Golfadelphia

6,525 yards, 133 Slope from the Blues

I try to think back to my relationship and perception of this game a couple decades ago. What was it that drew me to a golf course back then. Some things have changed and some are pretty much the same. In the early to mid 2000’s, golf was a pastime; something to do with friends for a few hours on the weekend. As such, we looked for nicer places of leisure. Places that looked nice with views and nice conditioning. Nice. Nice service and friendliness. I didn’t concern myself too much with how easy or hard a course was because it really didn’t matter, I wasn’t consistent enough to expect a whole lot. I played a lot of golf in La Quinta when I would visit family and I liked places that reminded me a little bit of that resort type feel. The Nineteenth hole mattered a good deal as we liked to have a couple after the round, maybe catch some of whatever tournament was on. A lot of that has changed now and to be honest, there isn’t a whole lot of the above I put too much stock in nowadays. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is just like back then, I will play any where. I’ve always emphasized how important I think that is. Even if you think you will hate the course, play it any ways. Perhaps you will be wrong but at the very least, you’ll know exactly why you hate it and likely reaffirm something you like or believe in when it comes to course design.

It is tough though. I try to extrapolate the golfer I was back then and compare that to now. I simply know a lot more now. Perhaps that’s the point. I am a much more discerning golfer nowadays as well. There are probably a lot of golfers who played all their lives and never changed in that way. But looking within, yes the more discerning thesis applies to me as well. I look at the structure of play more than anything else and search out the more interesting designs. I don’t give a shit if a tour pro stepped foot on the property or how many leather couches the clubhouse has. How is the course, what is its identity and what are its strengths and weaknesses. With that said, early to mid 2000 me would have liked Whiskey Creek. Opening in 2000 just south of Frederick, Maryland, J. Michael Poellot collaborated with Ernie Els to design on a hilly piece of property. The course plays just over 7,000 yards from the back tees and is full of scenery, forced carries, extraneous beauty and a fairly direct structure of play with a few moments of strategic consideration. Els brought the allure of the tour that has always been an appeal in course design but in the early 2000’s, was fairly critical. The high end public option was a well pursued business model at the time as well. The holes move up and down the hills for the most part and emphasize a good deal of target placement. There are bold visuals and some interest functionally.

To see where we have come from, we look to Whiskey Creek. The last review examined recently opened The Park, which signifies the type of design many golfers now seek out. 25 years ago, Whiskey Creek was the kind of course golfers would seek out. The beauty, brawn, rustic clubhouse and installed artifices to generate character were all extremely appealing at the time. They all conspire to provide one of those nicer places of leisure many equate to the game. Today’s golfer, however, is in search for a bit more. Something a bit more different. Regardless, one can have an enjoyable round here even if the questions asked of the golfer feel fairly similar throughout. I found it a nicely groomed course and the surrounds were pleasing to look at. And yes, their whiskey selection is respectable, as it should be.

The First is a 381 yard par 4 (from the Blues). A dog leg right moving uphill from the tee with bunkers at both sides of the turn. The inside bunkers ensure any tee shot trying to cut off the turn is sufficiently well struck to deserve such a reward while the bunkers on the outside take care of tee shots that run out of fairway. The fairway levels out after the turn and swivels to the green, a few bunkers on the way.

The Second is a 363 yard par 4. Continuing to head straight uphill, the shot needs to account for the below grade bunkers on the left. Otherwise, staying straight is the name of the game here. The sand switches to the right side at the green but the entry point is open as is the left of the green.

The Third is a 169 yard par 3. Still moving uphill and now to one of the largest greens of the course. The apron before the green squeezes between a bunker on either side while the green curves to the rear right corner. A lot of room to miss short and even sideways to some extent but no one wants to go long.

The Fourth is a 532 yard par 5. Still uphill, and straight. The fairway is tree lined and save for a couple bunkers to avoid off the tee. The golfer needs to hit it straight and long, that’s about it. Anything in the trees will be lost yet the sides of the fairway funnel back towards the center of the fairway. The green is fairly deep and is set at a slight angle to the fairway with a greenside bunker on the high right.

The Fifth is a 371 yard par 4. The tee shot is at the highest point of the course and offers views of the Catoctin and Blue Ridge mountains. It’s a nice view and gives the golfer a sense of place. Watching the tee shot boom off down the hill is fairly rewarding in its own right. The fairway dog legs slightly left and down to the green. The green is pushed up a touch with a bunker at the right rear.

The Sixth is a 323 yard par 4. Heading back uphill a bit, the tee shot needs to avoid the bunkers on the left and at the far end of the fairway while accounting for the right to left cant. While a short par 4, the fairway interruption to the green mandates that the golfer lay up so it’s a matter of deciding how long of an approach he wants to settle for. The green is uphill and blind, behind the two center bunkers at the end of the fairway. It moves right to left and is relatively wide.

The Seventh is a 134 yard par 3. The shortest par 3 is to a very wide green with right to left movement and a rather large bunker complex well below the green at the inside left. The green is large yet almost needs to be hit from the tee since recovery shots off green are not very appealing.

The Eighth is a 359 yard par 4. The hole shifts to the left more than it dog legs. A tee shot that carries the bunker on the left rewards the golfer with a short approach while those opting for a safer tee shot will favor the right side in exchange for a longer approach. The narrower green moves from front to back with a larger bunker on the right and smaller one at the left rear.

