Review: Maple Run Golf Club (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is 430 yards, making it by far the longest par 4 at Maple Run. While the tee shot is hardly a difficult one, after an entire nine of being able to pretty much hit it anywhere, having trees on both sides — even when the gap is perfectly adequate — does feel a bit claustrophobic. It's also a transition hole, as the next few holes wind through dense forest. Trees line the right side, but the left is quite open. A good drive will leave a short or mid iron to a medium-size green with a small bunker front right. 

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is, at 290 yards downhill, theoretically drivable, but a creek passing directly in front of the green really precludes all but the longest hitters from having a go at this. Far better to use a long iron and leave a little three-quarter wedge. That (mostly) takes the water out of play. The green is undefended beyond that water in front and quite flat as well. Even if you don't go for the green on the tee shot, this is still a birdie hole.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is 160 yards and is flat and bunkerless. There are a couple trees hemming in, but otherwise this par 3 is as bland and featureless as a hole can get, save one tiny, tiny detail: the green slopes from front to back. That's not enough to save this hole from banality, but it is something to consider on the tee shot. Basically, use slightly less club than you think. Exciting.

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is certainly one to remember, though not for any excellent golfing quality. At 460 yards, this par 5 may seem incredibly short, but there's a crucial factor here that prevents the green from being accessible into two to all but the longest golfers: a 90-dogleg that presents itself a bit beyond 300 yards out. A 250-yard drive, for example, will not reach the corner, and you'll be blocked out by trees and forced to lay up. Also, there's a stream passing 10-15 yards in front of the green, so there won't be any sneaky run-up shots hooked around the trees here either.

That's all annoying, but what really elevates this hole from bad to comical is the power line quite literally running overtop the fairway. There's a pylon almost literally at the distance where a good drive will end up, and it will block your tee shot and/or approach as effectively as any tree. It is, in a word, ridiculous. But hey, at least you're not likely to forget this hole. Better to be bad than boring.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole, a 380-yard par 4, swaps out the pylon acting as a tree in the middle of the fairway for an actual gigantic tree in the middle of the fairway. And, considering the relatively narrow chute the drive has to negotiate, it really does feel like you're aiming right at this massive tree, especially since it's very much in range with a driver, unlike the pylon on the previous hole which is more of a second-shot obstacle. 

Anyway, assuming you avoid the tree (either side works; left gives you more space and a technically better angle, while right shortens the hole significantly), the approach will be a short iron or wedge to a bunkerless green angled from left to right. There are modest dropoffs front right (likely a former bunker) and beyond the green.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is nearly 550 yards, but don't mistake length for interest. The hole is dead straight as it emerges out of the forest onto more open ground, and beyond the trees lining the left side, devoid of hazards as well. Just don't miss left and you're fine. The green doesn't even have the benefit of being moderately interesting, like the greens on the front nine. So, this hole is kind of a long slog.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is 380 yards and plays modestly downhill. Like the previous hole, there's not much to the drive; it's quite open and there are no fairway bunkers. A solid driver will leave just a little wedge into the green, which is slightly perched up over the surrounding landscape and does have some modest contour to it. Still not a particularly interesting hole.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is 350 yards, and we do at least have a little to think about on this tee. The fairway bunker right isn't much of a threat, but there's a native area very close to the left side of the fairway, narrowing the playing area if you want to use driver. Also, while I'm sure this wasn't the intention, the green here does bear a slight resemblance to a Lion's Mouth, with a grass bunker directly in front of the green. That makes the half-wedge approach that would result from hitting a solid driver tricky, as you won't be able to properly stop the golf ball. The green too is modestly interesting, with a ridge running through the middle giving each half opposing slopes.

Obviously, this hole is no great triumph of architecture, but it's far from the worst hole in the world. That made it an odd choice for a feature on The Fried Egg's Design Disasters, a semi-occasional series spotlighting the silliest holes in golf, particularly when the thirteenth hole exists. When you're on the ground here, there's really nothing out of the ordinary. From above ... well, I'll link the video and let you enjoy. But that's why I got inspired to finally do the Maple Run review. It also begs the question: Why did they dig the pond like that?

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is a mid-length par 3 with a wide, relatively shallow green with a bunker front right and a grass bunker of sorts to the left. It's not terrible, but certainly an anti-climax for a finishing hole. I think this is a result of the designer simply running out of space and needing to throw a hole down. It's just unfortunate that they chose to make the throwaway the final hole.

The eighteenth hole.

The eighteenth green.

Maple Run is a golf course.

Okay, maybe I can say a bit more about it. I'll give the front nine a little bit of credit, it does have some relatively interesting greens. More so than a lot of golf courses of similar caliber. And while the back nine can be goofy, it at least gives you something to make fun of. The power line on 13 is so unapologetically in your face, to refrain from roasting it would almost be doing Maple Run a disservice. 

I will say, it is a little more expensive to play Maple Run than it probably should be. $40 to walk on a weekend afternoon isn't terrible, but considering location, quality, and the ... modest conditions, it's far from a bargain. On the plus side, I played here multiple times last year, and the pace was usually quite solid. It's a reasonable tradeoff. It's not a good golf course, but playing here is usually an enjoyable experience.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Monkey's Uncle

The brewery: Idiom Brewing Company, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "Think of this as liquid banana bread. Monkey’s Uncle pours a hazy mahogany with a fluffy head, balancing classic notes of ripe banana and clove with the rich depth of toasted bread crust and caramel. It offers all the comfort of a dark beer with the crisp, refreshing finish of a wheat ale. No monkey business, just great flavor."

Would I buy it again? I admit, for the last beer I'd ever buy from Idiom, I played it safe with a beer I was almost positive I'd like. I don't think this particular dunkelweizen was extraordinary (I'm not sure how much banana taste I actually got), but it was perfectly good. Malty and bready, just like a beer of this style should be. It did what I wanted it to, and I'm glad. I went to Idiom many times while I lived in Frederick, and it would have been a shame for the last drink to be a sour one.

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.