Here at TheLocalGolfer, we strive to expand upon the typical feedback on current golf course conditions and provide details about the entire public golfing experience.  So . . . over the river and through the woods . . . to Greystone Golf Course we go (actually, there’s no river to speak of when traveling to White Hall, MD, but the trek through northern Baltimore County’s scenic back roads is well worth the trip.)

Since opening in 1997, Greystone has established itself as one of the premier public golf courses in the state, perennially receiving accolades from Golfweek as one of the nation’s Top 50 Municipal Course (#26) or one of the Top 10 public courses in Maryland (#6).  Baltimore County’s finest also received a “Four-Star” rating from Golf Digest and is typically named as a “Best Place to Play”.  Locally, Greystone is constantly promoted by word-of-mouth as the top-tier course in the area and golfers always indicate a great sense of pride & enthusiasm when talking about this gem.

You may get thrown off a bit when arriving at the course, as there are attendants around to greet you and help with your clubs.  This is a nice attribute for a “muni” course and a strong introduction to the “above and beyond” customer service approach at Greystone.  After checking in with the Pro Shop, you’ll immediately notice the newly renovated Banquet Room.  Although it is still a work in progress, you cannot help but admire the new lounge chairs & flat screen TV’s and applaud their efforts towards reinvesting in the clubhouse.  It is an excellent facility for pre- and post-round cocktails as well as for tournaments and business functions (which Greystone is actively promoting).

After a solid warm-up at the Driving Range and practice greens, you are on your way to the Starter who will greet you and is more than happy to share a wealth of knowledge about the course.  For the true ball strikers, Greystone challenges you with nearly 7,000 yards from the tips (Par 72).  That being said, it is also a very lady-friendly course with a tough strategic layout, but limited forced carries.  The golf carts have been updated with the latest in GPS technology, and for an area which had recently taken on a lot of rain, the course drains exceptionally well and rarely restricts golfers to “Cart Path Only”.

For a public course that gets a lot of play, the tees, fairways and greens were in great condition.  You are thrown right into the fire on the front and back nines leading off with a Par 5 on both the 1^st and 10^th.  While all 18 holes are well designed and make for an enjoyable round, the Par 4, 7^th is quite memorable.   About 400 yards from the tee, you must choose between Driver and 3-Wood so you can carry to ravine to your short right but also stay short of the water hazard at the edge of the fairway.  On your approach, you’ll be sitting approximately 175 yards to the small, sloped green needing to carry over 100 yards of water to get there.   All-in-all, it’s not the most difficult hole, but there are plenty of intimidation factors in place to make it both fun and frustrating at the same time.

When it was all said & done, the pace of play was wonderful and we finished our round in about 4 hours and 20 minutes; not bad for the amount of strokes I took on 18 great holes of golf.  Greystone certainly is a top-tier golf course for a reason and it will not disappoint.  I only hope that I can make it back there again sometime soon.

Unfortunately for Orioles fans, by the time we reach the month of August, it’s already time to turn our focus from baseball to football.  For Ravens fans, this means one thing – Training Camp in Westminster, MD.  For over a decade now a group of friends and I have ventured out to Carroll County to catch the morning and afternoon practice, but in recent years, we have been mixing in a round of golf in place of one of the practices.  This year, our annual trip to Ravens Camp also led us to Westminster National Golf Course.

It’s been a little more than two years since new ownership took over this golf course and renamed it Westminster National (formerly Bear Creek).  However, changing the name isn’t the only thing that they’ve done to begin to redefine the course and, most importantly, the golfing experience they help provide.

Now, we’re not talking about major renovations to the design & layout as the course takes advantage of the natural lay of the land with lots of elevation changes and well-maintained fairways.  Instead, the owners have decided to reinvest in the course and maximize their budget for improvements.  New sprinkler heads have been added throughout and the grounds crew is ever-present on the course.  In fact, I spent the entire front 9 on the heels of the Greens Keeper, and it was fun knowing that I would be the first to hit onto the green after he finished the manicure.

One of the Superintendent’s top priorities was to improve the area around the greens on the 9^th and 18^th holes, both of which are visible from the clubhouse.    Both undertakings were completed prior to the 2009 golf season and all the hard work is more than noticeable.  With all that said, where you see the greatest impact of the ownerships’ efforts are in the clubhouse and on the greens.

When you talk about the clubhouse, it’s important to begin with the staff, and the group at Westminster National is friendly and informative.  There’s no better way to get your round off to a good start than leaving the Pro Shop with a smile on your face.  The next thing you will notice is a new Cart Garage for the fleet of (relatively) new carts.  Again, the staff is there to greet you, talk about the course and get you on your way to the first tee.

In total, Westminster National is less than 6,000 yards from the tips, but it plays much longer.  On a weekend afternoon, my foursome was able to finish in 4:40, and that included a casual snack at the turn.  The course is in good shape from tee to fairway, and the condition of the greens will truly impress.  It’s very rare to find a course will all 18 greens in near perfect shape, but the putting surfaces at Westminster National are immaculate.

