First the bad news. As of today, there are still no golf courses in Maryland open for play. The closest to opening are those around Ocean City and southern Eastern Shore since those courses received the least amount of snow and ice and have had (slightly) warmer temperatures since then. A couple of them have indicated that with temperatures in the 40s in the next couple of days they expect to be open. Will keep you posted when I find out which ones are open for play. Stay tuned.
The good news. We’re adding video to our Course Previews/Reviews and have purchased a GoPro Hero 13 Black to start recording 4k video of Maryland golf courses. As many of you YouTube fans are aware, there are plenty of videos out there that already cover many of the higher priced courses and some courses have excellent websites with details, photos and drawings of every hole. Hopefully, We’ll be able to add value as we learn how to shoot great video and edit like the pros.
I had planned on going out on a new course today, but Mother Nature had other plans. It snowed yesterday, just enough to cover the ground and then froze solid overnight. I decided to treat myself to a Top Tracer practice round at the SPGC since I’m generally too cheap to buy a launch monitor. An hour on Top Tracer and a bucket of 80 balls cost $18. I ended up hitting half and three-quarter sand wedges, pitching wedge, 8-iron, 5-iron, 4-wood and driver. For some unknown reason, I am a worse ball striker on the range than I am on the golf course. Perhaps it’s hitting off the mats, getting tired from hitting that many shots in a short period of time or it could be that I subconsciously trying to squeeze just a little more distance out of a club since you get automatic feedback on the results. Whatever the reason, I don’t play to my 18.1 handicap when I go there.
If you haven’t done Top Tracer or used a launch monitor, it’s pretty sweet that they can pull that much data together each time you hit the ball. Top Tracer reports the carry distance, total distance, ball speed, launch angle, peak flight height, landing angle, hang time, how much the ball curved left or right and how offline the shot was. After each shot, you can look at the monitor in your bay to see the results, including a graphic, and while that is interesting, I find it much more helpful to look at the data collected on my phone after I get home and potentially comparing it with future practice sessions. If you want to do that, you need to download the Top Tracer app on your phone (before you go to the range) and set up an account, all of which is free. When you get to the range, you pay for Top Tracer in the pro shop and then scan the QR code in the bay to get it to sync with your account. In addition to SPCG, Top Tracer is also available at the Mountain Branch Golf Course in Joppa and the Pine Ridge Golf Course in Timonium. The app also allows the user to play several games that require you to hit a ball at specific targets, but I haven’t tried any of those yet. If you don’t have a launch monitor, you should try it. It will only cost you $18.
What were the big takeaways from the range session? First, it appears that about 95% of my wedge shots landed left of the target. That wasn’t something I had picked up during my last couple of rounds, but it does explain the number of greens that I’m missing. And now that I’m thinking about it, I was almost always chipping towards the pin from the left side. Until I can get back to the range and check my alignment, I’m going to start aiming toward the right side of the green to try to improve my greens in regulation. Second, there was a lot more consistency with my 4-wood off the deck than I’ve had in the past, and it was a little more than 10 yards longer than my 3-iron. I probably should pull that out on my second shot at the par 5s and maybe even on the tee shot on some of the tight, short par 4s. Lastly, my 5-iron was erratic at best, meaning my longer irons need some attention.
And no, I’m not getting anything from Top Tracer or the SPGC. Clayt
Me either, until I started researching what course I would go to next on my journey to playing 100 Maryland courses and naturally looked at the Bay Hills Golf Club in Arnold, since it was the next one alphabetically. While looking at their website, I found a reference to MISGA near the bottom of their Membership page. The short description indicates that each of the MISGA participating clubs schedule “Mixers” at their club and invite members from other participating clubs to play in shotgun start events at their clubs throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall. In turn those clubs invite Bay Hills players to their courses to play in Mixers. A link to the MISGA website indicates the association has been active since 1975 and there are currently 32 participating clubs, including several private country clubs, most in Maryland but a few in Delaware and West Virginia. MISGA has some 1,800 members and during 2025 there were over 130 Mixers at 27 courses from April 1st to October 20th. Some of the touted benefits include playing a variety of courses for a reasonable fee (several of which are strictly private), not having to fight for tee times, and of course, meeting new golf friends.
I spoke with Carl Lazar, the MISGA Club Representative at the Bay Hills Golf Club in Arnold. He’s been playing at Bay Hills since 1974, has been the MISGA Club Representative for 21 years and has participated in too many Mixers to count. Carl indicated the Mixers generally start at 8:30 or 9:00 a.m., cost between $45 and $75, and include donuts, coffee, 18-holes of golf, cart, lunch and a shot at prizes. To become a member, you must be at least 50 years old and participation in the Mixers requires you to have a handicap through the USGA. Each club sets its MISGA membership fee and Bay Hills current charges $60, which includes access to the USGA handicap system. When a Mixer is announced, Bay Hills members can sign-up and available slots are filled on a first-come first-served basis. Some Bay Hill members play in well more than a dozen Mixers each year. In addition to all of that, there are currently two multiple day road trips being planned – Crystal River, Florida, in March and Williamsburg, Virginia, in October.
