Musket Ridge Golf Club (Meyersville, MD)

Joe Lee designed Musket Ridge when he was 81. It was the finale in a long list of accomplished golf courses. In fact, 20% of the courses on tour in the '90s were Joe Lee designs including La Costa, Cog Hill, and Doral, just to name a few. 

(The gorgeous opening hole at Musket Ridge.)

Musket Ridge is in a gorgeous setting overlooking the Catoctin mountains. Joe Lee said it was one of the best pieces of property he'd seen. 

Joe's designs have a tendency to be playable for the average golfer, yet he always has an elbow or corner in the green where the pin could be tucked for tournament use. The architecture will not blow anyone away, but it will challenge those trying to shoot a low round or break their handicap. 

Musket Ridge is pure golf. The experience of being out in nature, enjoying the game, playing with friends makes this a wonderful place. 

(The par three second hole. Notice how the bunkers have different elevation. This gives the hole great definition and adds to the visual of the shot.) 

(Another prime example of bunkers having different elevation. Look how beautiful that hole looks!) 

(The par five fifth plays close to the perimeter of the property. The green is lower than the fairway, if you can carry the trap, then the ball can bound down towards it.) 

Golfweek ranks Musket Ridge the #10 public course in Maryland. I played it in adverse conditions. I remember several holes, but what I remember most are the beautiful views. And that is what makes this course so worth playing! I give it a 6 (very good).

Whiskey Creek Golf Course (Ijamsville, Maryland)

When Whiskey Creek first opened, every major golf publication had a picture of the eighteenth hole. 

(Golf Magazine called it "a spectacular finishing hole.")

This hole was the catalyst of my desire to see Whiskey Creek, and when I went on my 2004 spring golf trip, Whiskey was possibly the highlight. 

The strength of Whiskey Creek lies in it's great collection of par fives. The fourth is a great uphill three shotter. The ninth, my favorite, is risk/reward. A gnarly tree in the ravine acts as the dividing point, conservative shots to the left, while a 225 yard carry to the right can make the hole reachable. The sixteenth is uphill all the way with a well defended green making the player think twice bout going for it. And finally the eighteenth with the stone house in the middle of the fairway. There's plenty of room down the right, but there are other options including carrying the unique hazard which long hitters can do. The lake fronting the green adds  to the excitement and drama!

The par threes are all very good, with the eleventh, pictured above, possibly being the best. The shot is across vegetation to a green beautifully benched into the hill. The fifteenth also gets a lot of recognition. It's a 222 yard par three over water and sand. 

(Fifteenth at sunset.)

Typically when the par fives and par threes are as good as they are at Whiskey, the course has a chance at being something very special. J Michael Poellot did a nice job with the par fours, but none of them really standout as being great. The exception might be fourteen, a downhill par four with water guarding the left. 

There is nothing wrong with the other holes, I just didn't find them to be better than the usual par fours at other courses. They were solid. 

(This is the fifth, a dogleg left par four over some outcroppings. Beautiful view of the mountains in background.)

(The shaping of the course is pleasing to the eye. It fits the CCFAD qualifications.) 

I can remember many of the holes at Whiskey Creek, but still a significant amount fails me. This means looking at my notes from twelve years ago. The younger me was very impressed with it, and it's one of the courses I would love to see again. It is the #4 rated public course in Maryland. It's definitely worth playing. I give it a 6 (very good)! 

Oglebay Speidel Course (Wheeling, WV)

Robert Trent Jones designed Speidel in 1969.  It's a beautiful piece of property in the hills of Wheeling, West Virginia, yet it's also a very difficult piece of property too. 

(The 452 yard first hole is a stout opener.)

Speidel is a typical "hard par, easy bogey" course as the holes go up and down the hills. The greens are canted and sloped. It's just a classic looking golf course! 

Three of the par threes are drop shot holes. The fourth is the best known as the green is fronted by a pond. 

(Many flowering trees frame the holes at Oglebay.) 

The eleventh is just as beautiful except the green is fitted into the hill with a large bunker fronting it. Fifteen is much shorter downhill shot, but the green is trickier to hit close to the flag. 

The meat of the course is the par fours. Four of them are over 450 yards. The third is 452 and uphill, a beast of a hole to make par on. 

(420 yard sixth plays downhill across a sideslope.) 

The last three holes are all long four pars that demand big drives and long irons. Eighteen is the best of the bunch as the hole doglegs left around a valley. The long hitter needs to choose how much to cut off while the shorter player can use the slope to propel his ball past the turn. 

With the ball above your feet, the player can turn the ball off the front right bunker and hit the middle of the green. At 462 yards, it's the longest par four on the course. 

