Ecco Bravo!

For the past few seasons, I have been looking to replace my go-to black Adidas golf shoes, which had been getting more and more beaten and worn with each round I played. Because I like how the black golf shoes looked, I wanted to stay with that color. I also wanted a shoe that featured replaceable spikes as opposed to a golf shoes that had molded spikes in the sole. So I began a search that has lasted for several seasons.

Ecco Men's Cage Golf Shoe

I looked first at Adidas, which I have worn exclusively since the late 1990s, but I didn't like the contemporary styles that now popularize their brand. The same was true with Foot-Joy, one the most popular golf shoe on the market, and Nike. With those virtually eliminated, I began to focus on off-brands such as New Balance, Skechers and Ecco. I wear New Balance trainers at the gym and was intrigued by their Golf 2004 model. Skechers has been carving out a niche on the professional golf tours, and a few of their models seemed worth exploring. But I have always been fascinated by Ecco, a European-based company, whose golf shoes are worn by pros such as Fred Couples, Ernie Els and Graeme McDowell. While they had several models I strongly liked, I always had concerns over sizing (I wear a 9.5, but Ecco is 9-9.5) and their high price was more prohibitive.

The shoe features Champ Zarma spikes

The weekend after July 4th, I was in Rehoboth Beach, Del., for a family celebration. There are several outlet stores there, including New Balance, Skechers and Ecco. I decided this was possibly the opportunity to pull the trigger on finally replacing past-their-prime Adidas golf shoes. Fortunately, my cousin was also looking for a new pair of golf shoes, so we could possibly take advantage of any discounts that were being offered. After he struck out at the Nike outlet, we ventured over to Ecco. I quickly zeroed in the Men's Cage model in black, which was on sale at $60 off the regular retail price. I tried on the 9-9.5, but they felt a bit big, so I moved to the 8-8.5 size, which felt better. Ecco was also offering a deal that if you bought one pair, the second pair was 40 percent off. My cousin also found he liked so we were able to split the discount and each get another 20 percent off our purchase!

I have worn my new Ecco golf shoes now for three rounds, including one walking 18 holes. They look and feel great. The Champ Zarma golf spikes on the sole provides a great base and traction from all types of stances on the course. It was definitely worth the wait in replacing my old golf shoes and I give these Ecco shoes a high recommendation. I can see now why Couples, Els and McDowell trust their feet to Ecco.

Score Goes North Down South

Old Landing Golf Course
Rehoboth Beach, Del
Yards: 2991/3106 – 6097 (Blue Tees)
Par: 36/36 = 72
Rating: 68.7, Slope: 114
Score: 55/49 = 104
Date: August 14, 2010

This past Saturday morning found me on the first tee at Old Landing Golf Course in Rehoboth Beach, Del., for our annual family cousins golf outing. This outing has traditionally taken place at a course in the Rehoboth Beach area over Labor Day weekend, but was moved up a few weeks this year because of a change in vacation schedules. Old Landing sits back where Love Creek empties into Rehoboth Bay. It is a course that, like a lot of resort courses, gets a lot of play from golfers of all skill levels. It is more open around the clubhouse, but features about six very tight driving holes. Until recently, the course had had problems with its fairways and greens being more dirt than grass until it was discovered that salt water was getting into the irrigation system. The problem has been fixed and the course conditions have improved dramatically.

 The First Hole at Old Landing

This year, one of my cousins wanted to play from the Blue Tees and the others went along. I reluctantly agreed, although I had some reservations because of the state of my game due to a lack of playing opportunities this season. My big problem on Saturday was getting off the tee and putting myself in position to score. If I wasn't hitting it into trees or out-of bounds, it seemed like I was always hitting a mid-iron or hybrid into the Par 4s. Not exactly a recipe to shoot a low number.

