt to it. There's also a couple of bunkers to keep shots coming up just short from bouncing back into the water. Like the twelfth, this hole would benefit from being a bit shorter, though I don't think that would make a huge difference in how much I like this hole. It's just a bit too stereotypical for me.

The sixteenth hole.

The seventeenth hole is a shortish par 5 ruined by one of my least favorite design features: the blind water hazard. The fairway here looks quite generous, but about 275 yards out that width is cut by more than half by a pond that runs for a hundred yards or so up the right side. The only indication of the water is a red flag which is hardly the most obvious thing in the world. Essentially, longer hitters are forced to lay up on the tee shot here, which basically forces a lay-up on the second shot. It's not even that interesting a lay-up, since the water is pretty easy to get past and there aren't any other real hazards in play. The third will be a pitch to a large green with bunkers in front, left, and right.

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is the cliche long par 4 with water in play that somehow manages to fumble the water aspect. The fairway here is pretty wide with two bunkers wide right. Not too difficult. The second shot is then a mid iron over a pond to a medium-sized green ringed on three sides by bunkers. It's a difficult approach, yes, but the real hazard for lower-handicap golfers is the sand, not the water. The pond doesn't come within 30 yards of the green, which makes it a massive obstacle for higher-handicappers but not lower ones. And there's a word for hazards that excessively punish bad golfers instead of good ones: stupid.

The eighteenth hole.

The eighteenth green.

It's difficult to put my precise feelings on Locust Hill into words. I've certainly played worse golf courses. It's no Links at Gettysburg, or any of the other bad but not quite as offensive to the world golf courses out there like Maryland National or Heritage Hills. There were even a few holes that I kind of liked. But man, when I walked away, I was just thoroughly miserable. I played this course in May, and I only wrote this review last month. It's taken me months to work up the feelings necessary to write about Locust Hill, and that's just not a good sign.

Here's the thing: Before the round, I knew Locust Hill was going to be a bad golf course. That much was obvious just from looking at it on Google Maps. But I at least hoped it would be entertainingly bad. Maybe even so bad, it's good territory. But Locust Hill doesn't reach that level. It's bad, but it's not fun. It's not even bad or interesting enough to make fun of. It's just there, an incredibly mediocre golf course that sapped my soul of literally any feelings at all. I honestly think I'd rather play Links at Gettysburg than this one again. At least that course I can properly insult. Locust Hill is a void where interesting golf goes to die, and I never want to see, hear, or think about it ever again.