| It's on the Franklin/Bellingham line, on maple street (495 to rte 126
in bellingham, go east, take a right on maple). Haven't played there
yet but they do have 9 holes open. It will be private once they get
enough members, but it's pretty much open to the public now. The bond is
about 5K and dues are 1100, but I think they are charging half price
since they didn't open til June.
They're supposed to have a decent practice area but I haven't been by
since it opened. I plan to try it out soon, I'll let you know how it
is.
Greg
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| An update on Maplegate (in Bellingham, on the same street as Ma
Glockner's): All 18 are open, though we played just the front 9
yesterday, our first visit. The 9-hole rate is $15 on weekends; $30 for
18 (have to wait till after 2, I think, to get the 9-hole rate, but
they made an exception for us - not sure why).
It's a nice course, at least what I saw. Not terribly long, but the
holes are varied and interesting, with enough water, doglegs and sand to
keep you alert. All par 4's and 5's accept a driver off the tee. I
liked the course, although my game was left somewhere back on Rt. 495.
What I didn't like was the policy regarding carts. In an innovative
approach to the "walk vs. ride" policy, they don't require that you
take a cart. However, they also don't allow you to use a pullcart. So,
you are free to walk, as long as you don't mind carrying your clubs.
This is mitigated somewhat by their providing lightweight bags, free of
charge, to replace the steamer trunk you've been dragging around on
your pullcart. Next time, I'll bring half a set with me, and save my
back for more important jobs, like lifting a foamer after the round!
Frank
P.S. Another twist on the cart policy - if only one person rides, the
cart is half-price!
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| Another update on Maplegate. I played it yesterday and it was in
really nice shape.
The previous reply is accurate:
- holes are varied and interesting - I used every club in my bag.
Some shotmaking skills and definitely some intelligent course
management required - it not just a slug-fest.
They allow pullcarts weekdays before noon so we walked with
pullcarts. The course is an easy walker. Not terribly long for women
at 4852 yards from the forward tees. Tee placement was much better
than most courses where the forward tees seem like an afterthought.
A couple of really nice touches:
- The scorecard has a diagram of each hole with yardages marked off
for key landmarks like a big tree or a fairway bunker. Plus sprinklers
are marked, so even if you are playing the course for the first time,
you have a lot of info.
- They pay more than lip service to pace of play. We saw the rangers
several times and they were actually working. There are time budgets
for each hole printed on the scorecard, and a few signs here and there
to help the clueless - things like 'Park behind the green before
putting'. etc.
There is a practice range. I don't remember if there is a practice
putting green.
The only negative was the huge population of swarming Japanese Beetles
hovering over some of the fairways and greens. Gross.
Louise
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