Courses occasionally leave MISGA and sometimes new ones are added. Besides Bay Hills, the participating courses listed on the MISGA website are Blue Mash, Bretton Woods Recreation Center (private), Chester River Yacht and Country Club (private), Compass Pointe, Crofton Country Club (private), Eagle Creek Golf Course (military), Fairway Hills, Garrisons Lake, Glade Valley, Hampshire Greens, Hobbit’s Glen, Hog Neck, Holly Hills Country Club (private), Hooper’s Landing, Leisure World (private), Montgomery Country Club (private), Musket Ridge, National Golf Club (private), Northwest Golf Course, Prospect Bay Country Club (private), Sparrows Point Country Club (private), Rattlewood, The Club at Cress Creek (private), The Links at Challedon, US Naval Academy (military), University of Maryland, Walden Country Club and Wild Quail Golf and Country Club (private).
If you’re interested in getting more information about MISGA, including contact information for each club’s MISGA representative, their website is misga.org. It sounds worthwhile to me.
Bowie seems to be becoming my “home course,” primarily because Phil is a member there and gets tee times every Wednesday. Today was overcast, starting out at 52o with hardly any wind. By the 18th hole, it was 54o but the wind had picked up and an approaching cold front with rain made the air feel cooler. Rick, John, Bill and the donuts went out first. Bill picks up a dozen Dunkin’ Donuts and coffee on the way. If you ride with him, you’ll eat well, if multiple donuts can be called “eating well.” I personally “require” that I get a birdie before rewarding myself with a donut, though sometimes I cheat, particularly if I’m riding with the donuts. Once, I had three in one round. Today, I had none. I wasn’t with the donuts and zero birdies. Phil, Barry, Mac and I were in the second group and had trouble keeping up with them. The round took us 3 hours and 40 minutes and was quite comfortable.
My round fell into a familiar pattern, with the front nine going well and the back nine not so well. On the front, currently playing as a par 34 (probably a 33 by USGA standards due to the temporary tee boxes), I had five pars and four bogeys for a 38. I reached the par 5 7th hole in two shots, with driver and 4-iron, then managed to three-putt. On the back, I had two pars, four bogeys, two double bogeys and a triple bogey for 46. I lost two balls, hitting a 3-wood into the woods on the right on the par 5 11th and topping a 3-wood into the pond in front of the tee box on par 4 15th. Phil, Barry and Mac played well but the details are their stories to tell.
I happened to be in Columbia on this cold and rainy Saturday and thought I’d visit this store/warehouse that I’d read advertisements about, touting over 179,000 used clubs at their six stores and having added something like 24,000 last month – and presumably selling that many. In person, I was surprised by the size of the store, the extent of their selection and their organization, including a good sized section for seniors. A sales rep told me that all of their clubs were on their website and a quick search indicated this store had over 3,000 drivers in stock. And no, I’m not getting anything for posting about them.
By and large, we senior golfers are a retired bunch and being on a fixed income we can’t easily work a little overtime to pay for a new $600 driver or $400 putter. Truth be told, money probably better spent on lessons. What I did like was that they had many of the top rated clubs of 2025 and previous years rated by the amount of wear and tear and priced accordingly. If you found something you liked, they had several of those fancy bays with launch monitors and projection screens for you to try them out to see how they feel and perform.
I’m still playing with Taylor Made Burner Bubble irons from the late 80s and have read virtually every year since then about the improvements being made to each manufacturer’s irons. Surely, a new set of irons would improve my accuracy and my now lagging senior distance issues. Perhaps a new set of irons is in my future – but not today. Just window shopping.
Yesterday, it was forecast to start raining around 3 pm and to continue for the next two days. I was anxious to get another course completed so I decided to hit another nearby Par 3. Very few people were on the course so it took under two hours to play 18 holes. The light rain arrived just after I started the back nine. The course is short at 1,466 yards for a par 54, requiring just 2,841 steps according to my Voice Caddie T11 watch.
After my last Par 3 excursion with a full cart bag, I decided to only bring a few clubs, balls and tees. The website didn’t tell me anything about the length of the holes so I brought my 8-iron through lob wedge and putter. I only used the pitching wedge and sand wedge on tee shots, the 8-iron or pitching wedge to chip and the putter. Fortunately, I brought a couple of extra balls (without thinking) because I pulled one ball into a wooded area with thick underbrush (Hole #5) and launched one into the driving range (Hole #6).
I shot a 34 on the front, with one of the lost balls, so I felt pretty good about that. On the back, with the other lost ball, I shot a 37 for an overall 71. The greens were dormant and in “Maryland in January” condition, making putting difficult. In summary: two birdies, two lost balls and four three putts. See my full course review.