The Ninth is a 509 yard par 5. The shot is off to the right of the fairway, which cascades downhill to the green. Making sure that the tee shot carries to the fairway is paramount, which allows the golfer to then utilize the downhill on the ensuing shots. A center line bunker about 70 yards before the green needs to be considered at the second shot and favoring the right side opens up more of the green. With the range along the left and woods along the right, there is little recovery options so staying within the fairway corridor is pivotal.

The front nine starts off with a massive climb up the hill then rewards the golfer with a nice view from such heights before coming back down to the clubhouse. The par 4’s have some interest. I would rank them 1, 5, 6, 8, 7, 9, 2, 3, 4.

The back nine starts with the 364 yard par 4 Tenth. Teeing off behind the range, another risk reward scenario presents itself at the left fairway bunker. Those who carry it end up with a favorable approach while the right side is the more conservative landing area. Similar to the Second green, the bunker is set on the right which leaves the left relatively open. The left sided approach is more favorable and shorter, making that risk reward a substantial one.

The Eleventh is a 173 yard par 3. The green is set a touch below the tee and runs from left to right, in line with the hillside upon which it is set. A large bunker guard the right front corner and the golfer would do well to take it on in reaching the green. Perhaps the sliver of apron on the left leaves a little room to miss but most others will face stiff recovery opportunity.

The Twelfth is a 413 yard par 4. The longest par 4 on the course, the elevated tee shot must carry a ravine to reach the other side, then another fifteen yards to hit the ridge so that it runs downhill some. The fairway eventually ends at another ravine so the approach must carry that to the green. The movement is essentially back downhill at front and right to left horizontally. Scenic target golf.

The Thirteenth is a 398 yard par 4. Up the hill with the First off to our right with the fairway canting strongly from right to left. The tee shot is another forced carry over a ravine and the higher side should be favored, almost out of necessity. The left side opens up the green just as we saw at the Tenth but from the right, one just needs to carry bunkers that comfort the green on that side.

The Fourteenth is a 411 yard par 4. This starts the lower lying holes with water running along the entire left side. This water runs alongside Bush Creek, which was used to transport alcohol during Prohibition and yes, was nicknamed Whiskey Creek. It’s more visible off to the left when moving to the Fifteenth green. The tee shot is awkward as the trees on the right encroach more and more the further one goes, so the golfer is forced to lay up off the tee unless his tee shot shows the utmost precision. There is a lot of run up near the green, mostly on the right.

The Fifteenth is a 191 yard par 3. The longest par 3 on the course and the only with water. Pin position may tempt golfer to take on too much of the water but the more steadfast will keep to the center of the green and rely on the flat stick. Any miss sideways is most likely a lost stroke.

The Sixteenth is a 516 yard par 5. Favor the left side and once again with this narrow fairway leading to the elevated green, keep it straight. The left to right movement of the fairway should be used to generate some roll on the first and second shots and even the green should be approached left center and well enough to clear the large apron moving back down the hill. Any shot to the right will be in the trees while those left off fairway will end up in the hills of rough.

The Seventeenth is a 402 yard par 4. The fairway remains inviting enough for the tee shot either before or after the bunker on the right. The approach should favor the right side to avoid the stacked bunkers below the green on the left. A dip in the green separates the front and rear sections as well, so take note for the approach.

The Eighteenth is a 516 yard par 5. We head downhill to the clubhouse but no, it is not the structure one can see from the tee. Those are remnants of the whiskey run from Prohibition days according to the course website. The tee shot can technically move past it on either side but it’s much easier to go around it on the right. The golfer then needs to decide whether to try and carry the water to the fairway and green on the other side, or lay up and approach the green from this side. The approach from the other side of the water is advantageous while even short approaches from the first fairway will need to deal with bunkers short and long the green, demanding a much higher degree of precision. One can hear those on the rocking chairs as they putt out on the green and the hope is there is a free one so they too can rock to and fro. With all the historical references to Prohibition, I kept thinking of that part in The Untouchables when they had that shoot out at the Canadian border. These hills bear a little similarity and I could just imagine those runners using the heavy woods and hills for cover, stopping every and then for a nip of courage and purpose. At least these hills are used for that benevolent mission today as they were back then: camaraderie.

The back nine is a little more geographically varied and as such, the terrain comes into play more often. The last par 5 saves the collection from falling rather flat and the set of par 3’s here are better than the front. I would rank them 13, 17, 15, 12, 18, 11, 10, 14, 16.

Generally, Whiskey Creek is constructed on a hilly wooded site that allows mostly vertical play mostly confined to fairway corridors. The design was some what constricted in that sense, yet at the time of construction, execution based architecture was much more in favor. The course provides scenic beauty throughout with admirable conditioning and a nice historical backstory, all of which are pleasant features. The structure of play, however, is strategically simplistic with much of the challenge reserved for whether the golfer can hit it long, high and straight. I enjoyed myself during the round to be sure. I was with friends, it was a glowing autumn day and the setting was terrific. As to what the public golfer sought out and valued as a golf course in the early 2000’s, Whiskey Creek is a great example. It has consistently held a top spot in places to play in Maryland on Golfweek’s list. As anything beyond an occasional casual round or for those trying to score lower than they did the round prior, the structure of play does not hold the kind of interest or complexity to warrant a whole lot of meaningful repeat play.

Clubhouse/Pro Shop: The wooden structure fits in well to the setting and is a fine place to leisure either before or after the round. How the logo isn’t a bottle or barrel of whiskey floating on a creek or some kind of water is beyond me though.

Practice area: Full driving range, putting green and a little short game area.