We are off to play Marlton Golf Club this weekend. This will be the second time in a few weeks that we have swung by this nice little course. We have had a good spate of lost greens this year in the southern part of Maryland. While trying to find a course that didn’t seem afflicted with the problem, we rediscovered Marlton a couple of weeks ago. There is nothing really exceptional about this course, but there is nothing bad about it either. It is a fairly short but rather tight layout just north and east of Upper Marlborough, MD. It is situated in a mature neighborhood and while the course winds it’s way through the homes, they are for the most part non-intrusive to the course.
A good example of the course is the first few holes. The first is a short par 5 of about 500 yards. An elevated tee shows a bit of fairway that bends off to the left and out of sight. A driver here is just asking for trouble. I have reached this green with a 3-wood/4-wood combination, yet every time I play, I try to take out the driver here. It’s that kind of course that tempts you to go for the tight shot, but experience will tell you the tight shot will end up costing you. From the landing area the hole drops off a bit more before bending back to the right and going uphill to the green. There’a small pond to the right about 100 yards out, that really isn’t in play unless you decide to layup and really mis-hit it. All-in-all a nice opening hole with plenty of options for getting your swing grooved for the rest of the day.
The second is a short par 3 with a forced carry over water. After the tight opener, this seems like a breeze. A wedge to 8-iron to a fair sized green. That is my downfall here, it seems easy enough that I tend to relax a bit too much. I seem to get pars or real bad scores here. The third is a short par 4 with not much room for error off the tee. If you hit a straight driver, it’s a birdie hole. Otherwise, look out or hit a fairway wood or iron from the tee.
The fourth is another par 3, this one is tough. Tee from behind an environmental area to an elevated green that is mostly hidden from view . Big traps in front and a hill behind that will make your knees quake chipping back downhill to a green that falls off towards the environmental area.
On the 4th, you can air out the driver. A fair sized par 4 that goes uphill from the landing area to the green. Take an extra club for the approach.
On the first 4 holes, you’ve had 4 very different holes. From there on out, it seems as if there are a few more like number 3, short par 4’s that reward accuracy. While that may be good, it doesn’t play to my strengths. Nonetheless, it makes me a better golfer to navigate those types of holes.
The greens are bent, the fairways seem to be a bent / bluegrass mixture and the course has always been in real good, if not great shape. I’m looking forward to the round. Perhaps my recent bad play will fall by the wayside.
Keep ‘em on the short grass.
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