 The Green at the Par 5 Seventh Hole

My round was really undone by two Par 4 holes on the front nine: the 369-yard Third Hole and the 355-yard Fifth Hole. On the Third, I was just over the green in three, but took three chips out of the thick rough to get onto the green, then three-putted. At the Fifth, a very tight dogleg left, I snapped hooked my drive through the trees on the left, across the road and into a yard--out-of-bounds. Aftyer retrieving my ball and taking a drop on the course side of the road, I tried to pitch it back into the fairway and hit another tree. The ball caroomed of the tree, across the road and back into the yard; again, out-of bounds. By the time I putted out, it added up to a 10 on the hole.  That's 19 strokes on just two holes!

 The Sixteenth Hole, a 339-yard Par 4

After going out in 55, I played a bit better on the back nine, although I still struggled to put together a string on good shots. My one highlight came at the 206-yard, Par 3 Eleventh Hole, where I hit my 5-wood to five feet and drained a downhill, right-to-left putt for birdie. It was my second birdie of the year and the only one of the day from our foursome. I then followed that up with a par at the 521-yard Par 5 Twelfth Hole. In fact, I managed to play Old Landing's four Par 5s in a respectable 3 over par.

 The Green at the Par 5 Eighteenth Hole

We also had a small Dustin Johnson-like moment of our own during the round. On the Eight Hole, which runs along Old Landing Road, my cousin's husband hit his tee shot well left and the ball rolled under a line of cable that runs along the road like a fence. It sat on a grassy patch between the cable line and the roadway. I informed him that he was "out-of-bounds," to which he responded that he did not see any white stakes marking it out-of-bounds. I then read him the local rule printed on the scorecard that declares a ball hit left of the cable on holes Five, Six, Seven and Eight to be out-of-bounds. Most courses print any local rules on the scorecard and you should always read it before teeing off; it could save you some strokes during the round. For instance, one course I played allowed a free drop from any flower beds on the course. If only Dustin Johnson had read the local rules.

The Eighth Hole at Old Landing

Hopefully I'll get to the practice range this week to continue to work on my game and get it in better shape. Also, I will definitely be palying from the White Tees for my rounds until further notice. I am a great believer in playing from the tees that are dictated by your abilities, and for me, that means playing from the White Tees.

Photos by The Muni Golfer

The People's Choice: Baywood Greens

Golfworld magazine has issued its 2010 "Reader's Choice Ranking" in the Sept. 28th edition. Among them is the "Top 50 Public Courses." Coming in at a surprising 18th is Baywood Greens in Long Neck, Del., which has been called the "Augusta of the Northeast." I say suprisingly because Baywood Greens topped other public courses on the list such as Bulle Rock and Bethpage Black which have hosted majors as the U.S. Men's Open and the LPGA Championship. Located just a couple miles west of Rehoboth Beach, Del., I have had the opportunity to play Baywood Greens twice. While an expensive course to play, it is well worth the experience as the course is beautifully landscaped everywhere you look. The fairways are green and lush and the greens are fast and true. Other nearby courses that made the top 50 included Blue Herron Pines (34) and Scotland Run (44), both located in South Jersey.

Baywood Greens Scorecard

Delaware Debacle

A nor'easter, poor play--especially putting--and even gunshots highlighted, or lowlighted, my annual Labor Day golfing vacation to the Delaware Shore. Cold, cloudy and windy weather, along with some heavy rains, cut my projected four rounds down to two, while gunshots interrupted a practice round after seven holes. Here then, is Fore at the Delaware Shore '09:

Crash Landing at Old Landing
Old Landing Golf Course
Rehoboth Beach, Del
Yards: 2858/2872 – 5830
Par: 35/36 = 71
Rating: 67.6, Slope: 111
Score: 47/55 = 102
Date: September 4, 2009
My Delaware golf vacation began with a round at Old Landing Golf Course in Rehoboth Beach. Since the annual Labor Day family golf outing had been scheduled for Sunday, I felt this was a good opportunity to work with my new TaylorMade Tour Burner irons. I played with my cousin’s husband Steve, and Mike and Bud, who we met on the first tee. I felt good about playing at Old Landing since it was a course I have played many, many times. In recent years, the course had fallen into pretty bad shape, with both fairways and greens often having more dirt than grass. But they discovered that salt water for the adjacent bay had been getting into the irrigation system causing the problems. With that matter corrected, Old Landing had rebounded into a decent course once again. I played there twice last year, shooting in the low 90s.

