Whiskey Creek Golf Club — Ijamsville, Md.
On a moody Saturday in March, we set out to walk 18 holes on the J. Michael Poellot designed Whiskey Creek Golf Club. With design consultant Ernie Els by his side, Poellot’s team crafted a memorable track through an untouched, rustic canvas outside of Frederick, Md.
Despite being hampered by angry conditions most of the week of blowing rain and freezing morning temperatures, the golf course staff turned out a spectacular product, and at a reasonable off-season rate of $58.00. Not bad for a consistent top-5 rated public track in Maryland.
Upon our arrival, we were warmly greeted in the parking lot by golf club staff, meeting us at our trunk to offer help and pointing us in the direction of the golf shop. Although open to the public, the long drive from the main road into the club gives a feeling of private exclusivity and helps set the stage for a remarkable golf experience.
Inside, the pros welcomed us and thanked us for coming to play on a soggy day — a nice reception for a few first-time visitors to Whiskey Creek. After being read the Cart Path Only rules for the day we indicated that we’d prefer to walk anyway, and received a few “good luck smiles.” Without having seen the property before, I knew we had our work cut out for us just based on the general topography of the area. Whiskey Creek is situated in the rolling valleys of western Maryland’s Appalachian foothills. Frederick County is by and large a very rural region, heavily reliant on agriculture and peacefully untarnished by the commercial hands of man. Growing up with family in the area, I’ve seen things change over time, but Whiskey Creek’s property was a nostalgic reminder of the beautiful and historic landscapes found in Maryland’s Piedmont Plateau.
The design of the course itself is truly unique and consistently captivating for the player. It’s evident that Poellot and Els used the topography to their advantage when laying out the track, and blended each hole nicely with natural surroundings such as hollows, mounds, and intersecting streams. On several tee boxes, golfers are greeted with seemingly endless views of the historic Maryland countryside. For a few fleeting moments, I forgot I was on a golf course at all, and instead imagined myself as a spectator in a Civil War era setting — watching waves of fog roll from one valley crest to another.
Right off the bat, from the first tee shot, it’s obvious Poellot and Els worked to place strategic emphasis at Whiskey Creek for the scratch golfer, while also giving the weekend warrior a visually appealing day on the course. I particularly appreciated having multiple lines off of most tee boxes — partly due to generous fairway landing areas, but also because of noticeably evident angles created by bunkering and mounds. Poellot and Els also employed centerline bunkering on several holes which I find to be an amazing strategic feature on any course.
Because of its setting, Whiskey Creek has several forced carries over small ravines which reduces the playability of the course for high handicappers. There aren’t too many ways around this when maximizing the space available to route a course, but it’s still a factor to consider when weighing the overall appeal to high and low handicap players altogether.
The routing itself isn’t necessarily a pain point for me, but I was left wondering how many other potential holes Poellot and Els passed on, opting instead for scenery over other design features. The property is certainly not lacking in natural features that already are, or could have been incorporated into holes. This makes sense, however, because striking a balance between scenery and strategy is an obvious battle when designing a public course reliant on a daily-changing pool of customers. Had this been a private course with a dedicated player population, I wonder if the design approach would have tilted more towards architecture and less towards tee-box vistas.
On several occasions, I found myself wishing small mounds behind and directly in front of greens had been blended into the fringe or turned into fairway aprons. I think this could help playability for higher handicappers who struggle to hit lofted approach shots into the many elevated greens at Whiskey Creek. The bunkering was by and large fair, but a few traps stand out to me as overly punitive with trees looming overhead or close by. In all, however, it seems Poellot and Els did not want the adventure to end after a strong tee shot. If a player wishes to make birdie, they must accept the inherent risk involved in the difficult approach to tucked pins, or play safely to the center of multi-tiered greens and settle for par.
To me, none of the greens at Whiskey Creek are boring — an aspect of the track which I absolutely love. Several green complexes have pseudo-punchbowls assisting long approaches into the putting surface, which I find to be both exciting for the high handicapper to stop thin shots, and a tremendous strategic opportunity for low handicappers to boldly play at back pins.
I’m a big fan of the openness of the property and the rolling, sloping fairways. I rarely had a perfectly flat lie in the short grass — something that provides a fun test to golfers of all skill levels as they draw up approach shots. Poellot and Els designed many of the holes in such a way as to invite players to choose their own adventure of risk versus reward. To me, this is a hallmark indicator of thoughtful design.
