Review: Maple Run Golf Club (Part 1)

I'm not entirely sure why I haven't reviewed Maple Run before today. It's not a good golf course, but neither is it boring. And I've lived close by for the past 10 years. There was just always someplace better to go. Well, not anymore! With this, there is just a single public golf course in Frederick County, Maryland, that I haven't reviewed, and probably never will. Sorry, Clustered Spires, but you really are that boring.

Actually, Maple Run might have suffered the same ignominious fate, but there's a very specific reason why I was inspired to do this review. We'll get to it eventually, but for now, let's kick back and check out what Thurmont, Maryland, has to offer the golfing universe.

The first hole is the longest hole on the course, playing 560 yards. The hole is a mild dogleg left; the landing area is blind if you're a longer hitter, but other than that there's very little to worry about on the tee shot. The second shot plays gently downhill toward the green, and if you're not going for it in two the lay-up is also quite simple. A single bunker guards the front-right part of the green, which is surprisingly undulating for an otherwise-nondescript neighborhood golf course. Nothing extraordinary, but much more interesting than you might expect. It's still an easy opening hole, but you do have to work a little for the birdie.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is 370 yards and plays slightly downhill and slightly left to right around a small bunker. Beyond that, the fairway is wide open. You do want to hit driver to get a full view of the green, but in the absence of any hazards beyond that single bunker, there's really no reason not to. The green is fairly large and does have some mounding in front to encourage an aerial approach. 

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is 385 yards, though with the tee shot playing downhill and the fairway bending nearly 90 degrees right, there is opportunity to make it play much shorter. A small group of trees between the tee and bulk of the fairway encourage you to bail out left; doing so will leave you with a much longer second shot. And seeing as this green is quite shallow, has multiple sections, and has a bunker in front, a long approach is not ideal. Better to challenge the trees and get yourself within easy wedge distance.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 160 yards and plays to a rather challenging and quite shallow green. A ridge runs through the middle and is the high point of the green; slopes fall away on both sides. This makes shots from the wrong side of the ridge tricky, as you have to correctly judge the distance to both get over the ridge but stop yourself from going too far. A bunker front left makes right the obvious bailout point.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a mid-length par 4 that bends slightly left around a bunker before dipping down toward the green. Much like the second hole, you need to hit driver (or at least a solid 3 wood) to get over the high point in the fairway and get a view of the green on the approach. Fortunately, and also much like the second hole, the playing corridor is quite wide. A single bunker left guards the green, though there is a pretty steep falloff behind that you probably want to avoid.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is just over 200 yards, and while that distance is somewhat mitigated by the downhill nature of the hole, this is still quite a tough tee shot. The green is on the small side and divided into distinct tiers, with the whole thing sloping back right to front left. There's also flanking bunkers and a large willow protecting the left side. I don't imagine too many birdies are made here.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is 360 yards with a fairway that bends hard right while sloping significantly from right to left. As a result, it's quite difficult to hold this fairway. The smart play is to hug the right treeline; this both shortens the hole and gives you the best angle for the second shot. The green is small and sloped pretty sharply from back to front, with a single bunker front left.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a mid-length par 4 that plays to a blind fairway. The playing corridor is wide open, so using driver isn't an issue. A good drive will leave just a wedge into the green. While the eighth green is bunkerless, it is also very small, undulating, and surrounded by mounding. You do have to be on with your wedge play on this front nine.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is one that I can't believe still exists in its current configuration. This 515-yard par 5 turns right at around 250 yards, doglegging around a residential neighborhood alarmingly within reach of even a slightly sliced drive. Seriously, the direct route from tee to green takes you over at least two houses. Who in their right minds would live there? I don't know, but I have no sympathy for the presumably constant stream of golf balls raining down on them.

Anyway, once the tee shot is dealt with the rest of the hole is quite easy. No bunkers other than the O.B. lurking right, though the green does have a bit of an odd quirk to it; the back is shored up by a low stone wall. Not sure why they did that instead of using earthworks, but it certainly adds a unique layer of "don't miss long" that most other holes can't replicate.

