Review: Rattlewood Golf Course (Part 2)

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

You don't often see back-to-back par 5s, but Rattlewood is an exception, as the tenth is a 520-yard par 5. After a surprisingly long carry over a pond, the fairway slopes sharply from left to right. That slope makes the second shot very difficult if you want to go for the green in two, since the green is shallow and very heavily bunkered. While some golfers may have the length to go for it, it may be wiser to bail out short and right, leaving a relatively simple uphill pitch running along the length of the green. 

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is 340 yards and ostensibly not drivable, but since the hole plays downhill the whole way, you can get closer than you might think (especially if you make judicious use of the cart path, as my brother and I did). Favoring the left side, flirting with the left-hand fairway bunker, will leave the best angle into the green, which is protected by a bunker front right and a steep dropoff behind.

The eleventh hole

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a long par 3, playing 225 yards over a shallow valley. The green is quite tough to hit; it's not very deep and the bunker protecting the right side is a very major obstacle. This is a hole where you aim at the center of the green and hope things work out with the putter.

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is Rattlewood's final par 5, playing 530 yards to a fairway guarded on the left side by tall grass and O.B. The drive is generally downhill, but because the fairway slopes up the whole way, don't expect to get too much roll. Beyond that, there's not much to the hole beyond a greenside bunker front right. If you can't reach the green in two, simply leave a good distance for the third. Not the most interesting hole in the world.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is 340 yards with a very wide-open tee shot. Technically there's O.B. about 50 yards left of the fairway, but that's really not much of a concern. Feel free to use driver and get as close to the green as possible, but if you do that, be sure to favor the right side. There's a bunker covering the front left section of the green, making pitch shots from the left side a tricky proposition. Approaching this green is easier if you lay back and use a full wedge, I will admit. 

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is just 300 yards, making it potentially drivable for longer hitters. The green is hidden behind a pair of bunkers (and a couple small trees), so going directly at it is probably not a great idea. A slinging draw aimed around the right bunker can sneak on, however. If you don't have the length, favoring the right side of the fairway is a good idea, as that will give you the best angle for the second shot. The green has a fair amount of back-to-front slope and is fairly shallow, so missing long isn't a great idea.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a pretty uncomplicated mid-length par 3, playing 170 yards. The green is fairly narrow, with a bunker right and a noticeable slope left. Missing the green on either side will leave a tricky recovery.

The sixteenth hole.

The seventeenth hole is a mid-length par 4 playing slightly uphill to a fairway sloped from right to left. The fairway's wider than it looks, the trees looming over the left side of the tee stop about 100 yards out, so one can miss left. The second shot is a wedge up to a green protected by two bunkers; the green is highest in the middle and falls away from that point on all sides. It's not by a huge amount, and this isn't a tremendously tricky green, but it's not simple either.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is a 350 yard par 4 doglegging about 90 degrees left around mounding covered with grass and a few trees. You can get pretty close to the green by challenging the dogleg, or you can play safely with a long iron to the middle of the fairway, leaving a full wedge second. The green is on the larger side, sloped from back to front, with two bunkers left and right. It's not a tough finishing hole unless you're a colossal moron and hook your tee shot straight into the pine trees (my brother and I are both colossal morons).

The eighteenth hole.

The eighteenth green.

Fun fact: Rattlewood is actually the easiest golf course on Earth. It must be, since my brother and I broke 80 fairly handily despite us both making double bogey on the final hole. It was his new record by several shots. Everything about this course is mild. The greens aren't massive, but they're not small. They're not flat, but they're not particularly undulating. There's not unlimited space for the driver, but the playing corridors are very, very far from narrow. There are some greenside bunkers, but not too many. It's an easy course, and you know what? There's nothing wrong with that. Not every course needs to be tough. Golf is tough enough as it is. There's nothing to write home about, but there's nothing egregious or irritating either. It's a pleasantly average golf course with an average price tag ($45) that makes you feel good about your game. Sometimes that's all you need.

Review: Rattlewood Golf Course (Part 1)

Back in 2018, I played Rattlewood Golf Course, with every intention of reviewing it. But I forgot my camera, so all it got was a couple sentences in my review of Little Bennett. I've always wanted to get back and actually get pictures for a full review, not because of any great quality but because the course is so close. It's just over a 20-minute drive, which is a pleasant change of pace after my last couple reviews. A 4-hour round trip and a 5-hour round trip for Deerfield and Jeffersonville, respectively. That's a lot of driving.

Rattlewood is one of nine courses in the Montgomery County municipal golf system, though funnily enough it's not entirely within Montgomery County, with several holes either partially or fully in Frederick County. It was built in the 90s by Brian Ault, so there's no great pedigree or history. However, it is laid out over pleasantly rolling terrain, so at the very least it has that going for it.