Headed back out to the Bowie Golf Club for a round of winter golf with Barry, Mac and Jay; Barry and I hitting from the golds and Mac and Jay from the whites. It was a bright, sunny day with temperature rising from 41 to 61 by the end of the round.
Bowie is currently playing as a par 68 according to the Maryland State Golf Association website, rather than the par 70 reflected on the scorecard, caused by temporary tees on #1 and #9 (see Course Review). Even though this is the off-season in Maryland for purposes of adding scores, the geek in me was interested in the Bowie course rating being lowered to 62.3 and the slope to 105 for the golf tees. The GHIN bogey rating is 81.7 so my score was right on target today, shooting an 81 with my 18.0 estimated handicap. An excellent front with a 36 and a mediocre back with a 45. Six triple putts didn’t help the score.
Other than being a beautiful January day, the wildlife were active, with the ever present geese and squirrels, but not in a distracting way. The company was good and our foursome wasn’t slowed by the group in front of us and we didn’t slow down the group behind, taking just under 4 hours to complete the round.
Recommend you get out soon. I’m going to try to get out twice next week, once with the “usual suspects” on Wednesday and possibly my fourth course on my way to 100 on another day. Will have to look at the weather forecast to pick a day.
Bowie Golf Club, Bowie – CQ’s second course in his journey to play all of Maryland’s 100 public courses
Water hazard in front of the 13th green at Bowie
Played: Mid-December 2025, 18.0 Handicap, Played Gold (Senior) tees, Score: 84 (adjusted – see hole #9 comments) Cart, Cost: $38 ($2.11 per hole, $0.54 per listed par stroke and $0.57 per estimated par stroke, $0.45 per shot for me) – an inexpensive round in Maryland. Few people were on the course so 18 holes took just under 3.5 hours. Temperatures 40 to 45 degrees, cloudy, with winds about 10 mph gusting to 24 (a bit chilly).
Conditions: The course is undergoing major construction to significantly upgrade its driving range. The tee boxes on the 1st and 18th holes and the green on the 9th hole are all significantly impacted by the construction, making all of those holes play significantly shorter than the scorecard reflects – probably more like a par 66 than the par 70 reflected on the score card. Construction is reportedly on pace to be completed by the spring. At that time, it is reported the 9th hole, which was a par 5, will become a par 4, and the 18th hole, which is currently a par 4, will become a par 5. While the course will remain a par 70, it seems likely the course rating and slope will need to be reviewed and possibly changed. Greens were in good condition though the grass was just a bit long and putting was slow – not unexpected in winter golf. Tee boxes were in rough shape and many of the holes had temporary tee boxes set up. The fairways and rough seemed to be in descent condition given the time of year. Leaf coverage in the fairways and rough were nominal considering the time of year and no balls were lost or time spent hunting for balls in the leaves. At tee time, the course was still frozen from below freezing temperatures from the day before and overnight. At the beginning of the round you needed to hit in front of the green and let it roll/bounce on. As the round progressed, the top half inch of turf thawed but below that it was still frozen and you still needed to hit well short of the pin instead of flying it to the hole. Winter golf can be tough in Maryland – too cold and its rock hard, too warm and its mush.
Tee times: Available on the website or by calling or walking on, though the website indicates that calling or walking on would cost more than the website. The website appears to be updated on pricing but some sections of the site appear to be dated or not working. GolfNow.com appeared to have better prices than the course website for the couple of date/time combinations I checked so you may want to check that out before booking a tee time.
Course Notes: The course is owned by the City of Bowie and leased to/managed by Indigo Golf. It’s what I’d call a park-type golf course, with a lot of fairways separated by scattered trees and not much water or wooded areas to contend with. You shouldn’t lose balls here very often though it is possible on a couple of holes. The course is a par 70 with (normally) three par 3s, four par 4s and two par 5s on the front; and two par 3s, six par 4s and one par 5 on the back, subject to change in the spring of 2026. The course is fairly generous with their fairways and greens and the mature trees are the primary means of getting into trouble on most of the holes. The gold tees total 4,928 yards (normally) and the white tees are 5,838 yards (normally). Generally, the sand traps on most holes are well placed and designed but on this occasion were not well maintained – a situation rumored to be problematic throughout the year. Putting out of the traps was possible on many and frequently appeared to be the best means of escape. A traditional open faced sand wedge tended to skid off the compacted sand and hit the ball thin. The core structure of the clubhouse is a masonry farmhouse built in 1727 while the golf course opened in 1959 as the Belair Golf and Country Club. The clubhouse and snack bar appear somewhat dated and plans appear to be underway to update them. Twelve holes (1-5, 8, 9,12, 14, and 16-18) don’t have any water hazards or woods/out of bounds to contend with. Holes 6 and 7 have out of bounds along the entire left side of the fairway and greens. Hole 10 has water down the left side and out of bounds on the right. Hole 11 has woods down the entire right side. Hole 13 has a forced carry over water of about 100 yards. Hole 14 has a small forced carry over a pond and woods down the right side. (Hole 18 has the new driving range down the right side and out of bounds was marked during this round. However, the high fencing for the range was being installed and should be completed by the time you read this.)
