Well, it is officially July in Maryland and the weather reports have hinted at a heat dome coming to the state – well it has arrived at the Bowie Golf Course. Phil, Barry, John and I had a 9am tee time and it was reasonably pleasant but by the end of the round you could tell that it was hot. My car’s thermometer indicated it was 98 degrees and the “heat index” was reported to be 112. Not that pleasant for a bunch of old guys.
I think Barry took the low score of the day with an 80. My putter settled down a little bit today so I only took 35 putts – one chipped in with the putter from the fringe, two one-putts, 12 two-putts and only three three-putts. Started off hitting well with the driver but struggled as the round went on. Lost one ball when I pulled the driver hard left, hit a tree that shouldn’t normally be in play, and had it bounce back into the pond in front of the tee box. Took a six on that par 4. Finished with nine pars, five bogeys and four double bogeys. Four fairways and eight greens hit in regulation.
Was completely soaked by the end of the round. Hopefully the rest of July will be a little kinder to the old guys.
Here’s my scorecard. As usual, the red notations were made after the round. Clayt
Clayt’s scorecard, Bowie GC, 01 July 2026
No video from the one as you’ve all seen previous shots from there. When the first and ninth holes return to their intended layouts, I’ll reshoot it and post. They should be close to getting them open. The new scorecards have the new configurations included.
Why have I not heard of this course before? Probably because it takes it takes a while to get there. It’s a par 72 hidden in Mechanicsville in St. Mary’s County. It took me under 90 minutes to get there but it was worth the drive. Prior to going I made some “flyovers” of each hole using Google Earth so that my video of the round would show an overview of the hole before seeing the shots. The Google Earth shots did not do the course justice. It was much more beautiful in person. The satellite shots were obviously taken in winter when the trees are bare and the grass is brown and the topography is completely lost. This place was so green and hilly, and the sand traps and greens were well cared for and in great shape – though the greens were pretty slow.
One of the things I forgot about this time of year was the number of kids out of school and out hitting the courses during the week. Up until now, I was acustomed to kids being in school, adults working and just us seniors out on the course. That has now changed. On the plus side, I had the good fortune of catching up with two “kids,” Matt and Reed, on the third hole and they agreed to let me tag along. I was solo on this outing as the regular players in our group all begged off on the road trip as if it were to another state. Their loss on this one, though I will talk the course up and see if we can get a group there. After the round I discovered that GolfDay had ranked Wicomico Shores as the 35th best public course in Maryland. I haven’t played all of the first 34 but they might be selling this one short.
Matt, Reed and I didn’t take the round too seriously. I played reasonably well from the whites though my 92 isn’t going to lower my handicap. Putting is still a little shaky with six three-putts, though I do think I’m getting more comfortable with the new Odyssey putter. Most of those were the result of very weak first putts from long distance and uphill. That’s something I need to work on. On the plus side I had a birdie and hit eight fairways and seven greens in regulation. On the negative side, I lost two golf balls and scored an 8 and a 9 on two of the par 5s.
Matt and Reed reported their scores, with a smile, as 64 and 70, respectively. I’m not sure if they kept score after about the 13th hole and even though I’m not a golf rules expert I’m pretty sure they weren’t following all of them…
Here’s the video.
And here’s my scorecard. Notations in red were made after the round. Highly recommend making the drive to this course. I imagine it’s even more beautiful in the fall.
Well, if you’ve seen the YouTube video on my putting woes, you’ve probably concluded that my problem is in my head and not in my putter and I’d probably have to agree with you. I bought that putter in 2007 and my putting has gone downhill every since. But, in my defense, I think the putter is good if I hit it exactly on the sweet spot every time. Quitting golf for almost ten years then playing once a week, now about twice a week, and I’m not going to be hitting the sweet spot every time.
By now you probably know where I’m going with this. After reading an article by MyGolfSpy (a website you should at least visit) about their testing and rating of 75 different putters, they concluded that zero torque putters were for real and that the Odyssey AI-Dual Square 2 Square #7 putter was rated by the testers as the best at virtually every distance. So my thought was that if I get this new fancy putter that is just about as perfect as a putter can be then whatever problems I still have must be all mine.
So I went down to Dick’s Sporting Goods and found the putter on sale for $50 off. Of course I bought it and hit practice putts in my basement in preparation for the putter’s introduction to real putting greens on a real golf course.
