True to William Mitchell's architectural style (he also designed Kutsher's), Tarry Brae ascends and descends some hilly, mountainside terrain. Doglegs are prevalent as tree-lined fairways bend around well-placed bunkers. Many greens slope back to front, requiring approach shots under the hole. Get above the hole and things can get dicey.
The signature hole is the short, par-5 sixth where the green is beautifully framed by Echo Lake in the background. The clearing of trees several years ago opened up stunning views of the lake from the top of the fairway. The sixth is more captivating than difficult - long hitters can easily reach the hole-in-two with a mid-iron. The difficulty at Tarry Brae comes with a solid collection of par-three holes. Three of them stretch more than 200 yards from the back tees, with Nos. 4 and 11 working uphill and Number 17 traversing water.
The par fours can play long and tight so good ball-striking is recommended when playing Tarry Brae. The greens are generous in size and in excellent condition.
Your Golf Bud by Bud Key, Mid-Atlantic Director, TeeTime Golf Pass
I own the golf bag from hell. It’s an enormous, overstuffed, full-grain leather TOUR-style staff bag, the size of a ’72 Lincoln Continental and weighing a metric ton. This monstrosity was my prize for winning a closest-to-the-pin contest in 1988, the same year I got married, and it was the catalyst for our first marital spat.
I insisted on showcasing the colossal bag in the dead center of our tiny 600-square-foot studio condo, convinced it had more curb appeal than our meager second-hand furniture. My wife finally caved, but only on […]