Paul8322655

Glade Valley is an unpretentious course, with simple amenities (food service resumes next week), friendly staff and a course that is ready for spring. Greens in pretty good shape, fairways aerated this week and roughs cut very low. The price was right and we got a rum and coke at the turn.

We play Blackrock 3 times per month, and for a municipal course, I am always impressed at the condition of the course. Their course managers always find a way, with limited resources, to make for a good experience, without forcing older golfers to struggle with "Cart Path Only". This entire summer, I only remember twice when a few holes were OFF limits to golf carts.

This week (Sept 11), for the first time since April, the course is getting a bit tired. Lots of "grounds under repair", lots of putts missed cause of bouncing on the way to the hole. Feels like just too many rounds being played.

Still, I am likely to be there next Week!

NOTE: Golfnow Fees, coupled with Hot Deals, are misleading at this course. If you are 55+, any available Tee Time is $31 if you call the pro shop. Plus you don't have to pre-pay, so no worries about a last minute change of plans.

This course, located in the heart of Middletown MD, has perhaps seen it's darkest days. The club was closed for about two years, and is now into it's second summer since re-openning, it is slowly becoming a place you want to revisit.

Holes are challenging and interesting, it is currently in great condition with lush fairways, fairly puttable greens and rough that is nasty enough to make you regret finding it.

Like most courses in the Middletown valley, it can get humid and a little stinky. Some days you wish EVERY hole had a giant fan aimed at the greens to keep it dry and mold free.

Tired of being brutalized by spring weather and tough course conditions, my weekly foursome took a week off and we returned from a break to this jewel !

Although about double the cost of our usual round, we all agreed, this place was worth it.

1. Played on a Monday at 12:15pm, the place was very quiet. Only saw five other foursomes all day. Pro encouraged us to hit some balls at the range (Included) regardless of our tee time.

2. The staff was super friendly, without being pushy. This had us staying for lunch, trying a demo club and taking the time to learn the GPS enabled golf carts.

3. The course is still waking up from winter, but was in good shape. This Ernie Els designed course feels like it has 10 signature holes! Great vista's without being super hard! In fact the white tee's played "short", the fairways are very wide off your drive and the undulations & sand traps have meaning (instead of just wearing down my ankles)

Just about my only complaint here is the distance between some greens and the cart path, but even this is rewarded with "bowls" around greens that seemed to move errant approach shots towards the flag.

Bottom Line: Although we lucked out with clearing conditions, very few players on the course and some long putts that found their mark, Whiskey Creek was the perfect spot to rekindle enthusiasm for the game. After playing so many courses in our area that seem intent on torturing the intermediate golfer, this place just embraced us... It is more expensive, but would gladly spend double playing here (even if we played just 1/2 as often). I never gave it much thought but, in this case, the course designer has actually created "value".

For older players, nothing ruins a round like a lay up hole, where you are forced to lay up with second or third shot, then still have an impossibly long approach shot over some hazard. This course had two such holes, but after laying up, you were left with approach shots that were just 110-140 yards. giving you a shot a long par putt where elsewhere you would be guaranteed double bogie.

Whiskey Creek wont save the game of golf in America, but they are trying.

I confess to having a bit of an attitude about the course because it was "cart path only" and this proved more taxing than simply walking the course. Also slowed the pace of play...

What cart path only exposed was the "childishness" of a number of the hazards. This includes steep hills that dont affect the fairways, lots of curbs on the cart paths that divert rolling balls, and at least 4 holes on the course that just seem "squeezed in". There are some majestic and fabulous holes on this property, but they are coupled with short, skinny Par 4's you might find on your local executive course. These same holes are very humid and full of bugs in the summer time.

Most annoying, I lost $ because the GPS STOPS working when you leave the cart path on "cart path only days". Whenever we have GPS Carts, we play for $ on distance to pin from drive. we had one that came down to angle to the green and get a "red" screen 15 ft off the cart path. ARRGG

NO STAFF IN SNACK BAR AT THE TURN! (we think we saw him getting rolls out of a shed at 10th tee)

This course is fantastic, amenities are high quality and course maintenance beyond reproach. But it's expensive and deserves criticism for missing things a more humble course delivers with ease.

How lucky to be playing a round in Early February, fairways and greens are FIRM (not mushy) . Course is doing some work on the OLDER trees on the course, this should make play in 2017 a little different (perhaps easier).