Old Landing Scorecard

My round got off to a mediocre start, with a 7 and 6 at the first two holes, the second being a long 416-yard par four. But I then settled down and played bogey-golf over the next four holes. I wasn’t hitting the ball great, but I was scrambling well. I was still feeling my way with the new irons. At the Seventh Hole, a 472-yard par five that doglegs right, I made the type of mental mistakes that I have allowed to plague my game all year. After hitting a duck-hook just into the rough on the left, I had a slightly downhill lie. Instead of taking a 7-iron and hitting it up the fairway, I tried to muscle a 4-hybrid. I hit a worm-burner across the fairway into the right rough. Thinking I had a better lie than I did, I pulled out my 3-wood, which I promptly topped. Finally, I pulled out my 7-iron and hit a hard draw onto the left edge of the green. From there I managed to two-putt for a six. The Eighth Hole is a straight-away, 292-yard par four. After hitting a low 2-hybrid, I had less than 100 yards to a small green that slopes severely from back-to-front, with bunkers on both sides. I tried to play a chip-and-run with a pitching wedge, but the ball ran through the green into the back rough. A very weak chip and three putts left me with a disappointing six. The front nine finishes off with a short, 122-yard par three. I hit pitching wedge to 10-ft above the hole and two-putted for my first par and a front nine 47. Not real good but not real bad either. I felt as if I was starting to get into a bit of a groove as I headed to the back nine.

The 18th Green at Old Landing

The back nine got off to a better start with a five at the 399-yard Tenth Hole. The Eleventh Hole is a 196-yard par three that plays very long, even though it plays from an elevated tee. I managed to hit just short left, chipped on, then two-putted for a four. I was feeling much more confident as play moved along. At the Twelfth Hole, a 505-yard par five, the mental mistakes crept back in. I hooked my drive into the left rough, as did Mike and Bud. As I approached, Mike indicated our two balls were right next to each other. What I was not aware of was that Mike has switched to the same model of Titleist ball I was playing. I looked down and saw the DT So/Lo marking on the side of the ball and played it. I never looked for the three black dots I put on my ball. After discovering the ball had no dots and Mike was now playing the same model of ball, my bogey six became a triple-bogey eight. The back nine momentum was suddenly gone as I began hitting the ball all over the place. And although I did make a par at the 339-yard par four Sixteenth Hole, I countered that with a triple-bogey six at the very short 106-yard par three Fifteenth Hole and a ten at the closing par five Eighteenth Hole. It all added up to a back nine 55 and a round of 102. Not the way I wanted to start the week. I was disappointed most in the amount of mental mistakes I made. I hit the irons okay for the first time and vowed that I would play better the next round.

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The Rookery: A Tale of Two Nines
The Rookery
Milton, Del
Yards: 2886/3253 – 6139
Par: 35/36 = 71
Rating: 68.8, Slope: 116
Score: 46/58 = 104
Date: September 6, 2009
With apologies to Charles Dickens, it was the best of nines, it was the worst of nines. So went my round at our annual family Labor Day golf outing. This year, my two cousins and my cousins’ husband, played at The Rookery, just off Route 1 in Milton, Del. The Rookery was co-conceived and is co-owned by Pete Oakley, the 2003 Senior British Open Champion. While the course is fairly wide open, it does have some tricky holes and wind can often be a factor as it was for us. We played in a very strong wind that made club selection extremely difficult and caused havoc with many shots. Hoping to put my first round at Old Landing in the rearview mirror, I made a couple of changes to my bag: a 5-wood replaced the 2-hybrid and a 53-degree wedge replaced the 4-hybrid. I also stressed to myself that I would play smart golf, unlike at Old Landing, and not take unnecessary risks. I planned to use the 3- and 5-woods off of most of the par fours, except for the par fives.

