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New Market, MD

Links @ Lake Linganore

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1.885(based on 4 reviews)
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11 0
Monocacy
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 23.9 years 493 played 75 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Nice neighborhood niner, despite drawbacks 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Mar 5, 2022 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This is a nine-hole neighborhood course that takes advantage of available elements such as elevation, trees, and fast greens to create a surprisingly enjoyable variety of hole designs. None of the holes are completely open, and several offer a decent technical challenge despite most measuring 250' or less.

Yellow-banded baskets are easy to spot and caught well (but see cons). The course begins and ends near the parking lot (but see cons). I have never seen this course crowded.

Many holes are quite fun to play:

#2 is listed at 227' but plays a bit longer, with the choice of a tricky dead-straight drive or throwing over the top.

#6 is a 276' drive through a decent-sized initial gap and across an open area, with evergreen trees guarding right and left of the basket. The closer you get to the basket, the higher the risk of getting stuck behind a low-branched tree.

#8 is a 231' low-ceiling tunnel with the basket offset to the right. Pretty little hole, and tricky to hit the line and park your drive.

Cons:

For first-time players, good luck finding your way around without a navigation app. No tee signs, no directional markers, no worn-in paths to most holes, and barely-worn natural teepads. Even with a navigation app, finding the actual tee location was sometimes guesswork.

Small concrete cones mark most tees. Some of these markers are missing, some have been knocked over, and many are hard to spot until you practically trip over them. These cones are about the size of a plastic beer cup with the hole number painted on top. Painting the cones in bright colors would make the tees easier to spot and improve navigation.

Natural tees were often lumpy or sloping. Tees had decent traction on a dry day, but could be slippery when wet. For better or worse, most holes are short enough for a standstill throw.

Hole #3's basket is poorly mounted and leaning. It looks like the basket had been moved and then set loosely in a hole rather than being properly re-mounted. No course amenities such as benches or bathrooms.

This is a short course, with holes averaging around 200'. I enjoy short courses so this is not a big con for me, but a longer hole or two would add variety and improve the course.

There are a few safety hazards on the course. Hole 1# is a downhill left-curving hole with a fairly busy neighborhood street on the right. Cars driving up the hill are blind from the tee, and could easily be hit by a too-straight drive.

The teepad for hole #3 faces directly over hole #4's basket. This is confusing and potentially dangerous. A gravel parking lot with construction equipment runs along the left side of hole #5's fairway. This looks unattractive and construction vehicles could be in range of errant drives.

Parking at the course risks a $250 towing fee unless your car has a neighborhood association sticker. If you live in the neighborhood, though, keeping out the riff raff might be a "pro".

Other Thoughts:

I would not suggest traveling far to play here, but this is a well-designed little neighborhood course that features a nice variety of fun-but-short holes. Unfortunately, drawbacks such as poor navigation, teepads, safety issues, and sometimes maintenance keep this course from its full potential.

In summer I have seen the rough on this course wildly overgrown with abundant sticker bushes. Errant throws have been lost forever, and attempts to search for lost discs yielded frustration and spilled blood. In contrast, the rough was not an issue when I played here in March 2022.

Perhaps locals have cleaned up the rough, or perhaps the shrubbery simply died back for the winter and will return with a vengeance during the growing season. Either way, the lack of winter undergrowth made the round much more pleasant.

The layout seems to have shifted around a bit over the years, so this course might still be a work in progress. I will update if I learn of any significant changes.
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5 0
MikeK
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 28.9 years 330 played 128 reviews
1.50 star(s)

Enjoyed the leg workout 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 23, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

+Hilly
+Nice trees, pretty course, nice view on # 5
+Alternate pins on a couple of holes
+Great place to practice mid-range shots

Cons:

-Private course; signs threaten $250 towing fee if your vehicle doesn't have the neighborhood association sticker
-Short, short, short. I throw drivers when most players throw mid-ranges, but on this course I only pulled out the driver on 2 holes
-Navigation is not easy, I'm surprised the course description says it's easy. Take a picture of the course map, you'll need it.

Other Thoughts:

I was pleasantly surprised by this course. I went in thinking "this is just another one of those neighborhood courses that'll be open, short, and boring" but except for the short part this course is pretty interesting. It's a great workout for the legs if not for the arms, as most of the holes feature decent elevation change.

The course starts with a downhill blind RH hyzer, followed by an easy straight ace run. Hole 3 has a short downhill pin and an alternate longer downhill pin, which is reachable if you throw directly over 4's tee. If there isn't a mando for that hole, there should be one that forces a throw down the correct fairway. Hole 4 is uphill and to the right, most players will lay up halfway down the fairway and take the 3, but there's a bomb route way over the top if you have the arm. Hole 5 was my favorite, downhill with a pretty view of a small mountain to the left. Hole 6 is across the maintenance yard and is another pretty hole and is one of the longer drives. Hole 7 has a short easy pin and a longer uphill pin too. Hole 8 is a nice tunnel shot, and 9 is a RH anhyzer up the hill back to the start.
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