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.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Stings Like A Bee

The brewery: Idiom Brewing Company, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "'Sting Like a Bee' is a bold reimagining of malt liquor crafted with a smooth body, layered malt richness, and just a whisper of honey for natural balance. The sweetness is subtle, the flavor full, and the finish disarmingly mellow. Strong enough to make an impact, yet polished enough to keep you coming back for another round."

Would I buy it again? Imperial lagers are pretty rare, so I knew I had to try this particular beer out. And just as I hoped, it was very good. Mellow, but also deep. Pleasantly malty as well. And at 6% ABV, it was much easier to drink than most other imperial beer varieties. This would be the point where I'd say I'd gladly buy this beer again, and I would ... but there's a problem. Idiom Brewing, staple of Frederick's downtown beer scene, is closing on February 15th. Now, there are good reasons for that closure — the owner tried to do too much at once, attempting to expand production and add in-house food at the moment the beer business began to drop off — but it still sucks. Idiom has such a nice spot on Carroll Creek, with a ton of outdoor seating. It was the obvious choice when you wanted a beer downtown in warmer weather. And while their beer could be hit or miss, they had a large menu so there was always something for everyone. It's a shame to see them go.

Shocker: People Like Well-Designed Municipal Golf Courses

It's always cool seeing a golf course I've played show up in the news, especially when it's positive and it's a course I genuinely liked. So, after the absolute disaster that's befallen the DC municipal golf courses (and the less said about it, the better), this article from Golfweek on Wilmington Municipal in North Carolina was very much appreciated.

The eighteenth hole at Wilmington Municipal.

It doesn't actually say all that much about the course, and obviously the sort of work they've been doing isn't exactly exciting, but that logistical work on irrigation and the like still matters a lot. And it just goes to show that when you invest in public golf, you will be rewarded. As I mentioned in my review (read it here and here), when we played the course, it was very busy, but the round still took comfortably less than 4 hours. We rarely waited, and that's because Wilmington Municipal is well designed but user friendly. It's tough losing golf balls there, and that matters for pace of play. It's also great for the course's bottom line — fast rounds means they can get more people out, which means more money for them.

So, it's pretty safe to say that, as Wilmington Municipal approaches its 100th anniversary, it's doing better than ever. If only DC were so lucky as to have a course like it. 

Beer of the Week

The beer: Bonfire Brown 

The brewery: Saugatuck Brewing Company, Douglas, Michigan

Description (from the website): "The smell of burning wood, the crackling embers, the warm glow of the fire. Whatever your favorite part of a bonfire is, take it all in with every sip of Bonfire Brown. This classic American Brown Ale is a perfect example of tradition; from it’s malty, rich body to a roasty & toasty finish. Kick back, crack one open and tell your story. After all, that’s what a bonfire is all about."

Would I buy it again? Of all the brown ales I've had in my life, this is one of them. It doesn't do anything exactly wrong, per se (then again, the head was absolutely abysmal), but neither does it do anything well. It's just sort of there, and when it comes to this particular style of beer, I expect more than that. So I would not buy this again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Vanilla Pumpkin Ale

The brewery: Schlafly Beer, St. Louis, Missouri

Description (from the website): "Have you ever had perfection a la mode? Schlafly Vanilla Pumpkin Ale takes the seasonal fan favorite to a whole new level of perfection. All the classic notes of pumpkin infused with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg remain in harmony, and the addition of vanilla brings a creamy sweetness that delights the palate. Life is short, drink dessert first!"

Would I buy it again? I have to be fair with this one — this beer's been sitting in my fridge for quite a while, and I think it's gone off a bit. There's a weird aftertaste that really brought the beer down. The pumpkin does at least come through. I would probably try this again, if only to determine if my bottle was bad. If not, then I definitely would not buy this again.

