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Join the discussion about Bethesda Park

 

[pmay5]

It. Is. There.
Pros:
I don't understand anything about Bethesda Park's layout. Course seems like a lot of random sets of holes and collections of holes. And when they found out they were short a basket? No worry, just double up on a basket.
- There isn't much to like here. Holes #16 – 18 feel like the new additions to the course. As such, they're the cleanest layouts and the newest baskets.
- Huge, covered basketball and pickleball courts. As nice as these areas are, the course is the complete opposite end of care.
- Hole #1 is interesting. Short, tight lined fairway to a sunk basket. We're going to the gimmicks on the first hole already?
- #2 is a fun, tight downhiller over a small creek. #3 has you walking up a sketchy path behind the covered courts. In case you didn't know where the money was spent at this part. It wasn't the course. Just not, if the ground is wet, the walk up the trail to #3's tee, and down the muddy fairway to the basket can both be a challenge.
- There's a raised basket on the back 9. Getting to the basket is a challenge as it's the other side of a creek.
- Short layout. Second longest hole is 223 feet (according to UDisc). So, it's weird to have #6 play at 500 feet.
- Course should be a fun, creative, 9-hole layout. So much is wasted trying to fit in 18 here.
Cons:
Layout doesn't work. So many holes squeezed together. So many bad layouts. Then, when there is actually room, it's turned into a 500-foot hole instead of two spaced out holes.
- After finishing #6, you then turn around, walk up a fairway, turn around and throw back to the basket. Congratulations! You're now playing hole #7.
- Signage of every variety is inconsistent. Tee signs to next tees to anything else. Some are good. Some are broken. Some are non-existent.
- How are you supposed to cross the creek to the raised basket on #12? Creek is too wide to safely jump across, especially when the ground is soft/muddy. I took a long loop around, taking the trail back near #4, then weaved my way through the woods. Is this the goal?
- So many simple and/or dumb, short layouts. #3 is short and downhill. #4 is short and uphill. #7 is short and downhill. Lots of short doglegs. #14 & 15 are probably two of the best, and that's because these are fresh cut fairways.
- Course is just neglected, old, dingy, and dirty.
- Focus on creating a fun 9 instead.
Other:
Bethesda Park has a course. On this site it had been listed as 'unplayable' since 2021. In case you wanted to know how much attention the course is getting.
- Having courses is great. It's only a positive if the courses are being maintained. If not, they're a black eye for the game. I'd think about yanking this one if it's not condensed.
- There wasn't a single B+ or higher quality hole on this course. Put another way: zero holes here would be seen at Diavolo. Even lesser courses (relatively speaking) such as Zebulon, UNC, Valley Springs, or Sheetz Gold have their worst holes as good, if not better, than the best holes here.
- The highlight of my round was not getting muddy playing the day after an inch of rain.
9 decent holes would be far better than essentially 18 mediocre holes. Keep the layout simple. Remove the dead weight.
- The best course in Durham is Sheetz Gold. This is no Sheetz Gold.

 

[pmay5]

A little history of Bethesda, it originally started out as a Niner, complete with concrete tee pads and decent signs. I never played it in that form.
Then, it was expanded to 18 holes, I'm guessing that is when they crossed the creek for more available land. They used a few of the concrete tees, but most were left for dead.
I thought that layout was not too bad, a hanging basket in front of the creek, short hyzer and annie holes were balanced out, 14 was a decent, "long" downhiller and 18 was one of your more unique holes -- basket is planted right next to the road leading to the Ropes course entrance, you have to throw over that road and either Ace or land on the hillside below the basket and death putt back up to the basket. Very unique.
From what I heard on #1, they buried the basket to cut down on possible overthrows into the Ropes course which is locked when not in use.
They recently had some work done on the property, possibly for sewer line, so must have redone the course, I haven't played it in this layout yet. Guess I'll have to get back over there when back in town.