Golfers of every level can find a public course in Montgomery County with designer greens and professional instruction—and reasonable greens fees

By Ann Cochran

The weather will soon turn warm and the grass green. If you’re a golfer that means one thing: getting the clubs out and heading for the links. Fortunately, you have many choices. In addition to many superb country clubs, Montgomery County also has a surprising number and variety of public courses. The 12 public courses may not have all the amenities and services of the country clubs, but there’s no five-figure initiation fee either. 

The public courses in the county offer experienced professionals, well-stocked pro shops, beverages and sustenance, adult and junior golf clinics, leagues and tournaments. Some of the courses challenge even the best players; others are ideal for novices.

The Montgomery County Revenue Authority owns and operates five courses under the name Montgomery County Golf. They hired the respected design firm Ault, Clark & Associiates a few years ago to create a master plan for its courses. Since then, Laytonsville and Falls Road have debuted multimillion-dollar course renovations and new clubhouses.

Four other courses are owned and operated by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, one by the City of Rockville and two are independently owned.

Here’s what every golfer should know about the county’s 12 public courses:

1.
Blue Mash
5821 Olney-Laytonsville Road
Laytonsville
301-670-1966
www.bluemash.com
Owners: Tom Healy and Joe Hills

Blue Mash is “like Ireland with trees,” says 19-year-old golfer and former Nantucket caddy Harris Clarke of Bethesda, who was impressed with the good conditions in January.

The course is Montgomery County’s brightest golf star, a tough course where seasoned players pray for accuracy over distance. The first five holes are long, and golfers report that no two holes feel the same.

Co-owner Tom Healy lists some of Blue Mash’s attributes: “There are no houses on the fairway, no forced carries. Each hole has a bail-out area, and last but not least, you have a chance to use every club in your bag. The course starts and ends strong.”

Located just west of Olney, Blue Mash was developed by owners/managers Tom Healy and Joe Hills, course architect Arthur Hills’ son. Arthur Hills is known for strategic requirements for every shot. He has designed and renovated more than 260 courses around the world, winning countless awards. Hills’ local clients include Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Burning Tree, Congressional, Manor and Woodmont country clubs.

“Blue Mash gives the public golfer a chance to play a course similar to the ones enjoyed by country club members,” says Healy. “I want people to say this is a great course, it’s a fun place to play, and a great value too.”

Blue-tinged clay soil in the marshy land settled by freed slaves during the Civil War period gave this area the name Blue Marsh. Blue Mash is a colloquial pronunciation.

Amenities: Two-acre grass driving range, putting green, clubhouse, pro shop, snack bar, Club Golf instruction program

Par: 71
Yards: 6,885
Slope: 133
Rating: 73.3

$79 (Note: Each course has a wide range of fees. Prices are based on 18 holes, walking, in high season on a weekend unless otherwise indicated.)

2.
Falls Road
10800 Falls Road, Potomac
301-299-5156
www.montgomerycountygolf.com
Owner: Montgomery County

Over 60,000 rounds of golf are played at Falls Road annually, perhaps the highest in Montgomery County for an 18-hole course. This popular Potomac course was designed by Ed Ault of Ault, Clark on 158 acres of former farmland east of the intersection of Falls and River roads, the crossroads of Potomac Village. The signature hole is the fourth, which has a sycamore tree in the center of the fairway.

Falls Road opened in 1961, and received a much-needed multimillion-dollar renovation that was completed in 2004.

“The front nine was completely reworked,” says James Stewart, assistant pro, “and people love the new course, which plays faster. It’s not more difficult, but it is much more interesting.”

The back nine was already good, and it was just tweaked, some say back to its original prime. The course rating was deliberately kept the same. “We feel it’s important to get all ages and all kinds of players out on the course,” says Stewart.

Amenities: New clubhouse with pro shop and snack bar, new driving range, catering, free new golfer clinics, instruction

Par: 71
Yards: 6,162
Slope: 118
Rating: 68.5
$40

3.
Hampshire Greens
616 Firestone Drive, Silver Spring
301-476-7999
www.montgomerycountygolf.com
Owner: Montgomery County

Opened seven years ago, Hampshire Greens was designed by a woman, Lisa Maki. The course features bent grass from tee to green, and is fair but challenges the best players with some blind shots, sloped fairways and forced carries over water. Some of the prettiest holes are par 3s: the fourth, eighth and 11th. Greens are built up on slight knolls.