The Rookery Scorecard

My round couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. I found the fairway at the First, and after putting a 5-iron into the greenside bunker, got up-and-down for a par. At the Second Hole, a 168-yard par three, I hit a 4-iron into the wind which found the front right of the green. Two putts and a second par. The Third Hole is a short, 300-yard par four with out-of-bounds on the left and a pond on the right. I hit the 5-wood to about 100 yards, but came up just short on my approach. I chipped on and one-putted for a third consecutive par! The Fourth Hole at The Rookery is one of the quirkiest you will find anywhere. Although it is only 290 yards, a large pond dissects the fairway less than 150 yards from the tee. It takes a drive of about 260 to clear the water. The tees were all the way back, so I hit a 7-iron, which ran through the fairway into the rough short of the water. I then chunked my second shot into the water, hit my fourth over, chipped on and two-putted for an eight. The Fifth Hole is a dogleg left that requires a good tee shot to the very edge of the dogleg because the green is protected on the left by a row of three pine trees more than 100 yards out. I hit the very right of the last tree with my approach and then came up short with my third shot. I chipped long and three-putted for a seven. From there I settled back down and played steadier golf, finishing off my front nine 46 with a to-putt par at the 115-yard Nine Hole.

The 4th Hole requires a short tee shot

The back nine at The Rookery begins with a 575-yard par five—one of three on the back nine—that was playing straight into the wind. The make the hole even more difficult, a row of bunkers stretches across the fairway about 180 yards from the green. I hit a duck hook off the tee and two-putted for a very satisfying seven given the extremely windy conditions. But at the Eleventh Hole, it all began to come apart. We played from the back tees, 447 yards straight into the wind. I hit a hard draw into the left rough and had well over 200 yards to the green. Instead of just playing the hole like a par 5 and hitting a 6- or 7-iron lay-up, I pulled the 5-wood. I topped it, then topped it again into a fairway bunker. After hitting a 7-iron out, I came up short with a wedge, chipped on and two-putted for an eight. Although I managed a bogey at the Twelfth Hole, I took a nine at the 466-yard, par five Thirteenth Hole when I pulled my 3-wood left and out-of-bounds off the tee. At the Fourteenth, a long 200-yard par three, with the wind coming from the right hard, I managed to get on in two, but four-putted from long range for a triple-bogey six. I now felt as if my putting stroke, which has been a problem all season, had completely abandoned me. The Fifteenth Hole, a 140-yard par three with water almost all the way around the green was playing dead into the wind and about 2-3 clubs longer. I kept it under the wind and hit it short into the rough fronting the green, but a poor chip and three more putts left me with a five. I hit a great drive with my 3-wood at the Sixteenth Hole, a 375-yard par four that was finally playing downwind. But I dumped my approach shot short into a bunker on the right, then thinned my bunker shot over the green. Two chips to get on and another three-putt—it getting even painful for me to watch me putt—and another eight. The Seventeenth, a 155-yard par 3, was also playing downwind and I hit my tee shot onto the green about 25 feet past the hole. With no confidence whatsoever in my putting at this point I three-putted yet again. The closing hole is a 566-yard par five. After a very short, dipping tee shot that didn’t reach the fairway, I somehow managed to get the ball on the green in four and actually took only TWO putts for a six and closing 58 on the back nine. That left me with a 104 for the round.

The row of fairway bunkers on the 10th Hole

This round at The Rookery marked the second time in three days that I opened with a respectable front nine, but completely collapsed on the back nine. My putting has been some of the worst it has been this year. The only thing I took away was that I was getting a better feel for my new TaylorMade Tour Burner irons. Hopefully, that will continue and I will be able to turn my game around in the very near future.

