Upkeep, variety

Most fairways either cross or overlap others.

The tight nine-hole course on the campus of Goucher College has two distinguishing features - upkeep, and right turns. Every hole features one nice teepad, with a diagram of the hole and length info engraved onto a metal plate at the base of each teepad. The landscape is cut grass and nice established trees, with some elevation to deal with. And each of the first four holes requires a controlled right turn of varying length and degree of difficulty, and only one of the nine holes plays to the more usual righthand/backhand tendency of negotiating a left turn.

The Goucher College course plays on a winding strip of land that runs between the main campus road and a forest that provides a buffer for the school's stables. So the landscape has two main effects on the course. First, it's tight. On each of the nine holes your tee shot has the potential to affect any play occurring on at least one and perhaps two or three other holes. So I wouldn't want to share the course with too many other groups. Second, while five or six of the course's nine holes play among some trees and thus require some control on your drives, several of the holes also play alongside a thick stand of woods and underbrush. Thus, any shots that get away from you or get caught in the wind can be severely penalized, as these thorny woods will squelch any hope of a good recovery shot.

Overall, if you don't have to share the course with too many others, Goucher College is a great place to get in a quick round. It's got great teepads, several woods type holes, one good downhill hole, one good uphill hole, and two holes that are close to 400 feet, which is surprising considering the minimal amount of space the course is on.

Favorite Hole - #5 - Longest hole on course goes down a long incline and around a steep hill to the left.