Sparrows Point CC update needed

[dokex]

Anybody know what the current course set up is? I heard they had sold off nine holes, but don't know which ones.

[J13]

I don't know but heard they are hurting big time due to the real estate thing not coming to fruition like they hoped.  I've played it a few times for matches and great piece of land, bad golf course design.

[dokex]

The pro from the old Towson GG explained the layout to me, but it didn't make sense. 

[J13]

4 minutes ago, dokex said:

The pro from the old Towson GG explained the layout to me, but it didn't make sense. 

 

It's tree lined setup is not much fun and has some funky holes.  Like i said it's a great piece of land but the setup is not great and location is not optimal for many players.

[cristphoto]

Did they have more than 18 holes?  I can't imagine a Country Club going down to 9 holes.  

[dokex]

Yes, they had 27 holes, and now they are down to 18 or 19.

[darom86]

More common than you think clubs selling off part of their course for housing development.  36 to 27 or 18.

[GooseHook]

Former member here for many years and I'm still in touch with a lot of guys that are over there. There's a lot to like about the place, if you are a younger guy looking to join somewhere. Playing privileges are very loose (basically show-and-go), they're pushcart friendly, and don't hit you over the head with a fee for every last little thing you want to do. 

 

The original layout was 27 holes, and they carved off a large portion of the land to raise capital. The "inner 9" was probably the best stretch of holes on the entire property and some of those holes were combined with the main course to make a new 18 hole layout with 4 holes left as a "practice loop." There is a tentative layout design that would change a few holes and slightly modify the back 9, but no timeline on when that construction will start. 

 

The new layout is supposed to be temporary, but it's a bit awkward. Contrary to some opinions, I enjoy the golf course and think it offers a lot of challenge. There are some narrow holes, a few good par 3's, and the closing holes along the water get a lot of wind and have a lot of replay ability. Greens are small but the place eventually needs a whole new irrigation system to maintain conditions, which can suffer throughout the year. @J13 is bang on, it's heavily tree lined and can be tough to score if you're not on point. Many trees have been taken down the last few years to improve some of the tee shot lines and some tee boxes are slowly being refinished with bermuda or zoysia to accomodate summer temps. Quirky holes are the golfer's own opinion, my current club has a few and I don't think you'd find a single club in the Baltimore area without a "WTF" hole or two in the layout. 

 

In late 2020 the course sold to the land developer and got some of the capital they needed. A terribly aged irrigation pump house was replaced and they are finally constructing a new range.

[J13]

23 hours ago, GooseHook said:

Former member here for many years and I'm still in touch with a lot of guys that are over there. There's a lot to like about the place, if you are a younger guy looking to join somewhere. Playing privileges are very loose (basically show-and-go), they're pushcart friendly, and don't hit you over the head with a fee for every last little thing you want to do. 

 

The original layout was 27 holes, and they carved off a large portion of the land to raise capital. The "inner 9" was probably the best stretch of holes on the entire property and some of those holes were combined with the main course to make a new 18 hole layout with 4 holes left as a "practice loop." There is a tentative layout design that would change a few holes and slightly modify the back 9, but no timeline on when that construction will start. 

 

The new layout is supposed to be temporary, but it's a bit awkward. Contrary to some opinions, I enjoy the golf course and think it offers a lot of challenge. There are some narrow holes, a few good par 3's, and the closing holes along the water get a lot of wind and have a lot of replay ability. Greens are small but the place eventually needs a whole new irrigation system to maintain conditions, which can suffer throughout the year. @J13 is bang on, it's heavily tree lined and can be tough to score if you're not on point. Many trees have been taken down the last few years to improve some of the tee shot lines and some tee boxes are slowly being refinished with bermuda or zoysia to accomodate summer temps. Quirky holes are the golfer's own opinion, my current club has a few and I don't think you'd find a single club in the Baltimore area without a "WTF" hole or two in the layout. 

 

In late 2020 the course sold to the land developer and got some of the capital they needed. A terribly aged irrigation pump house was replaced and they are finally constructing a new range.

 

Glad to hear about the tree's being removed and the capital gain.  The layout doesn't have a good reputation and I think now more than ever golf courses need to get back to being fun.  Playing in the tree's all day is not fun haha.

[GooseHook]

1 hour ago, J13 said:

 

Glad to hear about the tree's being removed and the capital gain.  The layout doesn't have a good reputation and I think now more than ever golf courses need to get back to being fun.  Playing in the tree's all day is not fun haha.

 

I've heard plenty of people trash the conditions, but I can see how the tree line and small greens could be polarizing. That being said, I thought I would enjoy CCMD a lot more than I do. That layout is getting very stale for me. 