Accolades: Bowie was named the 20th “Best Public Golf Course in Maryland – Golfers’ Choice 2025” by GolfPass in March 2025. According to their website, they make the “annual Golfers’ Choice lists by curating the reviews submitted by everyday golfers.” Additionally, the Bowie Golf Club website golfbowie.com indicates the course “has long enjoyed the reputation as one of the City of Bowie’s premier public golf courses and best value.” As far as I can tell, it is the only golf course in Bowie.
Contact Information: golfbowie.com, (301)262-8141
Walking: Bowie is a very walkable course, with each green close to the next tee box. During the construction, the 9th green is substantially farther from the 10th green but it will be much closer after the driving range is completed. And half of the par 4s are cart-path only so you may need to walk some anyway. I took a cart and still managed to walk almost 4,000 steps. I hope to walk the course some day and will report back on the number of steps taken.
Hole-by-hole
#1 – A dogleg left that normally plays 301 yards from the gold tees played about 230 yards with the construction of the new driving range just to the right of the normal tee boxes – with all tees located together. At 230 yards the green is potentially reachable if you can bend your drive around the large trees guarding the corner. If you are thinking about trying it, the trees and a drainage area on the left will punish you if you cut off too much of the corner and the trees on the right side of the fairway may block you out if you hit straight through the fairway. A 140-160 yard shot towards the 100-yard marker appears to maximize the chances of a clear second shot to the green and leaving you with just 60-90 yards to the center of the green. I hit a 6-iron off the tee and cut the corner a little closer to the trees than I wanted. Since I cut the corner sharply, it left me just under 40 yards to the center of the green with the pin in the middle. A short pitch bounced just in front of the green, as planned due to the frozen greens, and settled to within about six feet right of the pin. I was able to one-putt for my only birdie of the day. Minus one after one.
#2 – A 160-yard par 3 with a large bunker on the front right side as the only serious impediment. Pin was in the front left with the green sloping to the front right. There was a moderate head wind and with the greens still frozen I decided to club down to a 7-iron to try and bounce it onto the green. I greatly overestimated the bounce and/or underestimated the head wind and it stopped just short of the left side of the bunker. I chipped up about 10 feet short of the hole with a straight uphill putt. Just missed it to the right and tapped in for a bogey. Even after two holes.
#3 – A 288-yard slight dogleg right par 4 with a temporary tee box that made it play slightly shorter and straighter. There are thick trees down the right side and only sparse tree coverage on the left make the left side the preferred side to miss on. The green is deep and narrow with a large trap on the left and a small trap and mounding on the right. I hooked my 3-wood left into the rough almost to the next tee box but still had just a short pitch to the green. I hit my pitching wedge just a little too well and the ball landed near the hole and bounced and rolled off the green between the mounds. A tentative chip caused by a big slope down to the pin got me onto the green but just barely. My first putt was a couple of feet short of the hole. The next downhill putt found the hole for a bogey and one over after three.
#4 – The hardest rated hole from the white tees but only the seventh hardest from the golds, this is a straight par 4 with thick tree cover down the right side and a bunker to the left of the green. Its primary defense is its length at 319 yards and a heavily sloped green from back to front. I topped my 3-wood, leaving just under 200-yards to the center of the green. Hit my 4-wood off the toe and into the trees on the right. Punched a 7-iron under the tree limbs and it rolled over the green. Another poor chip got me onto the fringe. I used the putter to get within two feet then one putted for a double bogey and three over after four holes.
#5 – A 168-yard par 3 with a narrow and deep two-tiered green with a large bunker on the right side. Hit my 7-iron to the right rough between the green and the trap, pin high. Used an 8-iron like a putter and was left with a three-foot putt that went in. Par and three over after five.
#6 – A 340-yard par 4 with trees down the right side and trees and out of bounds (Laurel Bowie Road) down the left side. The landing area slopes downhill so you can expect to get a pretty long drive if you’re anywhere near the fairway. A large bunker is to the front left of the green but shouldn’t be in play most of the time. Hit the tee shot with my 3-wood and found the rough with about 85-yards to the center of the green but the pin at the front of the green. I hit a soft pitch to try to bounce the ball onto the front but it stopped about five yards short. I chipped a little too hard and sent the ball about 15 feet past the hole. I left the downhill putt about two-feet short and made the bogey putt. Four over after six.