Review: Raystown Golf Resort (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is a very short par 4, playing just 265 yards up the hill slightly to a small green protected by a single bunker left. This green is pretty obviously a very tempting target, and while there's some tall grass well right, you have to hit a very poor tee shot to bring that into the equation. A little draw with a driver is the ideal shot to reach the green. Obviously, anything can happen, but you won't find a better opportunity for birdie than right here.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is 175 yards and plays over a deep valley to a green carved out of the hillside. There are two bunker, one on each side, and the green itself possesses a surprising amount of back-to-front tilt. Especially close to the front; that front hole location you see in the pictures was borderline impossible. My tee shot was to 10 feet right, and the putt ended up at least 5 feet below the hole. Fortunately I made the comeback putt, but still, it's a bit of a shock after seeing so many essentially flat greens.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a mid-length par 4 that plays much shorter than the yardage indicates, thanks to a tee shot that plays dramatically downhill to a fairway 50 feet below. Dense trees protect the right side, and a large bunker pinches in from the left, so while it's certainly tempting to hit driver when going so far downhill, this fairway is actually relatively narrow. A bit of restraint could help. Even a 3 wood will still leave a wedge second shot. The green here is small and fairly narrow, with sand on both sides.

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole plays parallel with the previous hole and is virtually the same length. And since landforms don't just abruptly end, that means the golfer has to go right back up the same hill they negotiated on the previous hole. The first 250 yards here are quite flat, with a large bunker right providing a suitable hazard on the tee shot. From there, the last 150 yards climb straight up to a medium-sized green with bunkers on each side. It's not a tremendously difficult hole, it's just unexpected having to hit an iron up such a big hill. But hey, any sort of memorable feature is better than no memorable feature, right?

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is 200 yards and plays downhill (not as much as the twelfth) to a large green, perhaps the largest on the course. It's also the most well-bunkered, with three bunkers in front and left, and one bunker right. The green itself, while not exactly thrilling, has enough subtle breaks to it to make putts interesting.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is the first par 5 we've seen in quite a while; there hasn't been one since the first hole. At 535 yards, it's not short, but neither is it particularly long, and the downhill tee shot will give you a few extra yards. There's a large bunker left, but beyond that the tee shot is quite open. If you hit a good drive, you have a choice on the second: Either go for the green on the far side of a small pond, or lay up and leave essentially a full wedge on the third. It's a tough decision when you've hit the best drive of the day and have just a long iron into the green, but unless you have full confidence in your long irons or fairway woods, laying up really is the smart choice. The green itself is pretty standard, with bunkers left and long.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

I don't know how the sixteenth hole ended up here, but it pretty clearly does not belong on a golf course that has, up to this moment, been kind, gently, and frankly pretty easy. This long par 4 plays 455 yards through an extremely narrow corridor, with trees and tall grass hemming in on both sides. A creek also approaches from the left, though I'm not sure one could get to it on the drive with so many pine trees between you and it. This would be prime time for a cautious long iron, but there are two problems with that: One, the hole is 455 yards, and two, the hole is a nearly 90-degree dogleg, with the turn coming nearly 300 yards out. If you want a view of the green in two, you have to use driver and thread it through all the danger to a fairway that can't be much more than 20 yards wide.

Oh, and fun fact for people who hit a bad drive or lay up on the tee shot anyway, accepting this hole for the par 5 that it really is (to be fair, it does say par 4/5 on the scorecard, but the fact that the par 4 is even an option is mind-boggling), there's a pond cutting completely across the fairway right after the turn, which you can't really see since the hole is so low profile. It's not difficult to clear, but the fact that its there at all is just insult to injury.