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Shooting More than Birdies at The Heritage

The Heritage Inn and Golf Course
Midway, Del
Yards: 1946/Nine Holes
Par: 32/Nine Holes
Rating: N/A, Slope: N/A
Score: Practice Round
Date: September 8, 2009
If you ever go to play at The Heritage MAKE SURE YOU WEAR FLOURESCENT ORANGE! I have never, never, EVER experienced what happened while I was playing at The Heritage. The Heritage used to be a nice, nine-hole, par 35 golf course located just off Delaware Route 1 between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. It is owned by The Heritage Inn, a hotel located just across the street. In recent years, they have begun building homes on the back part of the course, shorting up several of the holes to par threes. Today, it costs $10 to play all day. The conditions aren’t that great, but it is inexpensive golf. Because the weather had turned very overcast and windy, and with the threat of heavy afternoon showers, I figured I would go to The Heritage to play some practice holes. You pay at the hotel front desk, which I did, then proceed over to the course. I played the first seven holes—there was one other golfer out on the course—and had discovered that I was not moving into the ball with the top part of my body. I was starting to hit much more solid, crisper shots. Then it happened. I teed off on the Eighth Hole, a short par three, hitting to about 12 feet in front of the hole. As I walked towards the green I heard BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! As I hunched down and looked around I saw a man with a shotgun walking towards the back part of the course. Geese that had been on the course were taking flight and he raised his shotgun and fired—BANG! BANG! BANG! I watched in horror as a goose fell out of the sky and hit the fairway! Another, obviously wounded, tried to run away across the course! I stood frozen, watching what was going on, but also praying the gunman was not coming in my direction. He finally saw me and raised his hand, then went and pulled several dead geese out of a pond. He walked over and grabbed the one that had tried to flee. He yelled over to me that he was sorry, he hadn’t seen me! A woman in the homes behind me came running out to me. She told me she had called the Delaware State Police, but they had told her that it was hunting season! As she stood talking with me, the man collected the 6-8 dead geese and piled them next to the Ninth fairway. The woman then went off to confront the shooter. I numbly putted out on the Eighth, then tried to play the Ninth Hole, but I was too shaken to continue. The man came over to apologize, saying he hadn’t seen me and that he had talked to the owner of The Heritage who had told him NO ONE was on the course! I was pretty upset. I packed up my clubs and headed back to the hotel front desk to ask for my money back. They told me I was far enough away from the shooting and that they didn’t like my attitude! They said it was a pest control thing. I have been on many golf courses that have had problems with geese, but I’ve never seen then send someone onto the course to shoot the geese while golfers were playing! Our confrontation escalated until they eventually physically escorted me out! So if you’re ever in the Lewes/Rehoboth Beach area, and you’re thinking about playing a bargain round at The Heritage, just make such you have your bullet-proof golf vest on!

Prepping for Golf in Delaware

As the Labor Day Holiday fast approaches, it's time to start prepping for my annual golf trip to Lewes, Delaware. While my wife hits the beach with a good book, I'll be hitting the links with my clubs. First up will my annual outing with my cousins on Friday. The past two years we've played at Baywood Greens. This year I'm hoping we try a different course. The Rookery or Bear Trap Dunes are two possibilities. Either way, I will probably play four rounds over the seven days I'm there. The Rookery will definitely be on my itinerary one way or another. I may return to Jonathan's Landing near Dover or head south to one of the numerous courses in Ocean City, Md.