#7 – A reachable 397 par 5 with heavy trees and out of bounds down the left side, heavy trees on the right on the tee shot, and water short and left of the green. A good tee shot can leave you with an iron into the well protected large green. Water is to the left of the green, a berm and sand trap is in the front, additional traps front right and right side of the green, and a fairly steep valley if you go over the green. I hit a fairly descent drive down the right side that came to rest on a large patch of frozen dirt with about 175 yards left to the center of the green and a back pin. Concerned about the frozen green and water to the left of the green, I decided to hit a 6-iron towards the right side of the green. I hit the dirt first causing a weak shot that stopped between the two front bunkers with a good view of the back pin. I hit the pitch shot a little too well and rolled it past the hole to the fringe. I used my putter to come back down the hill, leaving it about 16 inches from the hole. I tapped it in for a par and four over after seven.
#8 – A short uphill par 3 measuring 130-yards with a green that slopes heavily towards the front and traps on the right and back left. I tried to hit a ¾ 9-iron but hit it a bit too well, landing it near the pin, and bouncing it off the back into a sand trap on the back left side. The sand was packed down and frozen and the green was sloping away but the lip was smooth, making me think that putting was the best option. The shot made it onto the green but left about 12 slightly downhill feet to the hole. I just missed the putt but tapped in for bogey. Five over after eight.
#9 – This is normally the hardest rated hole from the gold tees – a 443-yard par 5 with trees and out of bounds down the entire left side and tree cover down the right. However, with the construction of the new driving range, the old green has been dug up and a new green, much closer than the old one, is still growing in. The hole is now playing like a slightly downhill 160-190 yard par 3 with a very small “green” mowed into the fairway. The only way to know the true distance of the hole is to use a rangefinder, which I don’t have. I estimated the hole to be about 170-yards and hit my 5-iron over the green and against the construction drainage barrier. I took a free drop, chipped it onto the “green” and two-putted for a bogey. Six over par after nine holes. That could be a 39 on the front – though it would obviously have an asterisk in the record book. If I added two strokes for the two shortened shots then it would be a 41, which is more realistic of how I played the front nine. The new 9th hole, reportedly going to be ready for play in the spring, appears likely to be a par 4.
#10 – A short 265-yard par 4 with water down the left side, out of bounds down the right side, a small pond in front of the tee box, the fairway sloping towards the water and a big downhill to the green on the second shot. It should be easy to hit a long iron into the fairway and still have a short iron into the green. I chose to hit a safe 3-iron and do just that. Sadly, I pushed it to the right, hitting a tree and sending it out of bounds. My second 3-iron tee shot landed just right of the fairway and rolled to the center with just 70-yards to the center of the green. I hit a ¾ lob wedge to the front of the green and it bounced on but well short of the middle pin. My first putt was uphill with a hard right-to-left slop which I left didn’t hit high or hard enough – leaving it about six feet from the hole. I missed the putt and tapped the next one in a triple bogey. Nine over par after ten holes.
#11 – Rated the hardest hole on the back nine from the gold tees, it’s a straight par 5 with woods down the entire right side and intermittent tree coverage down the left. The fairway is moderately narrow and slopes towards the woods. A large, deep bunker guards the front left of the green. Hit the driver low and down the middle but the ball came to rest on the upslope in the fairway with about 200-yards left. I chose to hit a 5-iron to keep it in play and leave a short iron into the green. Turf-first contact caused the ball to only make it about 100-yards, stopping in the rough next to the cart path. A free drop resulted in the ball landing in thick rough, below foot level, with about 110 yards to the center of the green. An off-center strike resulted in the ball landing in the sand trap, a deep one with a high lip and wet, compacted sand. I decided to try to blast the ball out using a closed face sand wedge to dig down into the sand. It successfully launched the ball over the flag, landing softly about 12 feet past the hole but leaving a sharp downhill putt for par. I stubbed the toe of the putter and barely got the ball halfway to the hole. My second putt stopped just to the left of the hole and the tap-in resulted in a double bogey and eleven over after eleven holes.
#12 – A 273-yard slight dogleg right that might be one of the easiest holes on the course. There’s a small sand trap on the right about where a drive would land and pine trees on the left side but the fairway is pretty generous and the green is otherwise unguarded. I hit a 3-wood down the left side, settling on pine straw with only about 60-yards from the center of the green. I tried to it a ¾ sand wedge but the clubface slid under the ball leaving the ball well short of the green. I chipped up with a pitching wedge to about eight feet below the hole. Just missed to the putt to the left and tapped in for a bogey. Twelve over after twelve.
#13 – A short 140-yard par 3 with a forced carry over a pond of just under 100-yards. The large green slopes from left to right, has water on the right and a large sand trap on the left. I hit a pitching wedge short of the green and it bounced onto the green but well short of the pin. I hit the putt short and didn’t aim high enough, resulting in a 7-foot second putt straight up hill. I missed the par putt, tapped it in for a bogey and my third three-putt in the last four holes. Thirteen over after thirteen.