Anyway, let's say you manage to hit that all-time drive and have a clear second shot at the green. It's honestly not much easier than the tee shot. The green is propped up and on the far side of a narrow gate of trees, requiring a fade to access as the tree on the right leans over, dominating that half of the green. The creek also lurks left, giving you even less space to breathe. So, it's either execute or you're pretty much dead for both shots. Five is honestly a great score here, and even six isn't terrible. This hole is that tough, and by tough, I mean incredibly, ridiculous dumb.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole emerges from the tree-lined corner that the previous hole inhabits and is a mostly pleasant mid-length par 3 with a relatively shallow but wide green. There are two bunkers, one left and one right. There's a pond short, but with 15 yards or so between it and the green, there is space to work with. Can't say I'm a huge fan of the pond, since its location means its mostly there to annoy higher handicappers, but after the previous hole I'll give it a pass. 

The seventeenth hole.

The eighteenth hole is 550 yards and plays parallel with the first, running in the opposite direction. For my round, that meant the hole was straight into the wind and 100% out of reach in two. There's a small bunker right and the creek lurks left, though you'd have to hit a pretty big hook to reach it. There aren't any additional hazards further up the fairway, so the second shot is just about advancing the ball as far as you can. A good lay-up will leave a wedge into a medium-sized green with bunkers front right and left. Not a particularly exciting closing hole, but it does give you the opportunity to walk away from the round with a birdie.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

So, what is there to say about Raystown Golf Resort? It's definitely not a good golf course, nor is it in particularly good shape. It's not as bad as the pictures make it look; the grass was brown but present, and the greens weren't any less healthy than any other public course. But it's also not a completely boring golf course, especially once you get past the first few holes and elevation change starts to play a role. And of course the sixteenth hole is in a league of its own in terms of being insane. 

Simply put, this is precisely the sort of laid-back golf course you'd expect to find in rural Pennsylvania. Most towns of a similar size will have a golf course just like it. That's fine, but as the new name implies, the owner has greater ambition than that. But why would someone vacation here, when they most likely have a golf course at home that's just as good or likely better than this one? And it's not like this course will be cheaper than what they have at home; walking here cost $40, which isn't exactly pricy but neither is it anywhere close to a bargain. 

There's another problem: I played here on a Sunday afternoon in mid-September on a day where the high was 80 degrees and there wasn't a hint of rain in the forecast. In other words, absolutely ideal golf conditions. And yet, by the time I was halfway through the round, I was quite literally the last person on the course. At 4 PM on a weekend. Never in my life have I experienced anything like that. I know we're not talking about a densely populated area, but no one at all? It was bizarre. It also made the long drive up strangely worthwhile. There's nothing quite like having a golf course to yourself. Obviously, it's not something I plan on doing regularly, but if I (or anyone out there) ever want your own golf course playground for an afternoon, Raystown Golf Resort is a prime choice.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Early Dismissal

The brewery: Our Town Brewery, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Description (from the website): "Balanced German-style lager.  Think Oktoberfest with some additional ABV to help keep you warm this winter.  No fruit.  No spice.  Call off work and fill your pint glass."

Would I buy it again? They did some great work with the hops here, because I definitely thought this beer was spiced when I was drinking it. It's malty, but it also has those warm, almost citrusy notes. If this was brewed according to Reinheitsgebot, then absolutely very well done on the part of Our Town. I definitely enjoyed drinking this beer and I'd absolutely buy it again. 

Review: Raystown Golf Resort (Part 1)

My junior golf career was hardly illustrious, but over the years I did pick up a few small victories, and my first-ever victory occurred when I was 12 years old at a golf course just north of Huntington, Pennsylvania, then called Standing Stone. That sort of thing sticks with you, but my family would soon find junior golf events closer to home, and so I never went back to play the course again. Standing Stone wouldn't exactly fade from memory, but with no reason to head an hour and half up north, I didn't give much thought to it for a few years. 

That changed when I began to attend Penn State for college, and guess what golf course was right on the road to State College? Standing Stone. Of course, I was always coming or going from school, so I never had time to go out and play, and even though the course wasn't that far away, college students are not exactly known for having bundles of free time or money to go and play golf. Even on post-college visits to State College to see friends, I would pass by the golf course every time and wonder just what the course was like, but would never stop.