And today was the day. Overall, the weather was beautiful and relatively cool, and Phil and John witnessed her maiden round. (She doesn’t have a name yet but that’s coming.) I shot a 79 which was pretty darn good for me. The putting was somewhat of a mixed bag, primarily because I didn’t know how hard to hit the putts. I had five three-putts, which isn’t a record for me. Again, primarily because I would hit the putt too soft or too hard – not because of the direction. Three-putts on the first two holes had me a little nervous about my new love.
By the end of 18 holes, I was back feeling confident that it was going to be a long-term relationship, finishing with seven one-putts and two birdies, and 34 total putts when I average 37 a round. I only hit two fairways and seven greens but did well otherwise.
Videos, you might ask? I started to video the round but after three-putting the first hole I thought better of the idea and turned it off. I didn’t need anything other than my putting to think about. But the video showing off the putter will come soon enough.
What else am I doing about my horrible putting? Well, I’ve downloaded a copy of Dave Pelz’s Putting Bible and started to read it. I’ve made it to the fourth chapter so far and the short version of what I’ve read so far is that a pure pendulum straight-back straight-through putting motion is best and there are a lot of bad ways to putt and they still might go in and alot of ways a really good putt might not go in. I’m working on the pendulum motion. Will keep you informed of my progress.
In the meantime, here’s my scorecard from today. Clayt
Clayt’s Scorecard, Bowie Golf Club, 24 June 2026
The red notations were added after the round.
One more thing. Bowie has printed their new scorecards pending the reopening of the shortened golf holes. Hole #18, around the new driving range, is now playing as a relatively short par 5. Holes #1 and #9 are still shortened. The “soon to be” yardages have been added and the course rating and slope numbers have been revised.
This is our 14th course on our way to playing every golf course (that will let us on) in Maryland – over 100. Baltimore’s Carroll Park is a nine hole par 34/68 “executive” course that opened in 1923. It has seven par 4s and two par 3s, and measures 2787/5574 from the blue tees, 2593/5186 from the whites and 2536/5072 from the reds. The course is wedged between I-95 and US Route 1 in an industrial area so truck and train noise is pretty much a constant.
Barry, Rich and I teed off around 9:30 on a Friday and the course was pretty open. Just in front of us was a foursome of kickball golfers who let us play through on the second hole. Their holes are marked with blue flags so you’ll see those and soccer balls throughout the video.
The day turned out to be much hotter than expected, reaching 99 degrees by the time we got off the course. A constant breeze, relatively low humidity and riding in carts certainly made the round much more bearable. I also commend the staff for keeping coolers of cold water throughout the course.
There are no water hazards on the course and relatively few sand traps – though I found two of them and Barry enjoyed the same one twice. All of the traps that I had a chance to see were in good condition. Beside the wooded areas adjacent to some holes, the biggest hazard was the ankle-high to calf-high grass in some of the tree lined holes. Hitting into those areas made it difficult to find your ball easily. I lost two balls in there was I gave up after a quick look and didn’t want to slow the round down.
The greens were a little on the small side but seemed well maintained and rolled slow but well.
We played from the blue tees as the white tees were a little short for us. Rich only played the front nine and finished with a 46. Barry and I played 18. Barry finished with an 87 while I shot a 90. Now that I’ve seen the course twice, I believe I could play it much smarter than I did this time. The course looks pretty wide open but there’s a definite premium in keeping it in the fairway on your tee shot even if it means clubbing down and losing some distance.
Recommend you get out there and play.
Carroll Park scorecard – front, June 2026Carroll Park scorecard – back, June 2026
Bill, Rick and I ventured into Baltimore to play Clifton Park. The land was once owned by Johns Hopkins and his “summer house” mansion still graces the park adjacent to the golf clubhouse. A couple of sources indicate the course was opened in either 1915 or 1920. At least five other courses were previously built in the Baltimore area, all private and exclusive, but this course remains the oldest course in Maryland the public can play. On the journey to play every course in Maryland (that will let me on), this is the 13th course.
In some ways this is the most interesting course I’ve played so far. You can tell it has history and that the course was primarily built by pick and shovel and not by moving around tons and tons of dirt. The course follows the natural contours of the land and has small tee boxes, sand bunkers and greens. The fairways and greens are in good shape. There are no water hazards but several places where you can lose a ball and plenty of mature trees to knock your ball down if you get too close. The cart paths – not sure if they were added later but I’m thinking it’s likely – are only near the tee boxes and greens, probably to minimize wear and tear and to get you going in the right direction. And then there’s the mansion anchoring the center of the course and an old cemetary on the right side of the 14th hole.
