Courses you can play » Maple Run Golf Club

By Kevin Dunleavy
Examiner Staff Writer 8/21/08

Location » Thurmont, Md.

Phone » 301-271-7870

Signature hole: No. 9 at Maple Run is a 529-yard par 5. Courtesy graphic

Fees » $28 Monday-Friday; $40 Saturday-Sunday

Par/Yardage/Rating/Slope
72/6,626/71.2/128

Description » The 16-year-old course, a privately-owned “Ma and Pop” operation (rare in the Washington area), has interesting topography. Front nine is hilly and open with views of the Catoctin Mountains and towns of Thurmont and Emmitsburg. Back nine is flat, tight, and quirky (a power line runs through two of the fairways).

Reason to play » Low rates, fast pace of play, friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere, stunning mountain views. Despite minimal course maintenance, greens are in good shape and surprisingly quick.

Friends of Bill » When he was president, Bill Clinton was a frequent visitor. Presidential mountain retreat Camp David is six miles from the course. A 2004 episode of “West Wing” was shot at Maple Run, a replica model of the Marine One helicopter landing on the course.

Signature hole
No. 9 » Par 5 » 529 Yards
The small green on this reachable, downhill par-five is perched on a knee-high stone wall, which runs around the sides and back. Shots that roll just over green are unplayable, unless you want to risk slamming your 60-degree wedge into stone. From the tee, players can cut distance by going up the right side, but that brings homes — which were built long after the course was opened — into play.

Best hole » No. 5, Par 4, 397 Yards
This is the first of five open, scenic holes, on the highest part of the property. Little trouble, but elevation changes are subtle, distances are tough to judge, and the greens are undulating. No. 5 typifies this stretch. Even with a wedge, green is tough to hit and hold.

Worst hole » No. 13, Par 5. 492 Yards
No debate here. With a power line running up the left side of the fairway, then crossing it on this sharp dog-leg, this hole has infuriated many a player. But its saving grace is that it is the shortest par-five on the course and often reachable with a mid-iron, provided, of course, you don’t tick a wire.

Cool hole » No. 12, Par 3, 201 Yards
Nothing particularly distinctive about this hole, but look to the left of the fairway and you’ll want to investigate the stone ruins and dirt bunkers in the woods. There’s also a stone house near club house, which housed a one-room school house more than a century ago.

0 Comments