As an amateur golfer, I'm always looking to play new golf courses and find new challenges. My first time playing Musket Ridge provided me with a new experience and a new challenge that I enjoyed. The second day I played was even more enjoyable as the weather was much nicer.
Circumstances.
I play for the club golf team at Georgetown University. We compete in regionals in DC, Maryland, and various other locations. Our second spring regional was located at Musket Ridge, where teams like Maryland, GW, Towson, and others competed with us. The first day we played at Musket Ridge was extremely windy, and I struggled on the front nine.
I would shoot a +10 46 on the front nine of the golf course thanks to a combination of poor playing and wind. Thankfully, I pulled together on the back nine and managed to scrape together a 82 after shooting even par on the back nine.
The next day the weather was beautiful at Musket Ridge and there wasn't too much wind. This time, I didn't struggle on the front nine and closed with a +1 37 on the front side. I was +2 headed into hole 15 but limped to the finish and managed to only shoot a 77. Because there was no wind, the course had been much easier.
Course Evaluation.
We played Musket Ridge from the blue tees, which was not the back set of tees. From that set of tees, the course was extremely short.
I had seven iron into the first par five on the front for my second shot and that wasn't an uncommon occurrence. In fact, most holes were short and didn't require much distance.
In addition, there wasn't a ton of trouble on the golf course other than the bunkers that seem to be everywhere. There was only out of bounds on the first hole, and the rest of the trouble was considered a hazard.
There were plenty of hazards, but a solid golfer certainly had the ability to avoid them.
The greens weren't extremely fast, but they rolled well and most balls didn't bump too much when making their way to the hole. The lack of quick greens made chipping around the greens relatively easy, as the ball would stop very quickly once it got on the green.
Pace of Play.
If I have one complaint about Musket Ridge, it's the pace of play. I understand that we were playing in a tournament, but rounds of golf shouldn't take five hours. Musket Ridge isn't a particularly difficult track, so there's no reason why play should be slow.
I played in a club golf tournament and didn't have to pay the greens fees, but the regular rate to to play the course is $69 on the weekend and $59 during the week. The twilight rate is just $39 after 1 P.M. For those prices, I'd say this course is absolutely worth it.
I'd give Musket Ridge four stars out of five for a solid course that isn't too difficult and is reasonably priced.