The par fives are the weakness here, and Jones tried to use them to connect the toughest parts of the property. The fifth is virtually a boomerang that looks like turn four at the Daytona 500! It basically plays in a bowl of a hill. Eight has that same issue except it's the second shot, and the green has a very severe slope. Granted it's just two holes, but they definitely weigh the course down. 

The beauty of Oglebay is undisputed. Being between Pittsburgh, Columbus and Cleveland, many people come here for a relaxing vacation or weekend. For better golfers, the Speidel is a challenging course and is worth a play. I think its a 4 (above average). Unfortunately, this is my second Jones course, and fun is not a word I would use. (Tanglewood Park NC) 

Still, the course held the LPGA for over a decade, a testament to it's beauty and brawn. 

Pipestem Resort State Park (Pipestem, WV)

Pipestem State Park is a wonderful place to enjoy nature, and I don't feel golf was necessarily on the list as a priority there. Nonetheless, a piece of property with great views and an architect with pedigree should have been able to design a more than functional golf course. Geoffrey Cornish, a northeast guy who is familiar with tough terrain, designed what I would call a pedestrian course. 

(The seventeenth plays 199 yards across the corner of the mountain. Wonderful views as the player walks to the green. This and eighteen make for an excellent ending!) 

The first thirteen holes have one decent stretch of golf, three, four, and five. All three play atop the perimeter of the mountain, and any ball hit right will be gone. All the others play like Cornish was anticipating the course being played by beginners. It's quite disappointing. 

Then stepping on the fourteenth, the last five holes are fantastic! Fourteen is 203 yards over the ravine. Fifteen is 447 between large mature trees. 599 sixteenth is a monster three shot hole. Then 199 yard seventeen plays over the corner of the mountain, the views are tremendous as you look out across the valley and mountain tops! Then eighteen is a 443 yard uphill par four that plays to a plateau fairway and to an elevated green! If the other holes could have been like this, then Pipestem would be a top golf destination. 

Pipestem is a fantastic place to get away for the weekend. If golf crosses your mind, then a nice option. I feel it's an average course with a great ending. I give it a 3 (average).

Cranberry Highlands Golf Club (Cranberry, PA)

Cranberry Highlands is situated atop a hill, one of the few ways to alleviate the up and down topography most western Pennsylvania courses have. Not only does being on top provide beautiful vistas, but holes are relatively flat from tee to green. 

(The beautiful first hole shows off all the grand qualities of Cranberry Highlands.) 

Cranberry Highlands is a municipal course that was designed by Bill Love in 2002. Most holes sport plenty of width off the tee, and are very playable for the average golfer. It's not exceptionally long either. It's pretty much what most municipalities are looking for when they're investing money into building a golf course, number one being having fun! 

On difficult property, it's very common to have five par threes, so Love uses the short holes to connect the golf course together, and while most of the course plays atop the hill, the par threes play on the sides. 

(The downhill par three third plays to a penisula green. Left pins can be very intimidating, but plenty of room to bail out right.)

(By playing lower than the top, Love was able to put all the fours and fives on the hill. Most would say the par threes are the best holes on the course.)

 (218 yard sixteenth is a very natural hole playing from an elevated tee across the ravine to an elevated green. Not a single bunker was needed and the short grass around the green gives an opportunity to up n down for par. This is possibly the best hole at Cranberry.) 

The par fives are all very long, and the 542 yard seventh has a green half hidden behind a hill. Overall, an average group, but three good shots are needed to make a birdie. 

Cranberry has plenty of short par fours, giving everybody a chance to a make a few pars and possibly a birdie. 

(The wide fairway on eleven allows players to be as aggressive as they like off the tee.) 

(Possibly driveable, the twelfth can be played in several ways, tho a layup short of the fairway bunker leaves a simple pitch.) 

(The 391 yard sixteenth is the only dogleg at Cranberry, thus it stands out. Every other hole plays straightaway, eliminating the drama of a spectacular hole.) 

(The fifth is a good short par four complete with centerline bunker that forces players to make a decision off the tee.) 

Bill Love does toss a few long par fours at the player, most notably the 424 yard fourteenth and the 438 yard seventeenth. In fact the last six holes are all tough pars so better take advantage of the short ones earlier in the round. 

Cranberry Highlands does a lot of good things. In fact, the Pittsburgh Golf Review has it as one of the top ten courses (#10) in the area. It's in great shape and it's playable. Those are two things every municipal should want for their citizens. It's not a very difficult, so there is a good opportunity to shoot a low score. I give it a 5 (good). 

Roses Run Country Club (Stow, OH)

Roses Run is the perfect example of a residential golf community whose priority is the houses and not the golf course. Brian Huntley shoehorned eighteen holes into a a jumbled parcel of land. If you like the look of homes at every turn, then Roses Run is the course for you. 

