Fairway Hills GC, Columbia MD 151017

Описание: Fairway Hills, Columbia MD, a solid B+

This is a nice course, not too long but it plays tough...the tee-shots and approach-shots are somewhat standard fare for a woods course, challenging but not too tight. The greens are lightning-fast and always have a significant pitch. Often surrounded by big bunkers and swales. The rough is no more than a few inches but thick. It is a nice layout nestled in and around plenty of houses but the houses are not too obtrusive. Where they have a real effect is in the OB markers everywhere, tight off the fairway though to be fair well out of the line of play. You have to stay on the course, though, hitting long shots off the tee or into the greens towards the houses will almost always be a play into a row of OB markers.

In any case this is a well-kept course, but still a county course, though I think it's a better course than Hobbits' Glen which is right in the same part of Columbia but that is a "community course" only open to the public on Mondays and even that will only last through their renovation. This is just a better course, so no loss there. But it is just not a beginners' course. Hobbits' Glen is a challenge. This is harder than Hobbits' Glen...it is easier in terms of the plays out of the rough but way harder to putt and there are a lot of blind shots off the tee. The 18th tee-shot is a 225 yard carry to the fairway from the black tees. #15 is a 215 yard par-3 surrounded by waste and OB markers. It's a good course, stern but fair, and the only two problems that I had with it was the traffic from Rte 108 on the northwest side running along #16-#18, the traffic running behind the tee on #7, and Columbia Rd running along #1, #2, #8, #9 and #10. It does get a bit noisy in places and there are a fair number of houses on the course but in general it is a good course and well worth the $40 that I paid with a cart. Oh the other problem was that for some reason a lot of couples play late in the afternoon and...to be kind...they slow up the course pretty badly. I ended-up skipping half the front side and coming back to it later which is why #4? looks dark in the video. That is where two greens and a tee border the lake.