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Showing posts from February, 2023

Golf Course Review: East Potomac, Washington DC

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  EAST POTOMAC Washington DC February 7, 2023 OVERVIEW FACILITY TYPE: Public WEBSITE:  https://playdcgolf.com/east-potomac-golf-links/ PHONE:  (202) 554-7760   There are few courses more special than East Potomac. I remember visiting Washington DC for the first time during my 8th grade field trip and seeing the East Potomac Golf Course, thinking, how cool would it be to play golf in downtown Washington DC, surrounded by the capital and all the nation’s history?! Fast forward nearly 20 years later and I finally teed it up. East Potomac has 3 golf courses, all downtown adjacent to the mall. The Blue course is an 18-hole championship design playing between 4,638 - 6,599 yards to a par of 72. The White course is a 9-hole executive course which includes a few par 4’s, playing between 1,570 - 2,420 yards to a par of 33, and the Red course is a 9-hole par 3 course playing between 965 - 1,142 yards to a par of 27. Having grown up learning how to play primarily on an executive course, I believ

Golf Course Review: PB Dye Golf Club, Ijamsville, Maryland

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  PB Dye Golf Club Ijamsville, Maryland February 5, 2023 OVERVIEW FACILITY TYPE: Semi-Private YEAR OPENED: 1999 ARCHITECT: PB Dye PAR: 72 LENGTH: 5,030 - 7,056 USGA RATING: 64.7 - 74.6 USGA SLOPE: 122 - 143 TEE OPTIONS: 5 WEBSITE: www.pbdyegolf.com PHONE: (301) 607-4653   Part of what I’ve dubbed  The Frederick Five, PB Dye Golf Club is perhaps my favorite public golf course in the state of Maryland. And while I still have many courses I still need to play, every time I return to PB Dye, I’m reminded why I love it so much. When I talk to others in the area about PB Dye, I often get a mixed response. It has the reputation of being a “hard” course, with greens that are “unfair” and while I’m not going to call is an “easy” course, I think it’s more accessible than most people give it credit for and choosing the correct tees to play from will undoubtedly make or break your round. Something you should know about me is that I LOVE sloped and undulating greens, and PB Dye has just th

Golf Course Review: The Hackler at Coastal Carolina University, Conway, South Carolina

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  THE HACKLER @ CCU Conway, South Carolina January 29, 2023 OVERVIEW FACILITY TYPE: Public YEAR OPENED: 1968 / 2011 ARCHITECT: Gene Hamm / Craig Schreiner PAR: 72 LENGTH: 5,270 - 6,886 USGA RATING: 69.0 - 73.2 USGA SLOPE: 119 - 132 TEE OPTIONS: 4 WEBSITE: www.Coastal.edu/HacklerCourse PHONE: (843) 349-6600   I have played more rounds of golf at The Hackler than at any other course in the world. Conservatively I estimate I’ve played well over 5,000 holes over the years. The Hackler is the home course at Coastal Carolina University where I attended and completed their PGM Professional Golf Management Program. I passed my PAT there back when it was Quail Creek. I even worked there during my Senior year. I’ve seen the course, the facilities, my friends, and the PGM program evolve over the years, and I am proud to call myself a Coastal PGM Alum.  When I started the PGM program in 2008, Quail Creek didn’t even have an irrigation system. There were no sprinkler heads with yardages, a