The first hole is a simple mid-length par 4, a good way to ease into the round. There are no fairway bunkers and just a few trees scattered around, but the fairway slopes from right to left, which makes holding the preferred right side at least a bit tricky. The second shot is uphill to a semiblind green with two bunkers protecting the left side. The green is medium sized, and while not dead flat, isn't especially undulating.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is a pretty long par 4 at 440 yards, and is actually the only par 4 at Rattlewood over 400 yards. The drive is mostly blind, with just a tiny portion of fairway visible from the tee. Other than that, there's no trouble, and the fairway is quite wide, so there's no reason not to get aggressive with a driver. That should leave anything from a wedge to mid iron into the green. The second shot is more complicated, with much of the green protected by a bunker front right (and another left). The green is also more undulating than the previous one. It's not the toughest hole in the world, but it presents a fair challenge. 

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is the first par 5 at Rattlewood, playing 530 yards, uphill the whole way. That sounds like something out of reach for most, but that distance only applies if you play the hole as a three-shotter. The third is straight for about 400 yards, then doglegs right nearly 90 degrees for the last 100 or so. There are some trees in the corner of the dogleg, but they can either be skirted or carried, since none are especially tall. I was able to get green high with a driver and a 3 iron, and my drive missed the fairway left (adding a few extra yards). The fairway on the drive is reasonably generous, but there is a bunker left and tall grass right. Another bunker sits in the corner of the dogleg. The green is pretty long and narrow, with bunkers short left and long.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a mid-length par 3, playing 180 yards over level ground. The green is medium sized but relatively shallow, and there are three bunkers protecting various parts of the green. The play here is to hit your approach in the middle of the green, in between the bunkers, no matter what. It's not worth risking a short-sided bunker shot. Of course, when the hole is cut in the middle of the green anyway, it makes things quite a bit easier.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a downhill 400-yard par 4, with the drive being completely blind. Rest assured though, the fairway is completely open; unless you hit an incredibly severe slice, you'll have a shot at the green. The second shot is trickier; while the green is fairly large, it's reasonably undulating, with a large bunker front left and a native area falling off into water behind. There's also a fairly deep hollow in the fairway front right, so bailing out there leaves just as difficult a shot as any other spot.

Not much to see on the fifth tee.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is the best hole at Rattlewood, and I don't think it's particularly close. At 350 yards, it's not long, but you have to think about things on the drive. The fairway slopes severely from left to right down toward dense forest, and narrows the further you go, pinched by a bunker about 275 yards out. There's not much space for a driver, but you can use it, and the green is nearly reachable if you can carry that bunker. For most, the play is to lay back into the wide part of the fairway and hitting a wedge to a mostly blind green protected by two bunkers in front. Rattlewood doesn't present much challenge or require much thought on its tee shots, but this hole is an exception.

The sixth green.

The sixth fairway is maintained by a small robot mower.

The sixth green.

Superficially, the 360-yard seventh hole also present a challenge on the tee shot, and it's certainly not a driver hole, but unlike the previous hole, this fairway is so narrow and the penalty for missing so severe that there's really no reason to use driver. Use a long iron, get yourself to roughly 150-125 yards, leave a short iron or wedge second. The green is fairly small, with a large bunker front right. This isn't a hole to play aggressively; hit two safe shots, make par, move on. It's not worth blowing up your round for the slight potential to make a birdie.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a little 140 yard par 3, and not a complicated one either. The green isn't large, and there are two bunkers, but this isn't one of those nasty short par 3s where you have to worry about double or worse if you miss the green. Rattlewood isn't a punishing golf course.

The eighth hole.

The ninth hole is the longest hole at Rattlewood, playing 550 yards, though it's mostly downhill. The fairway is expansive; while there's technically trouble in the form of trees, native areas, and O.B. on both sides, in reality there's a hundred yards to work with, so there's no need to fear using driver. To set up the best angle on the second, you'll want to favor the right side. Stray into the left rough and trees will block you out from going directly at the green. The green itself is protected by a bunker front left, and slopes right will guide a drawing wood onto the green quite nicely. There's also a bit of a falloff in the back portion of the green, so be wary of that when hitting a wedge right at the flag. You can easily slip over the back of this green.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

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

Ranking the Golf Courses I Reviewed in 2018

We've reached the end of another year, and it's been an interesting one. Lots of good things have happened, but wow, the weather was absolutely terrible the whole year. A late winter, seemingly endless deluges over the summer, and an early winter. All that made doing these golf course reviews way more stressful than I thought they'd ever be. But I completed my goal of doing one review a month. So, what better way to commemorate 2018 than by ranking all those courses I reviewed? You may recall that I did something similar last year, but in that, I limited myself to golf courses that I never played before, regardless if I had reviewed them yet or not. This year, I'm limiting myself to the 12 golf courses I reviewed in 2018. I may have played them before, and as you'll see, I may not have even played them this year. Sure, there will be some overlap, but I think this will make things more coherent in the future. But that's enough introduction, let's get to the list!