[dokex]

1 hour ago, GooseHook said:

 

I've heard plenty of people trash the conditions, but I can see how the tree line and small greens could be polarizing. That being said, I thought I would enjoy CCMD a lot more than I do. That layout is getting very stale for me. 

Maybe, but your golf pro Mike is a riot.

Edited June 2, 2021 by dokex
mistake

[GooseHook]

10 minutes ago, dokex said:

Maybe, but your golf pro Mike is a riot.

Yeah, he's a hoot. Place is always in great shape, but aside from changing tee boxes every now and then many of the holes play identically every round. 

[dokex]

1 minute ago, GooseHook said:

Yeah, he's a hoot. Place is always in great shape, but aside from changing tee boxes every now and then many of the holes play identically every round. 

I always remember smooth, fast greens. Are they still that way?

[GooseHook]

2 minutes ago, dokex said:

I always remember smooth, fast greens. Are they still that way?

 

Absolutely, even more so now since being re-done. They can get too fast to the point where the greens team only has a couple usable hole locations, so they've dialed the speed back slightly at times. Even "slow" there is quite a bit faster than a lot of guys are used to. 

 

 

[dokex]

1 minute ago, GooseHook said:

 

Absolutely, even more so now since being re-done. They can get too fast to the point where the greens team only has a couple usable hole locations, so they've dialed the speed back slightly at times. Even "slow" there is quite a bit faster than a lot of guys are used to. 

 

 

A lack of puttable hole locations was always a problem on a lot of greens there.

[J13]

3 hours ago, dokex said:

A lack of puttable hole locations was always a problem on a lot of greens there.

 

Yeah, Piney Branch has a similar issue with certain greens.  Greens originally designed to add teeth to the course but never designed for speeds of 12 and 13.  

[Naptime]

Played twice this winter.  New hole sequence flows better.  I just bought a pushcart since the course is quite walkable.

Edited February 26, 2023 by Naptime

[Kent01putt]

They are not hurting for money how with the new owners. They installed the new pumps but the double row irrigation has not started yet. Greens and tee boxes are great but fairways need the new system to grow better grass. Many trees have been removed that use to hang over the edges of fairways. It is not a course for people that stray the ball, but it is a good layout IMHO. The clubhouse has been remodeled and looks pretty good.

[charli]

4 hours ago, Kent01putt said:

They are not hurting for money how with the new owners. They installed the new pumps but the double row irrigation has not started yet. Greens and tee boxes are great but fairways need the new system to grow better grass. Many trees have been removed that use to hang over the edges of fairways. It is not a course for people that stray the ball, but it is a good layout IMHO. The clubhouse has been remodeled and looks pretty good.

As of now Going there in April. Should we try getting on somewhere else Any suggestions? 

[Naptime]

10 hours ago, charli said:

As of now Going there in April. Should we try getting on somewhere else Any suggestions? 

 

Are you coming in from out of town or are you looking to play someplace else instead of SPCC?  I assume from your question you are a guest?  In that case ask the member who is hosting you.  The course is fine.  The fairways need some warm sun.  If you have never played Bulle Rock you might take a look at it.

[charli]

Yeah our club is getting us on. And we’ve played bulle rock before wanted to try something new 

[Naptime]

On 3/12/2023 at 10:09 PM, charli said:

Yeah our club is getting us on. And we’ve played bulle rock before wanted to try something new 

 

Have you played Renditions?  

[charli]

1 hour ago, Naptime said:

 

Have you played Renditions?  

We haven’t. Is it nice? This is the final stop on our way home. 

[charli]

17 hours ago, Naptime said:

 

Have you played Renditions?  

Also is it private? If not we can play it at any time so would like to get into something that we can’t play normally 

[Naptime]

2 hours ago, charli said:

Also is it private? If not we can play it at any time so would like to get into something that we can’t play normally 

 

Upscale public.

[charli]

4 hours ago, Naptime said:

 

Upscale public.

Yeah appreciate the suggestion but we’re looking for somewhere we can’t normally play 

[Benzo]

On 3/15/2023 at 8:24 PM, charli said:

Yeah appreciate the suggestion but we’re looking for somewhere we can’t normally play 

Nickkkkkky

[charli]

This place is trash. We just played it and there’s nothing good about it. They should have sold the entire place

[GooseHook]

3 hours ago, charli said:

This place is trash. We just played it and there’s nothing good about it. They should have sold the entire place

 

 

Ouch. Bad shape? It definitely takes longer than other courses around here to green up and fill in. 

[charli]

On 4/17/2023 at 11:59 AM, GooseHook said:

 

 

Ouch. Bad shape? It definitely takes longer than other courses around here to green up and fill in. 

Nothing about the place is good. From clubhouse to course. I actually can’t believe it’s private