For me, this course is a “must play” if you’re interested in playing only the “important” courses in Maryland.
My round from the gold tees (5364 yards) went well mostly because I successfully hit a series of “miracle” recovery shots that landed on the green after hitting a problematic drive. Watch the video to see how many trees I hit over. My score of 85 on a par 71 was better than what you’d expect from my drives. The course was less forgiving to Rick, scoring a 52 on the front before he had to leave. Bill opted to enjoy life and forego any scoring.
By the numbers. I didn’t lose any balls – almost always a good sign. I only hit the fairway in regulation three times but hit the green seven times. I only had a single one-putt, 13 two-putts and (sadly) four three-putts. No birdies, six pars, 10 bogeys and two double bogeys. In my own unofficial handicap calculations, this score brought it down to a 17.6.
The nine-hole course at Carroll Park is scheduled to be our 14th course. We’ll probably play it twice that day. I’ll post the scorecard and video when it’s done. In the meantime, here the card and video for Clifton Park. Highly recommend you go there and play.
Clayt and Rick’s scorecard, Clifton Park Golf Course, 08 June 2026
Made it back out to the Bowie Golf Club on June 10th with Phil, Bill, Coop, Barry and John. It rained the entire way to the course but stopped shortly before our tee time. As is customary every other week during the summer at Bowie, we teed off at the 10th hole. The 10th and 11th holes at Bowie generally give me the hardest time. Ten is a short par 4 with water in front of the tee box, water down the left side and out of bounds down the right. The 11th is a fairly long and tight par 5 with with woods running down the right side and scattered trees down the left.
Clayt’s scorecard, Bowie Golf Course, 10 June 2026
Today, I hit a 5-iron on the 10th followed by a pitching wedge onto the green. Two putts for a par and I was off to a good start. The 11th had other ideas for me. I pulled my driver into the trees on the left. After two poor punch out shots, I was able to hit an 8-iron over another tree then an 8-iron onto the green and two-putt for a double bogey. It went downhill from there with a three-putt on the next green for a double, and splashed a ball on the next tee shot for another double.
The rollercoaster back continued with a two-putt par on the 14th, driving the green and three-putting for a par on the 15th, a two-putt bogey on the 16th, a three-putt double bogey on the par 3 17th and a two-putt double bogey on the 18th. Finished the back nine with an 11-over par 46. It didn’t look like this one was going to be used in my handicap calculations.
On to the front nine where I finally settled down and salvaged a somewhat respectable score, considering the carnage on the back nine. Two-putt par, two-putt bogey, three-putt bogey, one-putt par, one-putt par, two-putt bogey, two-putt par and two-putt par. The wheels came off just a little at the temporary green par 3/4 9th hole playing somewhere around 180 yards. Hit a 5-iron fat and into the right rough. Bad chip, bad chip and bad chip and I was on the green and one-putted for a bogey. Front nine totaled 38 on the temporary par 33. Total for 18 was 16 over par 84.
It was still a good day out on the golf course and a struggling round builds character. By now, I should have a lot of character.
By the numbers: Eights pars, four bogeys, and six double bogeys. Three one-putts, 11 two-putts and four three-putts. Six fairways and seven greens in regulation. No birdies but no four-putts or triple bogeys.
The River Course at Queenstown Harbor has the reputation of being one of the best courses in Maryland and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Bill, Wendell, Gus and I played from the gold tees which measured a paltry 5,861 yards, far short of the 6,568 for the blue tees and 7,096 for the green. Being an old guy, an 18+ handicap and not being familiar of the course (particularly where definitely not to hit)the course tired me out, finishing with a 96. Having no birdies, just four pars and three lost balls will get you to 96 pretty quickly.
The course is definitely beautiful and in good shape. The tee boxes, fairways, bunkers and greens were all pretty meticulous. Why does the course also have the reputation of being tough? Well, there’s water, marsh, knee-high grass and large deep bunkers throughout the course and fairly often you can find all of them on one hole. If you’re hitting the ball straight and can put on large, fast greens then this will give you an edge on that $1 nassau. Not to say this isn’t a fun course. It certainly is and we had a great time – primarily because the score didn’t mean anything to any of us. I’d certainly have liked to score better and next time I believe I will, but the beauty of the course, the good company and an occasional good or great shot was all that I needed.