#14 – A 277-yard slight dogleg right which had a temporary tee box that made the hole pretty straight. A small bunker is short right of the green and a large bunker is on the left. I hit my driver down the right side, just a little right of the front bunker and was left with a short pitch shot to a back pin. The pitch rolled to about six feet with a straight uphill putt. The ball looked into the hole as it went past and stopped about three inches away. My first par since the 7th. Thirteen over after fourteen.
#15 – An uphill, reachable 240-yard par 4 with a set of bunkers down the right side with woods farther right and a large bunker in front of the green to stop the long hitters from getting to the green on their tee shots. I hit my 3-wood down the right side, flying over the bunkers and stopping just at the tree line. A tree blocked me from shooting straight at the front pin but I was able to chip a pitching wedge to the front fringe. I hit the putter from the fringe to within three feet and sunk the par putt. Two pars in a row. Thirteen over after fifteen.
#16 – A 267-yard dogleg left par 4. I hit my 3-wood with a draw to within about 20 yards of the green. I decided to hit an 8-iron like a putter to roll the ball up onto the green. I hit it too firmly and blew it at least 12 feet past the hole. Long story short – three putted to turn a birdie opportunity into a bogey. My fourth 3-putt on the back nine. Fourteen over after sixteen holes.
#17 – An uphill 150-yard par 3 playing into the wind. A large bunker guards the right side. Landed a 6-iron onto the front of the green and it bounced/rolled to about eight feet below the hole. Just missed the putt and tapped in. Par to stay fourteen over after seventeen holes.
#18 – Normally a 345 dogleg right par 4 – but playing somewhere between 210 and 240 due to the tees all being moved up for drainage work associated with the new driving range. From the other side of the creek at the bottom of the hill, it’s a blind teen shot over the hill with out of bounds marked along the other side of the cart path on the right near where the fencing for the driving range was being installed. Once the high fencing is completed, you shouldn’t have to worry about hitting it out of bounds or of someone on the driving range hitting you. I opted to hit a 3-iron towards the left side of a large pine tree I judged to be where the green was located. The ball stopped about 30 yards short of the green. I hit a pitching wedge to the front edge of the green to get it to roll to the middle pin but by now the top layer of the greens had melted and the ball landed much softer than hoped and left a 30-foot uphill putt. I hit the putt to within about three feet and made the “par” putt. It would appear the layout of this hole will return to normal once the drainage portion of the project is completed. Fourteen over for the round (84?) on a shortened Bowie course.
I plan on returning to Bowie once the construction is completed to see if I can score any better. I recommend you try this “Top 20” course for yourself and let me know what think. I’m also planning my next outing, my third course on the road to playing all 100 Maryland public courses. Concerns, comments or suggestions and where should be my next (in the middle of winter)?
Blue Heron Golf Course, Stevensville – CQ’s first course in his journey to play all of Maryland’s 100 public courses
Played: Late November 2025, 18.0 Handicap, Played White (middle) tees, Score: 84, Walked, Cost: $20 ($1.11 per hole, $0.24 per “par”) – among the least expensive in Maryland. Few people were on the course so 18 holes went pretty quickly.
Conditions: Greens were heavily top dressed with sand and the grass was being left long to aid in recovery over the winter, making putts slow and very challenging. I had six three-putts, almost always due to not hitting the ball hard enough to get it near the hole on the first putt. Tee boxes were also in rough winter condition but since I used a tee on every hole it didn’t really impact the score. The fairways and rough seemed to be in good condition. Leaf coverage in the fairways and rough were nominal considering the time of year and no balls were lost or time spent hunting for balls in the leaves.
Tee times: None, just walk in, but you may want to call before to make sure there isn’t a tournament or league play. During the summer, there is league play on nine holes at 9am on Mondays and Thursdays and 5pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Course Notes: It’s a pretty par 63 executive course with nine par 3s and nine par 4s, owned and operated by Queen Anne’s County, just across the Bay Bridge on Kent Island. While the course is short it is also fairly tight and there are numerous opportunities to lose balls, most likely in the water but also the woods – so bring plenty of balls. I lost two during this round and three in the round before. The front nine, built in 1959, has holes similar to urban park setups (holes 1, 2, 3 and 6) and some that are more reminiscent of Myrtle Beach with plenty of water and low drainage/swamp areas. Holes 11, 13 and 17 don’t have any water hazards but lost balls are still possible. The rest of the holes on the back all have water potentially in play. The back nine, added in 2002, seems more interesting than the front and features a fairly unique triple green shared by holes 10, 12 and 14. The course was named a Top Ten Short Course in America in 2006.
Walking: Yes, as a par 63 executive course it is an excellent walking course totaling just over 4,000 yards from the Blue tees, 3,991 from the Whites and 3,319 from the Reds. All but the 9th and 16th greens are adjacent to the next tee box. I completed the latest round in just 6,089 steps as recorded on my Voice Caddie T11 watch.