12. The Landings Golf Club

The sixteenth hole at the Landings.

I can't believe I'm writing even more words about this golf course. It's a pancake-flat executive golf course right next to a small airport. It is completely uninteresting, there are no holes that I would consider even remotely good or exciting, and to cap it all off, it isn't even that cheap. I would most definitely not recommend.

Read my review of the Landings here.

11. Glade Valley Golf Club

The sixteenth hole at Glade Valley.

The best thing about Glade Valley is the price. If you do things right and you play here at the right time, you can play a decently maintained, full-length golf course, with cart included, for under 20 dollars. Unfortunately, I think everyone knows that, so while the round is cheap, the golf will be slow. And this isn't an interesting enough golf course to warrant a 5 hour round. It's not bad, I guess, just bland. Lots of holes that play just like other holes.

Read my review of Glade Valley here.

10. Shenandoah Valley Golf Club

The first hole of the Blue nine at Shenandoah Valley. If only the rest of the course looked like this.

Trees. That's the most enduring thought I have about Shenandoah Valley when I look back at my round there. There are lots and lots of trees. Way too many of them. For one, this is bad because my brothers and I spent half our round looking for golf balls. That's no fun and it made the course tougher in an unenjoyable way. And secondly, this was a golf course with excellent terrain overlooking the northern end of Shenandoah National Park. And as you can see from the picture, it's quite an impressive view. But you barely get to see that landscape. You just get to see trees. If the course took out, say, half the trees, I'd move this course up the list. For now, it earns my "Most Disappointing" award.

The second hole on the Red nine.

Read my review of Shenandoah Valley here and here.

9. Flatbush Golf Course

The last hole at Flatbush.

Flatbush is not the most exciting course in the world. But it had a decent amount of variety, had some nice bits of elevation change, had some actually challenging holes, and it was very well priced. And while I can't guarantee you'll have an empty golf course, we certainly did. It's pretty user-friendly too, and I'd say it's a decent place to learn the game.

Read my review of Flatbush here and here.

8. Little Bennett Golf Course

The third hole at Little Bennett. Long is pretty dead.

Not every golf course can meander freely across the landscape. Sometimes, the terrain is so severe that routing options are limited, and even then, the end result can be disjointed and near impossible to walk. Little Bennett is one of those golf courses. Walking isn't even an option here. The course itself is a bit underwhelming. It's certainly got its interesting and quirky moments, but considering the ruggedness of the landscape, I was expecting a bit more. Not to mention that the place is not cheap to play.

There were some nice views at Little Bennett.

Read my review of Little Bennett here and here.

7. Wentworth Golf Club

The extremely difficult second hole at Wentworth. I like the hole, I just wish it came later in the round.

My younger brothers played here when they made a separate trip to Florida, based on my tepid recommendation and the fact that it was one of the few courses open during a day of bad weather. They were under the impression I thought it was the greatest course ever. It is not, and I never thought that. I thought it had some good points but it also had plenty of issues. My general assessment of the course remains the same though, it's tough and narrow, but I can appreciate that in moderation. The front nine, in my opinion, is by far the better of the two nines. The course itself looks great, I especially enjoyed the sandier look of the front nine. But there's too much water in general, and too much OB on the back. It was never my favorite golf course, and it doesn't even crack the top half of this list. Is that better?

The fourteenth hole at Wentworth.

Read my review of Wentworth here and here.

6. Westminster National Golf Club

The seventh hole at Westminster National is, to put it mildly, a bit strange.

Westminster National is an interesting proposition. Is it a good golf course? To be honest, it really isn't. It's not bad, but it's simply maintained, kind of bare bones, nothing fancy. However, much like Little Bennett, Westminster National is situated on a very rugged piece of property. That level of elevation change combined with a basic design lends itself to a certain level of quirkiness. And Westminster National has some extremely quirky holes. The king of strange has to be the seventh hole, which is a short par 5 that doglegs 90 degrees at around the 250 yard mark down a big hill, crosses a small stream, only to climb back up almost the same height in half the distance. But the quirkiness isn't limited to that one hole, there's enough weirdness to keep you going through the round. Westminster National constantly put a smile on my face, and that's why it's in the top half of my list.

