Location » College Park, Md.
Phone » 301-314-4653
Fees » Weekday $50; Friday $62; Saturday-Sunday $69
Par/Yardage/Rating/Slope
71/7015/73.7/137
Conditions » 4
Layout » 4
Facilities » 4
Value » 4
* Out of a possible five golf balls
Description » The tree-lined, traditional, 53-year-old course is a secluded sanctuary in bustling College Park. Astonishingly, no homes are visible from the course. Despite a long-held notion that the course is for private use of the university, it is open to the public. It will host the Melwood Prince George’s County Open for the second time from Thursday through Sunday.
| Signature hole |
| No. 1 (Gold Nine) par 4, 460 yards |
| Sentimentalists will miss the “M” that used to reside on the hill behind the green. It has been replaced by a vast, unnecessary bunker. But the hole remains a stunner, with a wide, tree-lined, downhill fairway, to a wide green, carved into the side of a hill and framed by offset trees. |
Reason to play » This is the best public course inside the Beltway. No others are even close. Exceptional routing on a rolling, varied piece of property, and good value, especially for those who walk. It was ranked among the nation’s best 25 college courses by Links Magazine.
Facelift » UMGC underwent a renovation in 2008-09. No holes were changed, but green complexes were upgraded, fairways were re-contoured, and drainage was improved. Many bunkers and tee boxes were added and re-shaped. Fescue around the perimeter of greens, fairways and hazards has added definition.
Conditional Love » Bill Love, a former player for the University of Maryland golf team, oversaw the recent renovation. One of the goals was to improve the notoriously spotty conditions. The new greens are in excellent shape. The fairways and transitional areas are improving.
Size matters » Updated UMGC has five sets of tees (up from three) and measures 280 yards further from the tips. The most obvious change is in the three par 5s. All used to be reachable in two shots, but that was before 37-52 yards was added to each.
Improved greens » Players won’t miss the sharp slopes of the original greens, which demanded that players keep the ball below the hole. The greens now have more subtle undulation and are in excellent condition.
Toughest hole
No. 2 (Gold Nine), par 4, 453 yards
Five par-four holes measure at least 440 yards. The most challenging is No. 2, which has a downhill tee shot to a wide fairway with water on left, then a daunting uphill approach to an elevated green.