Hole-by-hole
#1 – A narrow, straight 319-yard par 4 with evergreens along the entire right side of the fairway to keep balls from hitting Romancoke Road. There are a few trees spaced out along the left side separating you from the hole #9 fairway. If you’re going to miss the fairway, that’s the side to miss it on. The priority is to keep the ball in the fairway. I chose a 3 iron, which I hit thin but managed to get close enough to try to hit the green with a 7 iron. You only need to hit a 170 yard drive from the Whites to have less than 150 yards to the center of the green. A small, shallow sand trap guards the front left side of the green. I left the ball just a foot short of the green, putted it to within five feet and sunk the putt for a par. Sadly, the last par I’ll see today. Even par after one.
#2 – A 320-yard dogleg left par 4 that has a little more generous fairway than the first hole. The entire right side is out of bounds (homes) though there is a reasonable amount of room on that side to miss the fairway. Evergreen trees are on the left side up to the dogleg and you have to hit the tee shot at least 150-160 yards, along the left side of the fairway, a little less on the right side, to have any shot at the green. I managed to top a 3 wood to the corner of the dogleg and left a long, partially obstructed, shot at the green. I pushed a 5 iron to the right, leaving the ball on pine straw with the sand trap between me and the green. Chipped over the trap but hit the ball a little too firmly and it rolled off down the other side of the green about 10 feet. Next chip was a little chunky and the ball didn’t make it up the hill and onto the green. Next chip saw the ball roll to about eight feet from the hole. Two putts. Triple bogey. Three over par after two holes. As you will discover, I need to work on those short chips. I suspect most people with an 18 handicap do.
#3
#3 – A 187-yard slightly downhill par 3 with out of bounds (homes) along the right side. Plenty of room to miss on the left. I optimistically hit a 5 iron but swung a little harder and pushed it to the right, nestling up to one of the out of bounds markers/fence post. Had to hit it with a putting stroke to get it away from the fence then chipped it to about five feet from the hole and made the putt to save a bogey. Four over.
#4
#4 – A short 105-yard par 3 over a small pond. The rest of my group splashed their tee shots. I tried to take a little off the pitching wedge since I hit over the green the last time but after watching them, I hit it over the green again. Chipped chunky again and just barely made it onto the green, putted really short of the hole, taking two more putts to get it into the hole for a double bogey. Six over.
#5
#5 – A 287-yard hard left dogleg par 4 with the first shot over water to a landing area and the second over water to the green. Along the left side is water and mature trees but longer hitters may be able to go directly at the green by cutting that corner. Of course, I thought I might be able to carry my 3 wood with a little draw far enough to get in front of the green. Splash. I dropped where my ball crossed the edge of the second water hazard and had 105 yards to the green. My pitching wedge carried the ball to within about eight feet of the hole for a shot at par. Missed it and tapped in for bogey. Seven over.
#6
#6 – A tricky downhill 142-yard par 3 with water on both sides and behind the green, though the water isn’t clearly visible from the tee box. I managed to push a 7 iron to
the right and into the water. Dropped where it crossed, chipped up and two putted for a double bogey. Nine over after six holes.
#7
#7 – A relatively friendly and flat 162-yard par 3 with no real trouble. I hit my 5 iron over the green, chipped to about eight feet and two putted for bogey. Ten over.
#8
#8 – A 160-yard par 3 with a stream running across the “fairway” about 130-yards out – which shouldn’t be in play unless you top the tee shot or hit it fat. The green is up the hill on the other side and obviously slanted towards the front, with the pin in back, making you think you may need to hit a longer club than usual. So, even though I hit my 5 iron over the green on the last hole of about the same length, and even though a chip from the back of the green to a tight flag on a green sharply slopping away from you would normally be the last place you wanted to be hitting your second shot from, I decided to hit my 4 iron. As expected, I hit over the green. I chipped to the fringe and the ball rolled over the lip and down towards the hole stopping about ten feet above the hole. An excellent result followed by another three putt for another double bogey. Twelve over. Ouch.
#9
#9 – A 243-yard par 4 with a slight dogleg to the right near the green. Trees along the right side leading up to the dogleg makes that side of the fairway less desirable for a shot at hitting the green in two and a bunker on the left front of the green is in play for anyone trying to hit their second shot to the front. Anything 170-200 yards in the fairway should be an easy par, if the greens were in normal summer conditions. I hit a 3 wood into the right rough close enough to chip using a pitching wedge. The ball landed in the fairway in front of the green, rolled through a shallow hole for a sprinkler head, and lipped out to stop about six inches from the hole. Tap in for birdie. An eleven over 42 after nine holes. One birdie, one par, three bogies, three double bogies and one triple bogey on the front.
