Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort
 In the Capital regions daily rat race of urban living we sometimes forget how close we are to escaping to a different world. The beauty of Western Maryland is home to "picturesque mountain views" where a commune with nature is a gratifying break that truly refreshes the soul.
Just outside of Cumberland Maryland nestled in the middle of Rocky Gap State Park is Lake Habeeb. This clear water lake attracts visitors year round with a plethora of activates for all those seeking an outdoor adventure. Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort resides just on the banks of Lake Habeeb where all the luxuries of resort living perfectly compliments the beautiful natural surroundings.
The golf part of the resort is the Jack Nicklaus championship design that has two distinct stories to tell. The first story is the a front nine which meanders through the hardwood foothills requiring strategic course management decisions, elevation changes and varying uneven lies.
The first two holes only wet your appetite as the course slowly leads to the most demanding part of the course. A good example is the Par-4 472 yard par 4 No.3. This hole requires a precise tee shot where missing the fairway will likely lead to a bogey or worse. Even with a good drive you're faced with one of the longest approach shots anywhere on the course.
The next three holes will more than likely make or break your round. The varying narrow target areas, uphill and down hill approach shots require skill and touch to navigate this stretch without trouble. It's rare to find this kind of challenge at other resort courses. It’s a impressive design that would require playing multiple times to gauge any comfortably.
 Luckily and just before you feel the course might have got the best of you the second part of the courses story presents itself. When you make the turn the holes start to open revealing a back nine that is starkly different than the front nine. You really feel like your playing to entirely different courses when you make the turn.
The back nice consists of wide open fairways with more level lies and less elevation changes. Just when you thought you didn't play a resort course, the back nine shows up to change your mind. Let me iterate the back nine isn't overly easy when compared to the front nine but the open presentation and more accommodating landing areas make it much more manageable.
The perfect example is the 395-yard Par-4 No.11. At the tee you’re greeted with a slightly up hill shot to one of the widest fairways on the course. Your second shot to the green is again up hill but the straight forward layout makes you feel extremely comfortable and the ability to hit good shots more consistently.
In summation Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort course is an outstanding layout. The mixture of challenging and scoreable holes makes for a delightful and memorable day of golf.
So the next time you feel the rat race closing in on you and you need to escape to a different world that includes a great round of golf. Head out to the Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort, it's a great escape!
 Amigos Favorite Hole: Our choice as favorite hole at Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort is the Par-5 542-yard No. 5. This testy Par-5 is classic risk reward and offers a breath taking view at the tee.
The hole starts with a down-hill shot to a two fairways split by two strategically placed bunkers. Luckily both the right and left landing areas offers plenty of room. When I'm presented with a split fairway, I always tell myself to just make a good swing for the middle of the two fairways. The ball never goes exactly where I want so it's always a good plan!
The risk reward and difficult part of the hole is the second shot. Longer hitter might have the opportunity to go for the green in two but it’s not advisable. Depending on your lie, you'll want to lay-up to a comfortable distance and avoid the pinching point closer to the green. The fairway does narrow closer to the green and the slightly down hill lie makes the shot even more daunting.
The green slopes from back to front and is guarded by bunkers on the right side. A par is a great score on this hole. With all the trouble looming on the front nine it’s best to play the front nine conservatively when you first play the course. There is ample room for error and more opportunity for the hero shot on the back nine.
Review Date:
08/29/2009
Course review ratings are conducted on a five point scale. ( 1 = Double Bogey 3 = Par 5 = Eagle)
Tees:
The championship design has a set of tees to suit any game. The tips are just over 7,000 yards and the red tees are only 5,198 yards. Plus there are three more sets of tees in between accommodating a comfortable playing distance for every skill set.
What's great about most Nicklaus designs is the ample spacing between each tee set. Each tee makes the course play entirely different. One tee might make the hole easy but if you step back a tee then there’s a forced carry or an intimidating tee shot.