Hampshire Greens is located in the eastern part of Montgomery County off New Hampshire Avenue, eight miles outside the Beltway, in an upscale housing development of the same name.

Amenities: Driving range, pro shop, custom club fitting and repair, snack bar, catering, junior golf camps, lessons

Par: 72
Yards:  6,900
Slope:  122
Rating: 72.1
$65 (includes cart, which is mandatory)

4.
Laytonsville
7130 Dorsey Road, Laytonsville
301-948-5288
www.montgomerycountygolf.com
Owner: Montgomery County

Laytonsville offers novice golfers a place to call home. “Laytonsville is a flat course, which is good for beginners,” says assistant pro Mark Tanner. Better golfers play from the back tees, and find challenges in the doglegs.

Boasting a brand-new, full-service clubhouse and completely renovated course, the midcounty Laytonsville Golf Course is a par 71 with enough challenging features to attract the Middle Atlantic PGA Senior/Junior Association Tournament every year. Laytonsville has the second highest number of rounds played of the five Montgomery County Golf courses.

One of the premier learning centers for youth, Laytonsville offers clinics and specialized summer golf camps and programs.

Amenities: Driving range, short game practice area with bunker, pro shop, catering, snack bar, free new golfer clinics, instruction, junior golf camps

Par: 71
Yards: 6,390
Slope: 123
Rating: 69.9
$40

5.
Little Bennett
25900 Prescott Road, Clarksburg
301-253-1515 or 800-366-2012
www.mncppc.org/golf
Owner: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

Impeccably maintained with fast greens, narrow rye grass fairways and hilly terrain, this is a course where pros play: Little Bennett hosts the PGA tour Booz Allen qualifier. It has earned a loyal following among low handicappers, who admire—and curse—course architect Michael Hurdzan for his creativity. The greens are large but significantly sloped, so landing near the pin is recommended. There are lots of blind shots. Many players agree the second hole is toughest. It’s a par 5 that doglegs to the right. The fairway becomes extremely narrow halfway out, where a large bunker threatens. The 15th hole is the signature hole, a 212-yard par 3 over a ravine flanked by hazards on both sides. A front bunker catches shots that come up short, and shots that are long face a green that slopes and is narrow from back to front. Distance control is critical. 

Located in foothills near the Frederick County line, there are beautiful views of Sugarloaf Mountain.

Amenities: 50-station grass driving range, three practice greens, instruction, clubhouse and pro shop

Par: 72
Yards: 6,706
Slope: 133
Rating: 72.9
$52

6.
Needwood
6724 Needwood Road, Rockville
301-948-1075
www.mncppc.org/golf
Owner: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

With 27 holes of golf—a nine-hole executive course and 18-hole par 70—Needwood is playable and popular, truly ideal for a wide range of abilities. Built in 1969 convenient to Leisure World, many of its regulars are seniors. On the other end of the age spectrum, the U.S. Kids junior golf organization chose it as their 2006 tournament site. The front nine is open and forgiving; the trickier back nine is narrow and has water, including a pond in front of the 18th green.

Amenities: Driving range, clubhouse, pro shop, snack bar, instruction

Par: 70
Yards: 6,254
Slope: 113
Rating: 69.1
$41.50

7.
Northwest Park
15711 Layhill Road, Silver Spring
301-598-6100
www.mncppc.org/golf
Owner: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

Another course that is popular with many recreational golfers, it has 27 long but level holes, large forgiving greens and not much in the way of water, woods or bunkers. It’s especially rewarding for golfers with powerful drives. Sounds easy, but if that were the case, it wouldn’t have been ranked by Washington Golf Monthly (March 2004) as one of the 100 Must-Play Courses of the Mid-Atlantic. This Ed Ault-designed course hosted the 2005 U.S. Kids Golf state championship.

Amenities: Lighted, covered, heated driving range, pro shop, clubhouse, instruction

Par: 72
Yards: 7,376
Slope: 122
Rating: 74.1
$41.50

8.
Poolesville
16601 W. Willard Road, Poolesville
301-428-8143
www.montgomerycountygolf.com
Owner: Montgomery County

The 262-acre pastoral course in the agricultural lower western area of Montgomery County is the longest in the Montgomery County Golf group, and one of the longest public courses in the county. Despite the length, it is known as a great walking course and rewards solid golfers who pay attention to the basics of the game.  