#10
#10 – A 323-yard dogleg right par 4 with water along the left side and trees on the right to keep you from hitting into the par 3 11th hole. From the whites, you need to hit the drive at least 190 yards on one of the wider fairways to get a clear shot at the green or you’ll need to hit over the trees to a green you can’t see. If you hit it more than about 250 you’ll run out of fairway and likely have an awkward sidehill lie for your second shot. This is the first of the three holes that share one large green. Water is both short right and long left of the green. I hit what I thought was a descent drive with a 3 wood but didn’t clear the last tree on the right and had to hit my second over a tree with a 9 iron. Even though I made it there in two, I managed a three putt after pushing a short second putt to the right. Bogey and twelve over.
#11
#11 – A 133-yard par 3, with the pin in the back and playing more like 143 yards. Two sand traps protect the front right of the green but the hole was in the back so they weren’t really in play. Pulled my 7 iron to the left of the green, chipped up and two putted for a bogey and 13 over.
#12
#12 – A 130-yard par 3 over water with the pin up at about 110 yards. Only misses to the left where a sand track lurks will keep your ball dry. I hit the green with a 9 iron but was long left with a big downhill putt. Again, I hit the first putt way too soft for the winter greens and left it way short. Another three putt for another bogey. 14 over.
#13
#13 – A 286-yard slight dogleg right par 4 with no water and a relatively wide fairway. Woods line the right side and the 14th fairway is to the left over the berms and a few trees. A sand trap short of the green will be in play for those hitting 240 or more from the Whites. You can get blocked from a direct shot at the green by the trees if you hit your drive too far right. I hit my 3 wood to about 75 yards left then hit a “too good” directly over the flag and off the back of the green. Chipped back and two putted for another bogey and 15 over.
#14
#14 – A 309-yard par 4 with water and woods along the right side and water across the fairway about 230-240 yards out so you may not want to hit your driver if hitting it that far might be a concern. The 13th fairway is along the left side but trees between the holes and protecting the far left side of the water hazard makes a shot to the green from that side difficult. I hit my 4 wood to the center of the fairway leaving about 140 yards to the center of the green. The flag was on the back left near its connection with the 12th. I hit my 6 iron a little left and landed in the rough near where the two greens connected. I chipped to within seven feet, just missed the putt and tapped in for bogey. 16 over par with four holes to go.
#15 – A 148-yard par 3 with the right side sloping down to water/woods/trouble. I hit a 6 iron 156 yards and went just off the back. Chipped to about five feet and two putted for a bogey and 17 over par.
#16
#16 – A 300-yard par 4 with water along the right side on the drive. On the left side from 150-250 yards out if hole number 10 and enough trees to make a good shot at the green difficult.
#15
It is possible to cross the water on the right and play towards the green on the 17th hole as one of my playing partners tried with limited success. I hit my 3-wood just 178 yards into the trees on the left and had to punch a low 7 iron towards the green, rolling to about 15 yards short. A poor chip left me with a very long putt which I only got about halfway to the hole. Two more putts and I had a double bogey and 19 over par with just two holes to go.
#17
#17 – A 133-yard par 3 with a sand trap front left and water behind but not too close. Pin was in the back right. Woods and swamp to the right of the green but plenty of room to miss on the left. I hit an 8 iron onto the front left of the green. Putted about two thirds of the way to the hole, missed the seven-foot second putt and tapped in for bogey. Twenty over par and my sixth three putt of the day.
#18
#18 – A tight 304-yard par 4 with water down the left side and out of bounds down the right and a small pond in front of the tee box. I hit what is normally my trusty 4-wood, aiming to get it anywhere in the fairway but pushed it right to just inside the out of bounds marker/fence. I was blocked from shooting at the green by a row of trees between the fairway and cart path. Rather than chipping out to the fairway since my backswing that direction would be impeded by the fence, I chose to hit it down the right side toward the trap on the right side of the green. My 7-iron landed just past the sand trap and bounced right down to the cart path. I took a drop from the path, chipped it just short of the green, chipped to about two feet from the hole and tapped it in. I finished the round 21 over par on a par 63 course. Not my best scoring round.
Based upon the course difficulty, a 21 over par would be a good round for someone with a 28.7 handicap. I would have expected a lower score, but I’m not golfing to improve my handicap. I’m at Blue Heron to enjoy the outdoors, the scenery and to occasionally hit a good shot. Even with less than ideal green conditions I’d play this course again and would recommend it to others.
The goal is to play every golf course in Maryland that you can so does this really make sense? We could rank a Top 5 by natural beauty, exquisite care of the grounds, competence and friendliness of the staff, best clubhouse to hang out in, lowest cost, best layout, best greens, appropriate course completion time, best value for the money or some other measure. We’d like to hear your take on what courses should be on what list – give us your top 5.
Natural Beauty:
Course?
Course
Course
Best Value (Yards Per $1 for 18 holes):
Blue Herron (White @ 4,019) 201
Bowie (Gold @ 4,928) 130
Severna Park (1,880) 111
Course?
Course?
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