The tees were in good condition with ample spacing to move the markers around for proper maintenance.
Fairways:
Beautiful perfectly conditioned bent grass fairways. I must admit bent grass is my preference for fairways but on days when the greens play damn and moist it's imperative to hit the ball first. If you hit behind the ball just a tiny fraction your shot can easily turn into the old “chili dip”. But of course that's my fault and not the course!
The routing is excellent. The visual difference and routing away from the tee makes for some very memorable views. There are even a couple of split fairways where you have plenty of options off the tee. On the Par -5 15 make sure to “look left”. There is a fairway over the hazard. The hole really narrows closer to the green but a shot to the other fairway would make this hole play much easier than we played it. Your second lay-up sets up perfect for a shot to the other fairway but its not easy to see until you're actually on the green.
Rough:
The rough was in outstanding condition both off the fairways and greenside. The best part was the consistency that you don't always see at other courses. After you gauged how to play the ball and lie you knew exactly what you were facing when playing a shot out of the rough.
You know there is a reason they call it "rough" and I think we learned the hard way during our round. The recent rains must have delayed cutting the rough and we were greeted with thick questionable lies. I can only guess this is how tour pros feel at a U.S. Open.
I can appreciate tough conditions but this was a bit overboard in my mind, especially for a resort course. But of course that's just my opinion. It would help if I could keep the ball in the fairway!
Traps:
The bunkering is tremendous both greenside and guarding strategic points along the fairways. You won't find a better set of Par-3s on any course and the bunkering is perfectly placed to punish those over zealous golfers. You’ll be faced with a few impossible up and downs if you go at the pin and miss by more than a few yards. Take our advice and the middle of the green is always a great idea.
The best conditioned bunkers I've seen all year. Each had the perfect amount of sand. Plus they have that great sugary blend of sand that most of us only see on the TV when the professionals play. It made the bunkers less penal and escaping relatively painless if you hit a good shot.
Greens:
If you're familiar with Jack Nicklaus designs then you already know what to expect. Long narrow greens where approach shots that can play three clubs different depending on pin position. If I have any advice it's to ignore the distance to the pin and play all your shots to the middle of the green.
The conditions were probably the only slight disappointment on the course. Even though they rolled well they had recently been aerated and some blemishes made it tough to keep a ball on line. I'm sure it's just part of the normal maintenance and they'll be back in top form very soon.
Amenities:
The ideal of what a Golf Resort should be…beautiful setting, nice accommodations and championship golf course.
The golf facilities are actually inside the lower part of the Lodge. The proshop is fully equipped with everything you might need and there is a nice bar and grill directly behind the proshop with an outside patio overlooking Lake Habeeb.
A large open range has grass tees and is adjacent to the first tee. There is a nice chipping and putting practice tee as well…perfect for working on your game when not on the course.
There is a snack bar at the turn offering the normal turn fare but is conveniently located so you don't have to return to the lodge during your round.
Staff Services:
Everyone on the Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort was extremely pleasant and accommodating. From bag drop to leaving the property the service was all around first class.
On the course the beverage cart made two appearances per nine with was perfect. Especially considering the layout of the course where there is really no cut thorough and the cart attendant has to loop the entire course.
Pace of Play:
When we teed off the weather was a mixed bag so we didn’t expect any issue with pace. Our round lasted 4.25 hours. We didn't wait on any group in front of us and were not rushed from behind. The pace actually could have been better but we had a few lost balls on the front nine.
Overall Average:
4.8, Birdie Course
Outstanding Course, must play recommendation
We would like to thank General Manager Rick Flowers for having us out to visit and spotlight the course at Rocky Gape Lodge and Golf Resort.
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Location:
16701 Lakeview Road, Flintstone MD 21530
Tee Time Phone:
301-784-8500
Course Type:
Resort
*The opinions expressed in this course review are those of the individual reviewer(s) and do not reflect the editorial opinion of
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