New Market, MD

West Winds DGC

2.75(based on 5 reviews)
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9 0
unsmith
Experience: 10.5 years 14 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Picturesque Mountain Golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 12, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

20 holes of differing shot shapes spread around a sprawling old ball golf course in the middle of a golf course community. As such, you have cart paths everywhere to guide you, and some helpful stencils on the paths where needed to get you to the next hole. Baskets are all in great shape.

Little chance to actually lose a disc, unless you are really inaccurate or huck it up into a pine tree.

Practice area has a rather innovative set of concrete discs laid around marking distance to the basket, including some (approximate) Circle-1 markers. Nice to help dial in your putting distance.

Cons:

You know how your dad always used to joke about having to walk uphill to school both ways? This course feels like that. Aside from a couple of holes that gently slope downwards and one valley hole, everything here feels uphill. You'll understand why when you get to the back-10, as you chew up a LOT of downhill just walking from 13->14 and 17->18. The rest of the course is either an uphill walk, uphill throw, or both.

If you are not in excellent walking shape, you WILL get run down by the layout. As others have said, bring lots of water. Take breaks, use the benches.

Many holes are a grip-lock away from someone's back yard, and few have fences. Be aware of your surroundings.

Other Thoughts:

Hole 13 needs to be re-thought. At this point in a round you're probably already a bit tired, and the insane uphill climb and uphill throw into 13, followed by an immediate big downhill walk to 14, is borderline abuse. After a climb like that I expected to get a memorable big downhill throw, but I was sorely disappointed as all of the downhill is wasted on the walk to 14. Instead, go straight from 12 to 14 and make that area 3 holes instead of 2.

I cannot imagine doing 13 in the heat of the summer. When I return, I'll probably just skip that hole.
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5 0
gtg888h
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18.5 years 40 played 27 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Good start for ball golf style in MD 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 3, 2021 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

+Excellent baskets (DiscCatchers) and signage. Multiple tee options for differing levels

+Very nice practice area

+Nice combo of open bomber-style holes with others that have more "technicality". That technicality isn't shot-shaping, but rather avoiding bunker OBs or angle control on the landing. I really liked hole 8 with the big valley shot and the basket up on the woods line to the right - you either have to throw a big FH or go straight at it/BH turnover. Fun shot to throw and watch fly.

+Lots of elevation, both up and down

+Mostly stroller/wagon-friendly with a walking/golf cart path the whole way (minus one broken section), so while it is a *very* long walk, you can bring a little one with you.

Cons:

-Some incredibly long walks on the back 9/10 holes, especially from 12 through 17. This course is borderline unplayable in the heat of the summer unless you do some of the creative parking that was suggested by another commenter. Bring *lots* of water.

-Natural tee pads that can get really torn up after lots of rain or snow. They were fine on a dry summer day, but after a week of a decent amount of rain in early January, my footing was not confident in the least - something that's crucial to have on a long course requiring full-power tee shots on every hole.

-Some of the holes needed some better grooming to really look their best, with the bunkers looking pretty ragged. I wouldn't ding a public course for this, but being a pay-to-play situation...

-No restrooms out on the course. Given how incredibly long it is, and that you're almost always within eyesight of private homes, going in the wild isn't really an (acceptable) option.

Other Thoughts:

$4-6/person "donation" to play. PayPal info on the board next to practice area.

Restaurant/pro shop/second 18-hole course to come. This could be an excellent course in a few years with the right investments into tee pads/multiple baskets/fixing some broken pathways.

I'll come back in a couple years to revisit this rating. I think it could quickly get bumped to a 4 with the right upgrades.
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11 0
swatso
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.4 years 776 played 417 reviews
2.50 star(s)

!World Wrestling Entertainment 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 13, 2021 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Four (red/white/blue/gold) tee positions per hole, roughly averaging 200/280/370/450' per hole.

Two practice baskets, and adjoining open areas to warm-up with drivers.

Tossed-n-Found box.

Cons:

Natural tees. Only basket position per hole.

Minimal shot-shaping opportunities.

The slog from basket-12 to tee-16 has sometimes been compared to the Bataan Death March.

Other Thoughts:

This 20-hole course is the first of two being built upon former ball-golf courses contained in a housing development. It is a very long course, with long holes and, at times, long walks between holes.

Most of the trees on the course form the border between the course and the houses, so few are used as obstacles; As such, there is only a modicum of shot-shaping requirements.

The challenges one will face playing this course are: distance, wind (not called West Winds for nothing), some elevation changes, some baskets on slopes/hillocks, some baskets quite close to OoB (former sandtraps, and/or cart path and beyond), and a random tree or two guarding a basket.

Park-then-play options:
a) Front5/Back5 10-hole loop: Park at main lot. Play 1-5, then walk down to tee=16, and play 16-20.
b) Back5/Front5 10-hole loop: Park on the road, either near basket=5 or tee=16. Play 16-20, then 1-5.
c) Middle10 10-hole loop: Park on the road, either near tee=6 or basket=15. Play 6-15.
d) To play all 20 but having the option to stop at your car mid-round: Park near the intersection where basket=5/tee=6, or basket=15/tee=16 are all relatively close together. After playing ten holes, regardless of which loop you do first, you'll be near your car before continuing with the second half.

Favourite hole: #6. One of the shorter holes, and with a very slight incline, it is one of the most challenging basket positions on the course, with an oob former sandtrap just to its right, oob cart path to left and back, and the ~6' high limbs of a pine tree just short and left.

Restaurant, bathrooms, and other course to open this Spring/Summer.
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2 2
Pjon10
Experience: 24.9 years 49 played 2 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Poor layout and too long 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 17, 2021 Played the course:once

Cons:

Using a ball golf course and just adding baskets to it isn't very creative. The course is way too long to walk, shortening holes and adding extra holes would be beneficial instead insanely long holes down a fairway intended to have you drive a ball 300 yards down for a first shot.
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8 0
Calioppie
Experience: 9.6 years 11 played 1 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Championship course in the making 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 10, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Multiple tee positions to choose from. Long course with elevation changes for a nice workout while playing. The old ball golf driving range is nice for practicing long distance throws. Practice baskets are also available for the short game in your life.

Cons:

Could use more trees for more options than mostly long wide open shots to the baskets. No bathrooms on the course so if you're caught in the back 9 by a sudden urge you are in for a long walk to the nearest bathroom.

Other Thoughts:

This course has every bit of a championship course. It is new and there is still a lot of work being done on the premises, i.e. restaurant and pro shop being renovated. There are cabanas available for relaxing before or after a round. When I played there was only one course available to play but a second course was being planned and baskets were near going in the ground for two separate 18 hole courses to chose from. This will be a great course to play and I hope to see some tournaments if the grand plans all come together for this course.
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