Holey Terror: Hole No. 14 at Great Hope Golf Course
Great Hope Golf Course • Westover, MD • greathopegolf.com • 410-651-5900
Hole No. 14 • Par 5 • 503 Yards
Great Hope combines many of the design elements associated with Old World golf with the rugged honesty that comes when the natural features of the property are carefully preserved. Located a short 45-minute drive from the hustle and bustle of Ocean City in Westover, MD, the course offers a reprieve from crowded tee times and vacation pricing. Best of all, it is simply one of the most beautiful golf courses you’ll find on the Eastern Seaboard.
Great Hope sits on 217 acres of former farmland, with the four holes closest to the clubhouse carved through woodlands. The rest of the layout is sequestered in a bowl-like setting, treeless and exposed to the wind. Wetlands, a creek and the site’s seven lakes bring water into play on 16 holes. Scottish-style bunkers, sculptured mounds and native grasses — knee-high in some places — border the closely cropped fairways. Stray too far from the short grass and you’ll need the strength of an ironworker to hack it back out.
The course was designed by world-renowned golf architect, Dr. Michael Hurdzan. He did a remarkable job of laying out this track so that nearly every hole forms an enclave or pocket of its own, often out of sight of the surrounding course. The fairways are wide enough so that most players will feel reasonably comfortable hitting driver off the tee, and the greens are large and inviting with sufficient bail-out areas placed nearby when forced carries are required. But perhaps the layout’s greatest attribute is that almost every hole presents a risk-reward option.
A great example is the par-5, No. 14, this week’s Holey Terror. The hole plays 503 yards from the back tees. A 3-wood or “soft” driver is the smart play from the tee box, leaving an iron or hybrid layup to the second fairway. If you do decide to swing from your heels, take note that the first fairway ends about 235 yards out with another 20-30 yards of rough before a finger of the water hazard on the right comes into play. Clear it and you’ll be rewarded with a chance to get home in two. Either way, your second or third shot to the green will need to be hit high and soft in order to hold the elevated green. There is a large, deep bunker located on the front right side of the complex and the water hazard on the right extends all the way to the green. Adding to the challenge are out-of-bounds markers that run down the entire left side of the hole and behind the green. Number 14 can either reward you for playing aggressively or have you reaching in your bag for another ball.
What is the most challenging hole at your favorite TeeTime Golf Pass participating course? Let us know! We would love to feature it in an upcoming issue of our weekly newsletter. Submit your Holey Terror to [email protected].