The Lewes Beach (above) and
the Fourth Hole at The Rookery (below)

So far, I have changed the spikes in two pair of golf shoes and marked two dozen golf balls in preparing for the trip. My packing list also includes:

* TaylorMade Burner Driver
* TaylorMade Burner 3 Wood
* Golfsmith Big Gun 5 Wood
* Nickent 3DX DC Utility 2 Hybrid
* Nickent 3DX DC Ironwood 4
* TaylorMade Irons
* Solus Sand Wedges
* Snake Eyes MCS2 Putter
* Odyssey White Hot XG#9 Putter
* Two Dozen Titleist Golf Balls
* 3 Golf Gloves
* 2 Pair Golf Shoes
* Granola/Cliff Bars
* 2 Golf Shirts
* 2 Mock Polos
* 3 Pair of Shorts
* 4 Pair of Golf Socks
* Wind/Rain Shirt and Vest
* 2 Golf Visors
* 2 Golf Hats
* Sun Tan Lotion
* Elbow Support

I laundered the shorts tonight and the golf shirts will be washed tomorrow. The golf bag will be packed and ready to leave Thursday night. I am hoping to have a new set of TaylorMade irons to take on the trip.

A Round at Jonathan's Landing

Jonathan's Landing
Magnolia, Del
Yards: 3062/2575 - 5637
Par: 36/35 - 71
Rating: 65.8, Slope: 106
Score: 48/47 = 95
Date: September 4, 2008

I had always wanted to play Jonathan's Landing, a links-style golf course located just a few miles south of Dover, Delaware. The course is visible as you dive along Delaware Route 1 heading to or from the Delaware beaches. In fact, the course probably sits less than a mile from the runway at Dover Air Force Base, a fact that you are constantly reminded of as huge cargo planes rumble low overhead. I became even more determined to make the course one of my destinations this year after visiting their booth at the Victory Golf Show back in March. So I made the 45-minute drive up from the Rehoboth Beach area for the final round during my week-long vacation at the Delaware beach.

Jonathan's Landing Scorecard

The front nine at Jonathan's Landing is very open, with water and/or wetlands coming into play on eight of the nine holes, while most of the back nine winds through a housing development and water/wetlands being a factor on only three holes. Because the course is so open, wind is often a factor, making club selection difficult and crucial. The clubhouse at Jonathan's Landing, which opened in July of 2001 is quite a site; a replica of the Port Mahon Lighthouse. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The course also features a driving range, a pitching and chipping practice green and a 12,000 square foot short game area.

The 16th, a 454-yard Par 5 with the Clubhouse in the distance

The course was in excellent condition for so late in the summer season. Because of the lack of rain however, carts were permitted to driven in the fairway, but not in the rough on the day I played. The greens had been aerated, but were still pretty smooth and medium fast.

The 13th Hole, a Par 3 where trouble looms short left and to the right

My round started on the back nine. Because this was my fourth round in seven days, and considering what happened at The Rookery, I took a cart for this round. As I was teeing off, a threesome drove up to the hole that included Bill, Bill, and his brother Dave; three retired locals who are regulars at Jonathan's Landing. I asked them if they cared to make it a foursome and they gladly accepted my invitation. And boy, am I glad they did. Besides being three great guys, their knowledge of the course proved invaluable, as there are many blind shots and hidden dangers on the course. An example was the 12th Hole (our third), a short 241-yard Par 4 in which the green is visible from the tee, but two long bunkers to the right of the fairway and green are not. After pointing this out to me, I teed off with my hybrid to about 15 yards short of the green, then chipped to four feet, which I made for a birdie. Or at the 13th, a Par 3 where they told me don't miss to the right and I, of course, hit it right, which slopes severely away from the green and down into wetlands.

The 3rd Hole, a short, tight Par 4 with a persistent wind and wetlands all around

I started out playing well at Jonathan's Landing, with a bogey, par and birdie on my first three holes. After that, I made the game more challenging that it need to be by repeatedly having difficulty off the tee. The wind was definitely causing me problems. And when I did play well from tee to green, I almost always managed to throw in an extra putt or two. But after playing, or struggling, through the first 14 holes, once again I managed to dig deep and pull my game together over the last four holes, going 4-5-3-5. The two pars and two bogeys helped me salvage a 95 for my round.