Poolesville is popular. It logged more than 30,000 rounds last year, and is big on leagues; 310 players participate in 10 leagues. In 2001, many upgrades were completed, including new bunkers and tees. The pro shop and snack bar are being updated for the current season.

Bob Dolan, head pro at Columbia Country Club, appreciates Poolesville’s “location and atmosphere,” he says. “The staff and players are friendly, and it’s quiet.”  

Amenities: Grass driving range, chipping and pitching practice area with bunker, pro shop, snack bar, free new golfer clinics, camps for child and junior golfers, instruction

Par: 71
Yards: 6,831
Slope: 123
Rating: 72.3
$40

9.
Rattlewood
13501 Penn Shop Road, Mt. Airy
301-607-9000
www.montgomerycountygolf.com
Owner: Montgomery County

Rattlewood is eight miles north of Damascus; part of the course—the eighth and ninth holes—crosses into Frederick County.

The course is average in length and reasonably challenging, with an interesting variety of elevations and hole designs. Golfers who are loyal to this course mention the tricky situations that require strategy as well as skill. The fairways run fast and slant to the right and left, so you want to keep to the high side or regret the consequences. Rattlewood has a reputation among diehards for being open during wet conditions because it drains so effectively.

The county bought the course from a developer in 1995. Its 18,000-square-foot clubhouse used to be a home.

Amenities: Driving range, indoor as well as outdoor putting greens, snack bar, pro shop, free new golfer clinics, instruction

Par: 72
Yards: 6,501
Slope: 129
Rating: 71.2
$39

10.
RedGate
14500 Avery Road, Rockville
240-314-8730
www.redgategolf.com
Owner: City of Rockville

RedGate, owned by the city of Rockville, opened in 1974. It has long been well-regarded and, as a result, is crowded on weekends. Course architect Therman Donovan respected the natural rolling landscape when he created a course with a traditional feel in a parkland setting. Ted Pogorelc, pro at Bethesda Country Club, likes RedGate’s “unique layout that’s always challenging, no matter how many times you play it.”

It has matured into a challenging tree-lined golf course with narrow fairways, forced carries and other hazards. The fourth hole alone has three water hazards. Not for beginners, even good golfers advise bringing lots of balls to RedGate, and note that the up-and-down of it all requires smart club selection.

Bob Nolan, Columbia Country Club’s pro, says that at RedGate you almost always “hit most clubs in your bag, which is a good indicator of a challenging course.”

Amenities: Driving range (with the new PG990 turf/matting system), practice putting green and sand bunker area, pro shop, RedGate Café, instruction

Par: 71
Yards: 6,486
Slope: 131
Rating: 71.7
$40

11.
Sligo Creek
9701 Sligo Creek Parkway
Silver Spring
301-585-6006
www.mncppc.org/golf
Owner: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

This fairly easy course with a creek running through it is the only solely nine-hole course in the county, making it ideal for a quick round before or after a day at the office, with friends or to network with clients and colleagues. It is also the only public course that is inside the Beltway. Hilly and well-bunkered, its condition has been under par, but it has improved over the winter thanks to a new maintenance crew.

Amenities: Practice cage, pro shop, snack bar, no driving range

Par: 34
Yards: 2,146
Slope: 100
Rating: 61
$18 (for nine holes)

12.
Trotters Glen
16501 Batchellors Forest Road, Olney
301-570-4951
Owner: Helen Pollinger

Golfers can usually walk right onto this uncrowded, privately owned course off Georgia Avenue that has large, well-bunkered, undulating greens and few trees, which can be a positive or negative depending on how wildly one swings. Fairways vary in width, and some water comes into play on four holes. The signature hole is the second, a par 4 with a long carry over a rough that looks like nothing but is actually an environmentally protected area. Trotters Glen is ideal for high handicappers, walkers and for good golfers who want a relaxing round and a good score.

Amenities: Grass irons-only driving range and short game area, pro shop, snack bar (no alcohol), instruction

Par: 72
Yards: 6,220
Slope: 117
Rating: 69.3
$31

Ann Cochran, a freelance writer based in Cabin John, is a proud graduate of the Homestead Golf Advantage School and plays with enthusiasm if not skill.