(The par five fourteenth plays alongside the river. 13-15 is a nice three hole stretch with no homes to hinder the view.)

How bad is it? Golf Digest selected the par four fourth as one of the worst holes in America. It doglegs right....around the third tee box! I would also point out the home behind the green. A skulled or thin shot would easily hit it. The following two holes are no better! An awkward par five and a reverse C par four complete the trifecta. 

There's really only four holes to talk about, 12, 14, 16, & 18. The twelfth plays atop an escarpment before turning left and dropping downhill to the green. It's my favorite drive on the course! Unfortunately, there's not enough room to hit the layup shot. And if you don't hit a good drive, then the second really becomes unplayable. Fourteen, which is pictured above, is a short par five. There's very little room to layup, so basically it's a go for broke second shot. Short hitters are at a huge disadvantage. Sixteen has a great green site, possibly the best one at Roses Run. Then eighteenth finishes in style. 

It's a 391 yard dogleg right par four. The water hazard gives it a big time ending feel. 

The main asset at Roses Run is the clubhouse. In fact, there are so many weddings and events, I wouldn't be surprised if it was their main source of income. 

It's definitely one of the biggest I've ever seen! 

I haven't heard anybody talk about Roses Run in awhile. And the reason for that is pretty simple: it's not that good. The homes are claustrophobic, there are few views that make one feel like their outdoors, and the architecture is poorly done. I like Huntley so I can only imagine the developer hand tied him. It's a 2(below average) course. Too many places to play to make a trip here. 

Sandpiper Golf Club (Santa Barbara, CA)

In Tom Doak's book "The Condidential Guide", he called Sandpiper "the Torrey Pines of the north". 

(The awesome short par four tenth! Endless views! And a testy approach shot with the ball slightly above your feet.)

He's not the first person to criticise William Bell's design. Many think the inland holes do not match the splendor and intensity of the cliff side ocean holes. I've even read people calling the inland holes pedestrian. And I agree, however, I think the low key approach emphasizes Bell's unwillingness to compete with the Sandpiper's unbelievable location and scenery. I can remember being on the practice green and being perfectly content!

How can you not love this place?! Look at that view!!

The first four holes at Sandpiper are inland, and the anticipation to see the ocean builds after each shot. While these aren't the glamour holes, they are a tough beginning to the round. 

(The 471 yard second demands a very precise drive to have a shot thru the gate.)

(232/205 yard fourth is no nonsense par three. The fairway in background is the par five fifth.)

The fifth is an uphill par five that ends with a green overlooking the ocean. It's a skyline green, and all you see is the white ball against the blue sky as it arches towards the putting surface. I can remember standing on the fringe, watching and listening to the sea lions on the rocks below. William Bell kept it simple. And I like it. 

I will concur that after a decent mid length par three atop the cliff, the last three holes on the front nine are bland. These holes I feel should've been given some more definition and interest. But even still, the view of the mountains is beautiful. 

The back nine is why we play golf! 

(View of ten green. Look at the pier and cliffs in the background. Just a stunning view!) 

The tenth is an awesome hole! It has to be one of the finest short to mid length par fours in the country. Then eleven plays downhill to a green just yards from the beach. 

At 224 yards, club selection is vital to hit the green, especially when the wind is blowing. 

A couple holes later, the awesome par five thirteenth rambles alongside the cliff edge to a green fronted by a ravine. 

Wow! Does it get better than this?! 

Then the 444 yard fourteenth finishes the stretch, but like the par three sixth, the cliff is not as much into play except for a really poor shot. These five holes on the back are the crux of the course. Sandpiper in all it's glory! 

The last four holes are similar to the last three on the front. It's a little bit of a downer, but one can brush it aside after those first five holes. Sandpiper finishes withs par three. 

It's a large green. A few pin positions can be tucked but pretty simple shot for those looking just for a three. 

Santa Barbara is one of the great coastal towns in America. Several years ago, tour players were asked "what course that was relatively unknown would you like to play a US Open or PGA?" 

Fred Couples said "Sandpiper."

Enough said. 

I give it a  5 (good). However, it's one of the few places I would recommend. It's just a beautiful place. 

Southern Dunes Golf & Country Club (Haines City, FL)

Southern Dunes is recognized as being one the best designed modern golf courses. It's built on a sand ridge which helps it plays firm and fast. Steve Smyers did a great job promoting low runners and bump n runs by leaving the greens open, putting kickplates on the sides, and sloping the putting surfaces enough that shots can be worked towards flags. This gives the course a lot of versatility with pin positions, and gives the golfer a chance to show off his skills. 