The 7th Hole, a Par 4 that doglegs right over water

I think over the final few holes, I finally realized what my problems have been with my swing. It has become too around my body as opposed to more upright, which is how I swing when I am playing at my best. It certainly gave me something to think about, as well as reflect on Jonathan's Landing as I drove the 45-minutes back to the Rehoboth Beach area to have dinner and enjoy the finals few days of my Delaware vacation.

Some more photos of Jonathan's Landing:

My playing partners: Bill, his brother Dave, and Bill

The pride of the U.S. Air Force streaks overhead

The 2nd Green. Behind runs the road back to Del. Rte. 1

The 5th Hole. Approach shots play over wetlands fronting the green.

The 10th Hole, with houses lining the fairway

The 15th Hole, a 138-yard Par 3 that played into the wind

The 18th Hole and the magnificent Clubhouse

Photos by The Muni Golfer

Cooked at The Rookery

The Rookery
Milton, Del
Yards: 2886/3253 - 6139
Par: 35/36 - 71
Rating: 68.8, Slope: 116
Score: 44/52 = 96
Date: September 2, 2008

My Delaware adventures continued on the day after Labor Day with a round at The Rookery, a beautiful course located just off Route 1 eight miles north of Rehoboth Beach. The course, which is pretty open, was designed and is co-owned by Pete Oakley, the 2004 British Senior Open Champion. I had the good fortune of watching Oakley at the 2000 U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa. The course is named for a Blue Heron nesting area -- a rookery -- located in a grove of trees located in the southeast portion of the course (see course layout photo below). Conditions are always very good at The Rookery, and this visit was no exception. The fairways were lush, the greens smooth and the tee boxes in excellent shape. There were, however, some dry patches in the rough off the fairways, the result of the lack of rainfall. The Rookery also features a very nice practice area, although I have never taken advantage of it during the many times I've played at the course.

The Rookery Scorecard

The front nine at The Rookery is the shorter and easier of the two, with only one Par 5 and two Par 4s playing 300 yards or less. The oddest holes on the course can be found on the front nine: the 4th and 5th. The 4th is a 290-yard Par 4 which features a large pond in the middle of the fairway and requires a drive of about 265 yards off the tee to carry the water. From a slightly elevated tee, to a fairway that slopes toward the water, and 8- or 9-iron is all that is usually required for average hitters. The 5th is a 385-yard dogleg right which has a row of tall pine trees across the fairway from the left blocking approach shots that don't get far enough into the dogleg.

The opening Par 4 at The Rookery

The back nine features three Par 5s of 575, 566 and 466 yards: the 10th, 14th and 18th Holes, respectively. The 10th has a row of four bunkers running across the fairway about 160 yards from the green, just ready and waiting to snare any poorly placed lay-up shot. The 12th and 13th have water running all the way down the right and left sides of the fairways, respectively. The 14th is a 200-yard Par 3 that runs along Route 1, and is followed by the 15th, a 140-yard Par 3 that features an island green. The long closing hole features numerous strategically placed bunkers along the edges of the fairway and one in front of and behind the the left side of the green.

The 8th Green looking back towards the tee

I teed off at The Rookery in the early afternoon, my third round in five days. Temperatures were in the mid-80s, but the humidity was high and there is virtually no respite from the sun on this course. I played very steady golf, with pars at the 3rd, 7th and 9th Holes. My putting was still a bit shaky, but the only real slip-up came at the 6th, a 491-yard Par 5 that doglegs right and has water in front of the green. After hitting my drive to the left side of the dogleg, I laid up to about 150 yards. With the trouble in front of the green, I should have taken the extra club (6-iron), but I tried hitting a 7-iron which landed just short in water, leading to a double-bogey 7. But I regrouped and parred two of the next three holes to go out in 44 and visions of a very good round danced prematurely in my head.

