The Frederick Five: The 5 Best Public Golf Courses in Maryland
THE FREDERICK FIVE
The 5 Best Public Golf Courses in Maryland
(Greater Frederick Area, Maryland)
INTRODUCTION
I often get asked what my favorite courses in Maryland are. The truth is, Maryland has a lot of great golf courses. Maryland has everything from high-end, old, established private country clubs, to executive courses and par 3 tracks, municipal courses operated by the city or county, and everything in between. There is a little bit of everything for everyone but to me, Frederick, Maryland is home to five of the best courses that anyone can play. I call them, the Frederick Five.
THE COURSES
The Frederick Five are 5 daily fee, public golf courses all within a few minutes of Frederick, Maryland, which is located in Central Maryland, within an hour from Washington DC, Baltimore, and Annapolis. The courses are PB Dye, Worthington Manor, Whiskey Creek, Maryland National, and Musket Ridge.
Each of these courses embodies the best Maryland has to offer. Built on some of the most amazing land in the state, each course features rolling hills, woodlands, and views of the natural scenery. The courses are well designed, offer great conditions, and as I’ve mentioned, are available to the public to play!
Each of the Frederick Five runs along the i270 corridor that connects Frederick to Washington DC. If you continued down i270 south towards Washington DC, you’d eventually run into some of the best private clubs in the area including Congressional Country Club, Columbia Country Club, Bethesda Country Club, Burning Tree, TPC Avenel, and Chevy Chase Club. And while those clubs are quite exclusive and inaccessible to the public, the Frederick Five are courses anyone can play!
Starting on the south end, PB Dye is possibly the most polarizing of the Frederick Five. The very reasons why PB Dye is my personal favorite course in the Frederick Five are the reasons why many players in the area don’t like it. Let’s back up for a minute to create some context.
When it first opened, PB Dye was no doubt one of the most difficult courses in the state and unfortunately wasn’t always in the best condition. The undulating greens, blind tee shots, tall grasses, and receptive bunkers made it too difficult for the general public, and the conditions made it a place people wouldn’t soon return. And unfortunately, this reputation has stuck with the locals. I often hear people say “I haven’t played there in years. The last time I played it was too hard and wasn’t in good shape.” If this sounds like you, I implore you to go back and check it out again.
Over the years, the course has been tweaked and modified, removing bunkers, mowing down some of the taller grasses, and making the course overall more accessible and fun. For these reasons, it’s easily my favorite public course in the state, offering great views, an amazing layout, fun driving holes, and some of the best approach shots in the state. I love the large contoured greens, and opportunities to get creative while playing.
WORTHINGTON MANOR
Just north of PB Dye, not far down the road, is Worthington Manor. Worthington Manor has hosted numerous tournaments at the local and state level including PGA section events, Collegiate tournaments, and more. It’s a classic 18-hole championship layout that’s challenging yet fair. The greens are normally firm and fast and have enough slope to keep you on your toes. The layout winds along the property beautifully, crisscrossing the land, making the most of the natural slopes and contours.
There are plenty of holes that will challenge you, like the par 4 12th or the par 3 17th, but also plenty of holes that will give you fun tee shots and opportunities to put up a good score like holes 9 or 16. The course is welcoming and inviting and offers competitive rates and good conditions. While it is a walkable course for those who are conditioned, you may want to ride the first time or two while you get to know the layout.
Whiskey Creek is possibly the most well-known of the Frederick Five. When I’m talking with locals, it’s usually the one they’ve played the most often. When it opened in 2000, Whiskey Creek was named one of the best courses in the state and still holds a reputation of being a premier public daily fee course.
Out of all the courses in the Frederick Five, to me, Whiskey Creek is the easiest. The fairways are large, the greens receptive, the bailout areas plenty, and the conditions always good. Whiskey Creek offers a few tee shots that are second to none when it comes to fun including the pr 4 5th which starts on top of a rocky outcropping, surrounded by boulders, looking out to an open horizon, mountains in the background, with the fairway a hundred feet below you. This semi-blind tee shot allows you to send one out into the ether and watch it hang in the air for longer than expected.
MARYLAND NATIONAL
Just north of Frederick we find Maryland National, one of the most diverse tracks in the state. Also situated on rolling hills, woodlands, and rock outcroppings, Maryland National offers 18 completely unique holes, and a variety of different shots. There are relatively few flat holes and Maryland National. Most holes are going up a hill, down a hill, being hit from the side of a hill, or a combination of all the above.
Maryland National is NOT a course I would suggest walking. Some of the hills are so severe that there’s a high chance you’ll impede the pace of play. That said, the same hills that challenge players who walk, offer amazing shots and views of the whole valley. The key to playing Maryland National well is being able to control your distances. While there are certainly holes that are more open than others, Maryland National is not a course you want to be spraying the ball on. There isn’t much room to bailout on many shots, making distance control a premium, epecially when you start factoring in elevation changes and potential wind, swinging smooth and making good contact will work out better than trying to over power the course.
MUSKET RIDGE
The northernmost of the Frederick Five courses, only just around the corner from Maryland National is Musket Ridge. Musket Ridge is Semi-Private meaning it offers both Private Membership as well as Daily Fee Public access. As the name suggests, Musket Ridge is built upon a ridge that, like every course in the Frederick Five, offers amazing views, and a unique layout that captures the essence of Maryland.
The clubhouse sits on top of the ridge and the first and tenth tees are the highest points on the golf course. From there you send your ball down the hill into the valley below where the remaining 16 holes wind and weave around the property, creating some unique risk-reward opportunities. Musket Ridge probably offers the most risk-reward out of any of the Frederick Five, offering plenty of opportunities to choose your preferred method of attack, allowing you to play your own game. The par 4 11th comes to mind, offering opportunity to take Driver and go for the green, a lesser metal to position yourself inside 100 yards, or an iron off the tee to leave a full wedge or short iron into the green. There’s no right answer as I’ve personally been able to make par trying all 3 options.
CONCLUSION
If you’re looking for the best public golf Maryland has to offer, look no further than The Frederick Five. While the Frederick Five may not be Nationally Recognized (yet), there’s no doubt in my mind that as the word gets out, they will transform into a destination retreat, attracting players from around the country to visit the area and play some of the best golf Maryland has to offer.
MOVE BETTER - PLAY BETTER
COACH BLAINE ⛳🏌️♂️
For more, visit www.TourShotGolf.com
Comments
Post a Comment