6/9/2005 | I managed to sneak out and enjoy a mid-week round at Black Rock Golf Course in Hagerstown on a hot muggy day in late spring. I hadn’t played this track in nearly 7 years and remember it being “muni-like” meaning not the upscale feel of a Bulle Rock and not the patch feel of ….well we don’t like to really bring those courses up. This course played like a muni but had some nice challenging holes and others which could really make for a nice score. Translation: you can shoot a good score on this course (slope 121 and rating of 68.4 is accurate). As an example, the #1 hole is a short par five – I hit driver and 9 iron and barely missed my eagle putt. Not all of them are this easy but a select few are easy targets. Most holes have a lot of room to miss drives and approach shots without too much punishment. Don’t get me wrong, you can lose a few balls here but you’ll have to be really off to do so. I would rate the greens as true and in good shape. They held approach shots better than a lot of others I’ve played. The fairways and sandtraps were also in pretty good shape. A few of the tee boxes were in need of overseeding and had some bare spots but when you’re hitting it off the tee, who cares about how much grass is present. The post round beverages were cold and the clubhouse presented a nice view of the course. If in Hagerstown area, Black Rock isn’t a bad play and the price is reasonable. Lefty |