Generally, I’m a decent driver of the golf ball, at least in terms of accuracy, and this day I found myself in more fairways than average — a testament to the wide fairways for sure. Taking advantage of tee shots does not end with a fairway hit, however. In order to get into scoring position, a good drive must be parlayed into a more aggressive approach that takes on risky greenside protectors such as deep bunkers, thick mounds, and tiered greens.
The day we played Whiskey Creek was not advantageous for scoring, to say the least. Drives ended where they landed — in fact, I lost three golf balls in three separate fairways due to plugged lies I couldn’t locate. No blame on the course or greenskeeping staff, of course — the past winter has been the wettest on record in Maryland and I expected as much when arriving in Ijamsville that day. But, the saturated conditions certainly hampered a full array of scoring opportunities.
I’m really excited to get back to Whiskey Creek on a dried out summer day, where drives will gain extra yardage from elevated tee boxes and long rolls down some of the speed slots. Until then, we’ll look back fondly on our day there.
A few final takeaways about the course design and playability:
- Elevated tees and greens: Whiskey Creek has many features, but none more prominent than elevation change. Expect a lot of downhill drives and uphill approaches. It creates a very fun test of distance control, but in my opinion, hurts the walkability of the course.
- Amazing green complexes: Putting is my favorite part about golf, hands down. I love to get creative where possible and turn the flatstick into a paintbrush, so to speak. Many greens here are protection enough for tucked pins, without any extraneous hazards such as ponds and bunkering. Whiskey Creek’s greens will keep you guessing all the way through.
- It’s a rider’s course: Although we very much enjoyed the walk in March, I imagine hoofing up and down the valleys in the summer heat would be a detriment to the overall experience. Whiskey Creek is meant to be played on a cart, which is fine if that’s what you’re looking for, but for those of us who prefer to walk, bring water and pack light — you’ll be climbing some hills.
My ratings, explained:
My walkability rating: 4.5/10
- I put a big emphasis on being able to go out and walk a course. It’s just the kind of golf I enjoy most, so for better or worse it will always impact how I remember and ultimately feel about a course. That being said, Whiskey Creek is the exception, not the rule, to my walkability score. Although I’m rating it low here, it’s more of a reflection of how I think other walkers would feel about it. I would gladly throw the bag over my shoulder and walk it again, especially now that I know how to play the course better. I truly did feel transplanted to a different time and place when traversing the course, and I know the guys I normally walk with would feel the same.
My playability rating: 7.3/10
- To lend some perspective on my experience, I’m currently playing to a 9.0 HCP index. The day we played is not a true example of the course’s potential, and I recognize as much — I don’t think I had more than two drives that didn’t plug in the fairway. I ended the day shooting an 87 from the blue tees, and funny enough, I felt pretty good about my ball striking and putting overall. That being said, I know this course plays much shorter in dried out, warmer conditions. I most likely would’ve had wedges and lofted irons into many par fours and my score probably would have reflected as much. My playability rating speaks to a course’s setup for a scratch handicapper and a 20+ handicap player to have equally enjoyable and intriguing rounds. With the exception of a few forced carries and extra punitive spots, I think the playability here is both fair and filled with options.
My overall rating: 8.1/10
- Whiskey Creek is deservedly in the conversation for the best public tracks in the state of Maryland. The entire vibe of the place is incredibly welcoming and exciting from start to finish. Even with the high number I put up that day, I didn’t once want the round to end. As quirky as it may seem, the closing par five 18th already seems iconic to mid-Atlantic golf — with a 19th century stone farmhouse sitting smack-dab in the middle of the fairway, golfers will have to plan ahead and decide on the tee box if this is a two-shot or three-shot hole. Left of the house lends an opportunity to get home in two. Right of the house, not so much. Stymied by the stone ruins? Good luck making par.
At the conclusion of our round, we enjoyed a few pints and some turkey sandwiches by the big fireplace in the clubhouse. As far as public golf goes, I’ve never felt more at home. The staff at Whiskey Creek were incredibly inviting and made us feel like members. The clubhouse was clean and tastefully designed to fit its rustic surroundings. I wish we had more time after we finished to soak in a few more moments, but I know I’ll be back again. Look forward to updating this review once we get back!
RJK.
