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.

Review: University of Maryland Golf Course (Part 1)

Back in 2019, I reviewed Glenn Dale Golf Club, a course in a D.C. suburb designed by George Cobb back in the 1950s. It wasn't anything spectacular, but I enjoyed it, and I was bummed to find it would soon close (and has closed). In that review, I mentioned that Glenn Dale had a cousin of sorts in the University of Maryland Golf Course. Located in College Park, adjacent to the University of Maryland (how about that), UMGC was also designed by George Cobb in the 1950s, and occupies the same sort of rolling, forested terrain that Glenn Dale did.

However, UMGC was renovated and redesigned in 2009, and while I'm not sure exactly on what was done, from my research, I don't think it treated the course the best. Not all renovations are good. But let's take a look for ourselves, and see what sort of golf course UMD has.

The first hole is not the gentlest opener; at 460 yards it's the second longest par 4 at UMGC. If you wish to have a fairly flat stance for the second, then you'll need to hit a 3 wood or something similar to reach the top of a plateau, flirting with a fairway bunker. That bunker is easily cleared with a solid driver, but then you'll face a second from a downhill stance, not to mention the narrowing fairway, squeezed between trees left and water right. The only bunker around the green is behind, so you'd be best off not going long on the second. The green here, as is the case with basically all of the greens, is pretty uninspired, slightly sloped from back to front. Don't expect any wacky breaks at this course.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is also a long par 4 at 450 yards, and it's even tougher than the first. The fairway slopes sharply from right to left, and marsh runs along the first 300 yards of the hole very near the left side of the fairway. There's plenty of room right, but the fairway is angled more the further right you get, which is not ideal. The second shot is uphill to a semiblind green with bunkers front left and back right. UMD gets off to a tough start.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is more than 100 yards shorter than the previous two holes, playing just 330 yards. The tee shot plays sharply downhill over a small stream cutting across the fairway, but a reasonably solid drive over 200 yards will clear that. Once you get over the stream, the fairway climbs, so don't expect too much roll. In addition, two bunkers right narrow the fairway, and if you want the best angle into the green, you'll need to favor the right side. The green is blind, save for the flag, with a cluster of three bunkers front left. It is a fairly large green, and at the very least this one does have a hint of undulation to it. It's a good chance to get one back after a difficult start.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is just under 200 yards and is a pretty tough proposition. The hole plays uphill and the green is wide but shallow. It's also perched behind a very large, deep bunker, with two smaller bunkers covering the back portion of the green. The green is tilted from back to front, so if you can hit the green, your shot is more likely to stay put rather than rolling over. That's something at least to mitigate the difficult of a very difficult tee shot.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a mid-length par 4 with a single bunker right and trees and native area left. The fairway in between is fairly wide, especially before the bunker. Threading a driver between the bunker and the high grass is trickier. The second shot will be a wedge or short iron into a large green protected by one bunker right and two left. The green slopes away slightly at the back, so shots can roll over the green pretty easily.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is another long par 4, this one just under 460 yards and slightly uphill. The drive needs to be hit between bunkers on each side of the fairway, though there is a decent amount of space in between, so that's not too difficult. A solid drive will leave a short to mid iron up to a semiblind green with a deep bunker left and a slightly shallower bunker right.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is a fairly short par 4 at 360 yards, playing through a relatively corridor of dense trees to a fairway sloping from left to right. It's easy to end up right, but that leaves a trickier pitch over a deep greenside bunker to a smallish green. You'll definitely want to favor the left side with the drive.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is the sort of hole I like to see. It's a 120-yard downhill par 3, so it's all about finesse and accuracy, not brute force. There's plenty of trouble in the form of bunkers short and left, as well as water lurking long, but remember, it's just a little wedge, so it's a good birdie opportunity for pretty much everyone. I would like to see the two sides of the green extended, forming a bit of a boomerang around the central greenside bunker, but I'm probably in the minority on that one. I think it would make an already fun hole even more fun.

The eighth hole.

The ninth hole is the first and technically shortest of UMGC's three par 5s at 547 yards, but considering the longest is 552, there's not much difference length-wise between them. The drive here is downhill, but since the fairway heads uphill the whole way, don't expect too much roll. Bunkers pinch the fairway in on both sides, so that's something to keep in mind. Beyond a small bunker right of the fairway about 75 yards short, there's not much to worry about on the lay-up, but people going for the green in two will have to contend with two bunkers left and one bunker right of the green. Unlike most of the rest, this green does actually have some noticeable undulation, and slopes significantly from back to front. Nothing spectacular, but better than nothing.

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.