The tee shot on the 575-Yard 10th Hole

The back nine started with an acceptable bogey on the longest hole on the course, but after hitting the green in regulation at the 11th, a 425-yard Par 4, I four-putted and began to feel the energy gauge dropping to zero, a 6, 7 and 8 at the next three holes followed quickly, and I'm not sure how I even finished the 14th Hole. My legs were gone and my energy was zapped. I found a small patch of shade under a little tree between the 14th green and 15th tee and sat down in the grass for about 15-20 minutes, drinking all the water that was in my bottle. Somehow, I manged to play in the last four holes, gutting out a 4-4-4-7: a par, two bogeys and a double at the last when I shanked a bad lie in the rough into a pond over by the 10th tee. Even though I stumbled home in 52, I managed to grind out a round of 96, which made me feel good that I never quit on the round.

The bunkers across the 10th fairway

The Rookery is another Rehoboth Beach-area course that I would recommend be put on your itinerary if your are going to Ocean City, Maryland for a golf getaway. It is easily accessible either traveling to or from Ocean City from the Delaware Valley.

More photos of The Rookery:

The course layout

The 3rd Hole, a 300-yard Par 4

The view from the tee at the 4th Hole

The 9th Hole, a short Par 3 over wetlands

The approach to the 10th Green from the fairway bunkers

The 13th, the second of three Par 5s on the back nine

The practice range at The Rookery

Photos by The Muni Golfer

Another Holiday, Another 93 at Old Landing

Old Landing Golf Course
Rehoboth Beach, Del
Yards: 2858/2972 - 5830
Par: 35/36 - 71
Rating: 67.6, Slope: 111
Score: 46/47 = 93
Date: August 31, 2008

The day before Labor Day, I decided on another round at Old Landing Golf Course, a public course along the Rehoboth Bay. I had played their on July 4 for the first time in a few years. I stopped played at Old Landing, which opened in 1965, because during my previous two rounds there conditions were some of the worst I had seem. As I had reported back in July, conditions have improved dramatically, to the point where it is worth playing the course again. The course tree-lined and narrow in spots, and water does come into play on at least six holes.

Old Landing Golf Course Scorecard

On this Sunday, I played with my cousin Judy's husband Steve, and Brian, the husband of Noreen, one of my wife's oldest friend's. Noreen, Brian and their two children had come up to spend the day with us at the Delaware shore from Ocean City, Maryland, where they were vacationing over the holiday weekend. Steve is a pretty good golfer who playing with a used set of Titleist blades he had purchased locally at Ruddo's Golf the day before. Brian is a golfer who, unfortunately, only gets to play maybe once or twice a year.

The opening Par 4 at Old Landing

The conditions at Old Landing were still pretty good this late in the season, considering the amount of play the course gets being located in a resort area. There were a few burned out areas because of the lack of rain, but the fairways had grass, as did the greens. This was not the case in the past, when many of the fairways and greens were more dirt than grass. The places that really showed wear were the tee boxes.

The narrow fairway at the long 416-Yard 2nd Hole

Surprisingly, the course was not very crowded for a holiday weekend and we didn't even need to make a tee time, considering that we went off about 1:30 in the afternoon. The pace was good, although Brian felt he was holding Steve and I back because he was struggling with rust on the front nine.

The green at the Par 5 7th Hole looking back towards the dogleg

I played much better at Old Landing than I had two days earlier at Baywood Greens. I was hitting the ball more consistently, although my putting was still the one part of my game holding me back. Despite this, I managed to make four pars during my round and amazingly, I shot the exact same score I did back in July -- 46 on the front and 47 on the back for a total of 93. What I was happiest about was I managed my game well enough to score, even though I wasn't playing my very best.

The approach shot over water to the green at the Par 5 12th Hole

The straightaway 16th Hole, a 339-Yard Par 4

The 18th green as viewed from the Clubhouse.
Rehoboth Bay runs along the right side and is visible in the upper left.

Photos by The Muni Golfer