(The 413 yard eighth has plenty of room on the left for the drive, but those challenging the sand on the right will have an open angle to the flag.)

(The excellent par three third is 233 yards from the tips. Only the best can hit it high enough to hold the green, so the rest of us must aim at the fairway short left so the ball can bounce forward and onto the  green.) 

The par threes are well designed and require different lengths and skills to obtain par. So whether it's a full blown wood that kicks off the slope, or a short iron over a ring of sand, the player is constantly being asked to hit a shot. 

(The short par three fourteenth has nearly twelve traps guarding the green!) 

I thinks Smyers did a great on the par fives. A couple of them are reachable in two, but the golfer takes a big risk. The short hitter isn't left out either by having a boring drive and/or layup. The fourth forces a play over the pompas grass, or a layup, or wide shot to the side to setup an angle to the pin. 

(Here's the twelfth. 

It's totally reachable, but the second must carry the water and sand. A mishit can find a lot of trouble.)

The ninth is a wonderful par five. The small green is like a tabletop, and requires a well-struck shot to stop quickly. This means attacking the hole with two good blows in order to have a wedge for the third. 

The par fours vary in length, and Smyers was not afraid to put several short par fours in the design. The longer par fours are the most memorable, and the two that stand out to me are seven and thirteen. I like how seven doglegs left with sand guarding the entire left side. The uphill approach can scoot on if the player hits a low shot. Then thirteen has a large bank left of the green that is kept at fairway height, allowing the player to caroom his ball onto the putting surface. 

(The seventeenth green slopes front left to back right. Drives up the left open up the proper angle to the green.) 

The last hole is 461 yards and it reiterates the theme of running the ball on the green by trapping the front right but having the ground left slope forward. 

Southern Dunes is nationally recognized as one of the best courses. However, the housing that surrounds can be distracting at times. On a couple holes it's close enough that television or conversations can be heard. Also, I feel the bunkering gets repetitive. There's well over 100, and many are not needed. The other side to that is the traps create an atmosphere, a look. I think Southern Dunes is a very good golf course. (6) Definitely a place to seek out when staying in central Florida. 

(Southern Dunes was built by Dewey Tomko, a legendary gambler from Pennsylvania. Who knows how much money has exchanged hands on this course! I read Dewey had a standing bet with first time golfers that they could not break par from the tips. If these holes could talk, Oh what stories they would tell!!) 

Orange County National Panther Lake (Winter Garden, FL)

Orange County National Panther Lake was designed in 1997 by the trio of Phil Ritson, Dave Harmon, and Asao Aoki. It debuted in Golf Magazines top 10 new public courses. I will always remember it because it's the best start I ever had on a golf course, birdie-eagle! 

(Eleven is a wonderful par three. Pin locations on the right are all carry with a long iron or hybrid. The par threes at Panther Lake are diverse in both challenge and visual appeal.)

OCN is just outside Disney, is devoid of housing, and is always in excellent condition. Phil Ritson and Sean Foley both teach here, a testament to the excellence of the practice facility and golf course. It has hosted several PGA Q school tournaments too. There's 5 par fives so plenty of opportunities for birdies, and one reason why 62 has been shot a few times. 

(202/165 yard par three fourth plays over the corner of the lake. Short is not an option.) 

The par threes are the stars at OCN. They're well designed, vary in length, and highlight the beauty of the property. Panther Lake is the main feature, and four of the one shotters play over it. 

(Short par three seventeenth. Note the severe slope between the rear and front tiers. Pin in the back requires a very precise shot. The slope will spin the ball all the way to front of the green, leaving a very difficult two putt.) 

The par fives are the scoring holes, and overall I feel they're weak. Two, ten, and eighteen lack hazards to make the long hitter think twice about pounding it as close as he can to the green. I played these three holes in four under par!! The other two long holes however are very good. Seven is shaped like a ? mark, playing around a water hazard. Then fourteen is a ninety degree dogleg right. It's 622 yards from the tips, but it's possible to carry the corner. However, fail to carry it, and the second shot will be from a very difficult lie and stance. 

(The par four fifth has a long narrow green that slopes hard to the right (left in pic). Reminds me of Muirfeild Village's fourteenth.) 

The par fours range between long and mid length. I felt like a couple of them are well done, especially the long third with a carry over wetlands, and the short fifth with delicate shot to green next to wetlands. However, a few of them are typical Florida holes, with approach shots over water, and greens bunkered excessively. 

OCN is well known and most golf aficionados would concur it's one of Orlando's five best public courses. No housing alone makes it a winner for me! I feel with all the amenities, this place is a no brainer. I would definitely recommend playing it. However, architecturally speaking, I think it's more in the 5 (good) range than a six.