So, if you’re heading out to Ravens training camp, make sure to pack the clubs in the trunk and make a day of it.  Personally, I can’t wait to make it back to Westminster National; football or no football, the golf experience is worth the drive!

Friday, 2:07 PM, 83 degrees and sunny.  I sat there staring at my computer screen finding myself unable to concentrate.  The sound of pings from tee shots & putts hitting the cup are running through my head.  I spend the next couple minutes attempting to focus on the end-of-the-week work, but quickly realize that the only focus I’m going to have for the rest of the day will be during the 90+ strokes I’m about to take on the course (hey, we all need to start our march towards the pro tour somewhere, and for now, I’m just trying to score in the double-digits on a regular basis).

Being based in Baltimore, there are a plethora of quality public courses within a half-hour drive time.  I grew up in Baltimore County and regularly played those county courses in my early years (when I actually broke 90 regularly).  However, this would be my 1^st visit to The Woodlands in quite some time, and I was excited with the expectations of playing one of the area’s most challenging and well-maintained courses.

I arrived to the course and had no problem jumping onto a tee time; judging by the number of cars in the parking lot, I figured it would be a little bit of a wait, but the staff was extremely welcoming and accommodating.  I had enough time to eat (outstanding hot dog at a very reasonable price) and check out the practice facilities, which completely blew me away!

I always knew that The Woodlands/Diamond Ridge had a great driving range able to accommodate large number of golfers.  However, what I did not know was that in the past couple of years they have added a 2^nd putting green (13,000 square feet) and also expanded the original putting green from 6,000 to 11,000 square feet.  Plus, they converted an original putting green (located closest to the driving range) into a chipping-only area so players can work on their sand shots and short game.  The facilities are fantastic and I even spoke with a couple guys who said that they occasionally play the courses, but regularly show up just to practice!

I was enjoying the practice facilities so much that I nearly lost track of time, but made it over to the first tee with a couple minutes to spare.  The starter gave an excellent summary of the course and made sure to highlight the tight, tree-line fairways and tough, undulating greens that lay ahead of us.  It took a couple minutes for the group ahead of us to clear the fairway, and the starter filled the “dead” time with additional information about the course —  The Woodlands historically had the reputation of being “wet”, a result of clay soil and bent grass causing the course to stay saturated with moisture for multiple days after lots of rain.  However, large investments in recent years into irrigation and drainage have helped expedite the recovery process, and the course regularly can allow carts to “scatter” the day after a storm.

It was gratifying to know that Baltimore County and the course staff were taking such grand measures to preserve the condition of the course and to ensure the experience of the golfers who play it.  The starter’s sense of pride was apparent and it only added to my excitement as I stepped up to the first tee.

It doesn’t take long for your excitement to turn to focus and frustration at The Woodlands.  From the get go, you are introduced to demanding uphill & downhill lies from the fairway, not to mentioned that  landing on the green in regulation does not nearly guarantee a Par as a 3-putt is very easy to achieve on just about any hole.

Hole #2, Par 3

The Par 3, 2^nd Hole is a perfect example of this.  Playing downhill, 195 yards from the tips, going left, right or long puts you in the rough on a steep slope, and the multi-tiered is an animal all unto itself.  On this day, the Pin was located on the front-right portion of the green just below a ridge; I was lying 2 putting from the top-left and knew that it was going to be like ice.   A gentle stroke still put me 8+ feet below the cup, but a very lucky Putt helped me salvage a bogey.

There are lots of other holes that will leave a lasting impression with you, like the 6^th, a tree-lined dogleg right Par 5 that begs for you to go for the green in two, and the 10^th, a long Par 4 that rewards golfers for cutting over the water hazard to the fairway (of course you must crank it at least 250 yards in the air to clear it).

Hole #17, Par 5

Perhaps the most memorable hole is the 17^th, a dogleg left Par 5 that is about as intimidating as they come.  It’s not the longest Par 5 around, but a good tee shot is a must.  From the tee you must clear a large ravine to reach the fairway and bunkers on the left side await those golfers who think that they’ll be able to shorten the hole.  From the fairway, you’ll undoubtedly be faced with a downhill lie, so plans to reach the green in 2 are often dismissed.  Then, of course, you have to take battle with the green, and although you’ve dealt with undulations through the first 16 holes, nothing will prepare you well enough for this one.  Five well-struck, well-placed shots are required to walk away with a Par here.

My round at The Woodlands clocked in at just under 4:40; not bad for a 4-some, especially when you factor in the amount of putts that each person in the group took.  Overall it was one of my favorite experiences so far this golf season, and my only frustration is that I did not play the course sooner!  The course is in excellent condition and the staff has the ideal customer service mentality to make it a round to remember.  I can’t wait to back again soon!