Course Review: Cross Creek Golf Club
It's been quite a while since I wrote a course review, and though I have notes and pictures about much heftier courses that are in the course review queue, I feel compelled to write a few words about the course I played on Saturday morning, Cross Creek Golf Club.
I wasn't expecting a whole lot when I showed up at the course in Beltsville, MD at around 7:30am. When I rolled into the lot, it appeared to be just an average public course. The guy in the shop was nice enough, and the weekend rate of $59 was appealing. A small bucket of balls was included in the green fee, so I went to the range to try to find a little bit of tempo before the round got underway.
The range is grass (surprise!!), but it's an "irons only" range. These kinds of ranges really tick me off. Why build 18 holes of golf, preserve a bunch of weedy wetlands, pave cart paths, build bridges over streams, construct a clubhouse, etc. and not even make the range long enough to hit drivers? It's unconscionable. With the way I hit my driver, I need to take at least ten whacks with it before my round. Now I'm hosed.
The course starts off with a nice par 5, followed by a decent par 3. Quirky way to begin, but I let it go. Even though I got off to an okay start, I began to undertand why the starter told us that anything that goes into the trees or environmental hazards should be left alone and treated as laterals. The "laterals" are no more than five yards off the fairway on every hole. There's almost no rough to be found, as everything dives directly into "forest restoration areas" and nasty gunge. The fairways are tight enough on their own-- with these junk areas so close to the edges, there is absolutely no margin for error --- ON THE ENTIRE COURSE!
Cross Creek is one of the most penal courses I've ever played because of the way it's set up. I hit some bad shots, but some that fell victim to the gunge were pretty decent. I lost count, but I would imagine I had 10-15 penalty shots.
We played from the tips, and it was only about 6,300 yards. I don't mind short courses, but Cross Creek takes the driver out of one's hands on nearly every hole because of how tight it is. It is truly ridiculous.
My other major beef is that there was standing water everywhere in the fairways. It hadn't rained in at least a week, yet the management chose dark green, sloppy fairways over light green/tan fairways that play hard and fast. Every shot that landed in the fairway that was more than five feet off the ground, plugged. What fun...
The layout had some bright spots. Some of the par threes were nice, and the first par five (I think it is #13) on the back nine was solid. However, one feels wedged in on every hole, and unless you hit it perfectly straight, it's a pain to play.
The marshal was extremely nice. He was probably the most affable marshall I've ever encountered. Too bad he was the best thing about Cross Creek. I won't go back anytime soon. The only things that could get me to return would be: 1) a guarantee that the fairways aren't soaked, and 2) revenge for letting such a short course get the best of me.
I wasn't expecting a whole lot when I showed up at the course in Beltsville, MD at around 7:30am. When I rolled into the lot, it appeared to be just an average public course. The guy in the shop was nice enough, and the weekend rate of $59 was appealing. A small bucket of balls was included in the green fee, so I went to the range to try to find a little bit of tempo before the round got underway.
The range is grass (surprise!!), but it's an "irons only" range. These kinds of ranges really tick me off. Why build 18 holes of golf, preserve a bunch of weedy wetlands, pave cart paths, build bridges over streams, construct a clubhouse, etc. and not even make the range long enough to hit drivers? It's unconscionable. With the way I hit my driver, I need to take at least ten whacks with it before my round. Now I'm hosed.
The course starts off with a nice par 5, followed by a decent par 3. Quirky way to begin, but I let it go. Even though I got off to an okay start, I began to undertand why the starter told us that anything that goes into the trees or environmental hazards should be left alone and treated as laterals. The "laterals" are no more than five yards off the fairway on every hole. There's almost no rough to be found, as everything dives directly into "forest restoration areas" and nasty gunge. The fairways are tight enough on their own-- with these junk areas so close to the edges, there is absolutely no margin for error --- ON THE ENTIRE COURSE!
Cross Creek is one of the most penal courses I've ever played because of the way it's set up. I hit some bad shots, but some that fell victim to the gunge were pretty decent. I lost count, but I would imagine I had 10-15 penalty shots.
We played from the tips, and it was only about 6,300 yards. I don't mind short courses, but Cross Creek takes the driver out of one's hands on nearly every hole because of how tight it is. It is truly ridiculous.
My other major beef is that there was standing water everywhere in the fairways. It hadn't rained in at least a week, yet the management chose dark green, sloppy fairways over light green/tan fairways that play hard and fast. Every shot that landed in the fairway that was more than five feet off the ground, plugged. What fun...
The layout had some bright spots. Some of the par threes were nice, and the first par five (I think it is #13) on the back nine was solid. However, one feels wedged in on every hole, and unless you hit it perfectly straight, it's a pain to play.
The marshal was extremely nice. He was probably the most affable marshall I've ever encountered. Too bad he was the best thing about Cross Creek. I won't go back anytime soon. The only things that could get me to return would be: 1) a guarantee that the fairways aren't soaked, and 2) revenge for letting such a short course get the best of me.
posted by John Gorman at 4:29 PM
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