For those interested in seeing the round at our 12th course, from my point of view, here it is. And the scorecard follows, with my edits in red after I’d had a chance to review the tape. I would never make it on the PGA tour as I’d be disqualified more often than not – I make a mistake on the scorecard fairly often. Sometimes in my favor and sometimes against. On this one I thought I had a triple bogey when I really had a double and I forgot to count the lost ball on the 18th hole. Gained one, lost two. Thought I had a 95, then a 97, then a 96.
Clayt’s 96, River Course, Queenstown Harbor, June 4, 2026
Sam, Barry and I played from the gold tees at the Bowie Golf Course today. The weather was beautiful, sunny with a slight breeze and temps in the low 80s. Got around the course fast, finishing a leisurely pace at 3.5 hours. The greens are in great shape and were rolling faster than we’ve seen in some time. Hole #5 was particularly tricky with the hole cut near the bottom of the slope down to the front tier. Fairways and rough are coming in nicely. Most of the tee boxes still need more time. And the course is still playing as a temporary par 68 so the scores aren’t as good as they seem.
Sam scored two birdies and finished with a 78. Just one double bogey on the par 5 11th hole, pushing the tee shot into the woods, chipping out, then pulling his second shot left.
Barry took a triple bogey on the par 3 5th hole, primarily due to the hole location mentioned previously. He also had a double on the par 4 first hole. We found out how fast the greens were when he chipped onto the green and it rolled off the back.
I took an unusual route to an 81. I had double bogeys on the two front par 3s and a triple bogey on the par 4 17th. I got a birdie on the par 4 15th hole after a 203 yard tee shot with my 3-wood and a PW chip to a back pin for about a 4-foot putt. Beside the one birdie, I had 8 pars, 5 bogeys, 3 double bogeys and one triple. Only hit two fairways but was on the green in regulation 11 times. The driver was not as well behaved as last week. Hit a couple of trees and sliced one pretty good. I had two one-putts and only one three-putt, but sadly had a four-putt on the par 4 3rd hole. My estimated handicap hangs at about 18.1.
No video from this one. We’ve seen the video(s) from Bowie and I probably won’t do another one until the first, ninth and 18th holes open up in their new configurations. Not sure when that will be. Until then, here’s the scorecard from the round.
Bowie Golf Course, June 3, 2026 (Gold tees)
Planning to play the River course at Queenstown Harbor tomorrow for my 12th course since starting on this journey. And thinking about Clifton Park on Monday for the 13th and Carroll Park on Friday for the 14th course, both of which are in Baltimore.
Barry and I played this one in March 2026, just two months ago, and somehow I forgot to write about it. This is an excellent course and one that I’m interested in playing again soon. It was a little chilly that day and I wasn’t familiar enough with the course and didn’t take my time to understand the shot I needed to make to make a decent score. The video was produced right after we played so I’ll let it do the talking.
Probably my first post involving introspection. I’ve played golf off and on for 40 years, having recently started up again after an almost ten year hiatus. Looking back, work was the primary reason I gave for not playing but the reality is that the yips made it so that I didn’t try hard to find the time to play. I started playing more tennis then one of the tennis players, Phil, invited me to play golf with his group. That’s when I started back up. Then a recurring tennis arm injury flared up and I began playing less tennis and more golf. Since starting the website and YouTube channel, it has just been golf.
Since restarting golf, it has only been for fun and playing against myself, but the yips have stuck with me over those intervening years. I would have thought the time would heal the old wounds but I guess psychological scaring goes deeper and lasts longer. So now, I’ve decided to embrace the suck.
This past Monday, I shot a good round at Langston but did so with 42 putts. Not a record for me but well up there. I decided to make a video just of my putting and as I watched that video I could see just how bad it was. It’s a miracle that I only had 42 putts and that I didn’t four-putt at least once. Anyway, just compiling the video made me think I should work on getting better at putting, or more specifically getting rid of the yips.
I’ve set up a putting mat that I’ve had for years but haven’t been using. And I’m going to try to visit golf courses when I’m not playing a round and practice putting on their practice greens. I’ll keep a log and publish it – so I can hold myself accountable to do it and to see if it helps. I’ll also make videos of just putting to see the progress.
So here’s the first. Wish me luck.
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