Much like Wentworth, the second at Westminster National shows no mercy.

Read my review of Westminster National here and here.

5. Triggs Memorial Golf Course

I'm being a bit merciful and giving Triggs the benefit of the doubt. I had way more fun during my round at Westminster National than at Triggs, and I'm betting both of my brothers would say the same thing. The golf at Triggs was mediocre, and the only thing slower than the pace of play was the green speed. However... this is still a Donald Ross course we're talking about. A relatively untouched Donald Ross with lots of authentic New England charm and aesthetic. There was plenty of subtle strategy and challenge as well. If the greens had been appropriately paced, Triggs would be up one, maybe two, spots.

Read my review of Triggs Memorial here and here.

4. Dunedin Golf Club

The tenth hole at Dunedin, nestled among palms and live oaks.

We go from an old Donald Ross course to... an old Donald Ross course. But this one is in Florida! And the greens didn't feel like you were putting through Velcro! Otherwise, Triggs and Dunedin feel pretty similar. Obviously, Dunedin is flatter, but it's not as flat as you might expect from a Florida golf course. There's enough movement to be interesting. It's reasonably challenging for the good golfer, but because water only comes into play on a couple of holes, it's completely playable for the not-so-good golfer. It won't deliver extreme thrill, but it is relatively affordable and fun golf. I wish there were more courses like it.

The fourth hole. You couldn't ask for a better day to play golf.

Read my review of Dunedin here and here.

3. Royal Manchester Golf Links

I think it's pretty fair to say I have an affinity for older golf courses. All four of the Golden Age courses on my list are in the top five. However, as proof that I am not completely biased against modern golf courses, I present Royal Manchester. It has its faults, the ninth and eighteenth holes are fronted by water and feel out of place and there is a 400 yard walk to a tee so that you can play a hole that doubles back in the direction you just came from. Otherwise, Royal Manchester is a solid golf course with quite a few good strategic holes. It's very well maintained and also fairly cheap, making it extremely good value. I'd definitely make the hour and a half long drive to play there again.

Read my review of Royal Manchester here and here.

2. Keney Park Golf Course

The Redan at Keney Park. Definitely not your standard par 3.

The Church Pew bunker next to the eighth green. Definitely not your standard greenside bunker.

It is very difficult for the average golfer to experience Macdonald/Raynor replica holes. C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor worked almost exclusively for a extremely wealthy clientele, and as such, most of their courses are extremely private. There are a couple exceptions and there are some courses that pay homage to the style, but most of this group is expensive to play. Keney Park is an exception. If there's a cheaper way to experience Macdonald/Raynor replica holes, I don't know it. For $40, you can play a Redan, a Biarritz, a Short, a Road, among some other lesser known replicas and original holes. All in a location just a couple miles from the center of Hartford. Not only does Keney Park possess fun, rolling terrain and an endlessly entertaining set of greens, it's set in an almost unbelievably serene forest. You can't see the city, you can't hear the city, you feel isolated from the world. It's not easy, but it is relentlessly memorable, and I definitely recommend it if you're in Hartford.

The graveyard-adjacent twelfth.

The ninth green with its Road bunker.

Read my review of Keney Park here and here.

1. Shennecossett Golf Course

The sixteenth green at Shennecossett, overlooking the mouth of the Thames as it empties into Long Island Sound.

While my choice of Shennecossett as the best course I played in 2018 isn't quite as obvious as my choice of Atlantic City last year, if Keney Park didn't beat it, nothing would. It's very close between the two, and if you prefer Keney Park, I completely understand. It has a lot going for it. But so does Shennecossett. Shennecossett has history. And while the Donald Ross design has been changed and altered, a lot remains, and the new portions were woven in almost perfectly. And let's not forget that the course looks incredible. It's exactly how a seaside course should look, with plenty of wide open space and fescue at the peripheries, waving in the sea breeze. And it has what I would say is the finest view of any course I've ever played. The sixteenth hole is something I won't soon forget. Don't worry though, Shennecossett doesn't depend on the strength of its looks, there's plenty of substance and strategy here too. With about a hundred bunkers scattered around, you're almost guaranteed to have something to think about on every shot. Simply put, Shennecossett is everything you could want from a golf course, and for only $40 a round, it's great value too. I would definitely play here again if I was ever in the area.

The fourteenth hole.

The tenth hole.

The sixth hole, with the fourth in the background.

Looking back down the seventeenth hole toward the river.

Read my review of Shennecossett here and here.

And now, it's time to move on 2019! Once again, I plan on doing one course review a month, and I've already got reviews lined up through March. So stay tuned!