• Discover new ways to elevate your game with the updated DGCourseReview app!
    It's entirely free and enhanced with features shaped by user feedback to ensure your best experience on the course. (App Store or Google Play)

Elkridge, MD

Rockburn Branch - Old Layout

3.525(based on 66 reviews)
Filter course reviews

Filter reviews

Filter reviews

Rockburn Branch - Old Layout reviews

Filter
4 0
MrDger
Experience: 15.8 years 82 played 6 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Top 5 of Maryland 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Feb 11, 2009 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Great variety of downhill/uphill/flat drives. Holes 13-15 especially make great use of the land.
- The course doesn't play better for lefties or righties, provides enough variety that you have to either switch up your throw or have some great anyies in your arsenal.
- Difficulty of the course is high enough that even for advanced players, a good score isn't far from par (+/-).
- Good use of the water hazards on the few holes it comes into play.
- Good mix of tight controlled drives with some open bombs.
- Multiple pin positions per hole, some even have 4 positions.
- Usually aren't any holdups on the course, and the regulars are more than willing to help you out/let you join them to play a round.
- Easy access from main roads (Rt. 100 & I-95)
- Plenty of parking at multiple points on the course (Holes 1 and 4).

Cons:

- NO CONCRETE PADS. I think they're putting in fake pads because of all the complaints, but if there were concrete pads, it's rating would shoot to a 4.5.
- Besides not having concrete pads, the current 'pads' get really nasty after a good rain. Gotta watch yourself.
- Not really any facilities besides the portable one on hole #4.
- Each hole has a tee sign, but some of the signs pointing you to the next hole are either missing/never were there.

Other Thoughts:

- Hole 15 is the signature hole for good reason, the drive is pretty to look at no matter how many times you've thrown it.
- Wednesday doubles during the season makes for a good mid-week activity.
- The stretch of holes from #12 - 15 make for a great variety and a lot of fun for any level of player.

:: UPDATE ::
The poison ivy issue has been dealt with by the park services, while there is still some obviously, it isn't nearly as bad as it once was. Also, there is a lot of other undergrowth that many confuse with poison ivy, so that added to "how bad it was".
Was this review helpful? Yes No
8 2
Jimb
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.2 years 126 played 54 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Very inexperienced when I played here. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 14, 2007 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

When a course has been reviewed this many times it's a bit difficult to say anything unique. So I'll just write my review as if there were no others yet.

The course is in a very nice park setting with lots of different activities available. Once you're familiar with the layout of the course, you can easily play all 18, the front 9 alone or the back 9 alone and still end up close to the parking area regardless of the configuration that you played. This is a definite plus if you're pinched for time and want to mix it up a little when you play.

There's a lot of variety in the hole style on the course and it requires a lot of different shot-making skills (that I was lacking when I played it) to score well.

There are long open holes and short-tight wooded holes (long wooded ones too). There are left turning, straight and right turning holes. There are severe uphill and downhill holes. A creek comes into play on about three holes.

The holes themselves are layed out very well and if not for some other shortcomings, the course could easily score a little higher.

Cons:

The natural tee pads were a bit rutty when I played. Upgrading the tees would be a good investment as this course seems to get a good bit of use.

There are hole markers, but even so, the course is a bit difficult to find your way around the first time or two. It took some searching to find a couple of the tees, and a couple pins for that matter.

There is dense brush along a good portion of the course. So you need to be extra careful when tracking your discs. It's easy to get off line a little when you're in the woods so be careful not to lose track of the flight of your discs.

Not very beginner friendly. If you're a beginner playing this course, try to make sure that you have a spotter.

Other Thoughts:

I'd love to make it to this course again with a couple more years of experience under my belt. It ate me up pretty well when I had only been throwing "golf discs" for a couple of months. I'd be much more confident playing it now.

With minor upgrades to the signage and tees this could be a first rate course. As is, the holes themselves are excellent.

I'd recommend this course to anyone traveling up I95 between Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. If you have a flight in or out of BWI, make sure you have a few hour layover there. The course is just a short drive (10-15 minues) from the airport. A couple locals told me to be sure to be out of the park before dark as the park guards have been known to lock cars in the parking lot. Not sure if it's true, but I'm not taking that chance.

Have fun!
Was this review helpful? Yes No
2 1
ferretdance03
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18.9 years 102 played 19 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Rockburn 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 22, 2006 Played the course:never

Pros:

Great shot variety required; hyzer, anhyzer, over obstacle, up hills, down hills, etc. You must a complete bag of shots too shoot well here. Long pins are different enough from shorts that it's not just length for length's sake.

Other Thoughts:

This is my favorite course in Maryland. You have to throw everything you have if you want to shoot par or better.
The natural tee pads can get tore up pretty badly late in the season, but I know Parks Dept. won't allow for concrete though. And the thorns can be killer in the summer, but it just requires you to stay in the fairway.
My favorite hole is #15 which is a remarkable hole; off a steep ledge, down across a field, into the woods, over a creek to a pin set back amongst old growth trees and boulders.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Top