Fast forward to last summer, when I saw an intriguing piece of news: The course I knew as Standing Stone — designed by Geoffrey Cornish in 1972 — was now Raystown Golf Resort, and it was reopening after being bought out in March 2025. This isn't the first time the course has been bought and sold (with it undergoing a name change to Sunset between 2020 and 2024), and quite frankly the new business plan made me a bit dubious. My memories of the golf course were 20 years old, but I didn't think the course was anything too impressive, and trying to make it a destination resort seemed ... optimistic. So, I decided that now was the best time to go and finally revisit Standing Stone/Sunset/Raystown, just in case things don't go well for the new owners. 

The first hole is actually the longest hole on the course, playing 555 yards to a fairway that's mostly wide open, save for a single bunker left that the fairway bends left around. A second bunker about 100 yards from the green gives people laying up something to think about. The green is slightly elevated and has bunkers left and long. Not a particularly tough or interesting opening hole, but the bunkers are well placed and do help the cause.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green. Also, if that flag looks extra tall, that's because it is. All the flags at Raystown were like this, and it really messed with my ability to judge distances. Every iron and wedge shot felt closer than it actually was.

The second hole is 380 yards and plays slightly downhill to a fairway sloping from left to right with a single bunker left and some brush right. Because the fairway isn't wide and because there's a pond short of the green that can catch the drive of the longest hitters, a 3 wood is probably the best choice on the tee shot. That will leave a wedge or short iron into a small green flanked by bunkers.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is a fairly short 345-yard par 4 with three staggered bunkers pinching into the fairway. Because of that, unless you're willing to hit your tee shot all of 200 yards, you pretty much have to deal with at least one bunker. Still, using driver can put you in an awkward spot to approach this green, which is protected by bunkers left and front right. A 3 wood or long iron is probably the best play on the tee, as that will give you a full wedge instead of a three-quarter wedge over sand that you won't be able to spin properly. 

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a mid-length par 3 playing over a pair of bunkers (with another left) to a fairly small and relatively shallow green. I think this hole would be a bit better if it were shorter; 170 yards is kind of a long way to carry those bunkers and expect the ball to stop on the green. Not impossible, but not something Raystown's clientele is likely going to be able to do on command.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is 425 yards and plays straightaway over level ground. The obvious hazard is the native area left, along with a pond that you can't see from the tee (I would ordinarily be opposed to this, but in this case it's an additional hazard, not the only one). This naturally draws you out right, but favoring the right side will leave you with a tough approach over a big bunker. Favoring the left gives you a much better angle into the green. Not a complicated hole, but not a terrible one either.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a 200-yard par 3 that plays slightly uphill to a narrow green flanked by bunkers. That's really all there is to this hole.

The sixth hole.

The seventh hole is 350 yards, and while the fairway is initially quite wide, it's pinched in at the landing area by three bunkers, two left and one right. The hole's short enough that you can lay up short of them and still have a wedge or short iron at most for the second shot. The green here is guarded by a large bunker left, and there's a ridge running through the middle that makes judging the speed of putts from the wrong half of the green a bit tricky.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is where, for lack of a better term, things start to get interesting. The first several holes were all quite flat, but from this point forward, elevation change plays a role. Here, this 415-yard par 4 plays noticeably longer than the yardage indicates. The bunker in the corner of the dogleg is an obvious aiming point, and clearing it will leave a short iron into the green, which is tucked behind a pair of bunkers. It's quite a tough approach as the green is very small, so you do want to use driver and challenge that fairway bunker. 

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole plays dramatically downhill from a high tee to a fairway pinched in from the left by two bunkers. From such a lofty vantage point, though, a solid driver can clear those bunkers, giving you much more space to work with as well as a wedge or short iron approach into this 435-yard par 4. The green has some back-to-front slope to it, and is guarded by a large bunker right and a pond lurking left.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

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