Gunpowder Golf Course

14300 Old Gunpowder Rd, Laurel, MD 20707, USA

Address:	14300 Old Gunpowder Rd, Laurel, MD 20707, USA
Phone:	+1 301-725-4532
Site:	gunpowdergolfcourse.com
Rating:	3.8
Working:	6:30AM–8PM 6:30AM–8PM 6:30AM–8PM 6:30AM–8PM 6:30AM–8PM 6:30AM–8PM 6:30AM–8PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

John MacArthur

I have been playing the course for over thirty years. When I first played there, I was smitten. It had the feel of yesterday. The front side, tree lined and picturesque, the back side more open and dead pan, rock laden. Yes, greens were watered with sprinkler heads that popped up in the center of the green. Yes, on the seventh hole and fifteenth hole, you could not see where your tee ball landed. Times change and in 2015 the course is in incredible shape. Havent played there in a couple years? You will recognize the layout, but a complete irrigation system is now in place. Fairways are lush and the rough is the wrong place to leave a shot. The little pop up sprinkler heads green center are no more. Greens now roll and you can attempt to navigate the natural twists and turns unimpeded. There is a large cadre of golfers that have not teed it up and scoff at the yardage. They totally overlook the fact that the distance from point A to point B is not easily traversed. The course is up and down and around peaks and valleys. A creek runs through it. You certainly can go for the gusto off some tees, but should you be a bit wayward, a big number is waiting for you. Gunpowder is the best kept secret in the area. Golf here is affordable. The staff is helpful. That chap you meet on the first tee in a miss matched outfit with clubs older than yours, well keep you money in your pocket, he will dance around the course...hitting it to locations and reading greens that will be a mystery to you. They dont need 7,000 yards to beat you...they just putter along. Make one round here and rediscover the joy of a game of a lifetime.

Mark Hachey

There are lots of options for golf in the area. Gunpowder is what it is. Its like back in the 50s someone found a piece of land, and said, "put a tee here. Put a green there. And cut down the trees in between."

I cant tell you whether youd like it or not. If youre looking for a beautiful course, with a beautiful clubhouse, youre going to have to spend more than 20 bucks. I think it has to be walked to be best appreciated. Its interesting in that it really follows the contours of the land. I think it would be improved if they didnt have cart paths, or carts. I think that has almost like a "golf roots" feel to it. . .and not differentiating much between the rough and the fairway, or having good yardage markers is part of the charm. Very natural feeling. It has a several holes youd call "par 3.5" and maybe one 4.5. There are lots of elevation changes and the small greens and contours really challenge you to think out your approach on some holes. The greens all have 2 holes in them (and sometimes a sprinkler) and you can just move the flag to the other hole when youre putting. The par 3s are distinctive, and challenging, with two (8 and 11) being cut right into the side of a hill. The 16th is a two-shot roller coaster that goes from an elevated tee to an plateau that falls off on 3 sides and then rolls down and back up to an elevated green with trouble all around. The course should be played just to see that hole. The condition of the fairways is the biggest problem. If they were in better shape, Id love this course, but youre left with too many inconsistent lies.

A Private User

This is an interesting course, with challenging holes and plenty of variety, for $17 M-Th. Its got elevation changes, interesting holes, creeks, ponds, and plenty of variety. If youre a country-club player looking for bent-grass fairways or immaculate tee-boxes, youre out of luck. If you are a golfer on a budget, you cant do much better if you live nearby. One pretty big downside: Sprinkler heads on a bunch of the greens (esp. the back nine, if I remember correctly) most of which are sunken, creating a "second hole" on each green. As a public-course junky Im pretty forgiving, but this is pretty bad. Now, Im a beginner, so I appreciate the mix of challenge & forgiveness on a course like this. Maybe more advanced golfers would be bored, but I dont think so. I guess its a bit short compared to top-tier courses, but ITS $17! Another downside: lack of yardage markers on the fairways. The sprinkler heads would knock this down to 3 stars if not for the price -- the only place I know of to play for less than $1/hole.

Tim Jurasevich

The course itself is just okay. Its a bit beat up, not super fancy, and pretty short. But the prices are very, very low so its great value. If youre just starting out this is a great place to come because of the price. When youre hooking and slicing your way to double par on most holes you dont really benefit much from a perfectly manicured course. And if your ball does land somewhere rough, just move it - youre probably not coming to Gunpowder for serious competition. Ive run into my fair share of nastiness on golf courses (huge rocks in bunkers) at much higher prices. Probably the worst thing about this course is getting stuck behind a group of four middle aged Korean ladies. If you come here a few times it will happen at some point. Ive found its best to just skip the hole theyre on and get ahead of them so you can enjoy uninterrupted, wait-free golf. The greens fees are allegedly good all day but Ive never bothered to play more than 18. But doing 27 for $19 sure is appealing.

Skyhook Studios

-Walk on only -Great prices -Good course conditions -Par 70 When I tell others that Ive recently played here, they usually wince. Ive played here twice in the last 6 months. From what I understand, the course used to be in far worse condition. Currently (oct-2016) it is not that bad. Greens are lush and healthy. No one fixes their ball marks which sucks but rarely do I ever see Marshalls inforcing it on any Golf course. Fairways are cut and in good shape. The course is not that hard. Alot of short holes but technical layouts make them fun. Im an 11 handicap and shot a 77 (par 70). Par 3s are mostly elevated but under 140 yards. More then a few par 4s are under 300, just out of driving distance and a few would be drivable ones have a bend or hazard that make them less then desirable to attempt. 2 short par 5s make for feel good birdie or even eagle attempts. Prices are great. 9 am walking rate on a holiday ran me 19 bucks. Give it a go its worth a visit. -Skyhook

A Private User

Nothing about this course is keep in any kind of condition what so ever. The tee boxes look like sand boxes with grass growing out of them. The fairways could use a huge amount of work and the greens are kept somewhat nice but they might be the slowest greens i have ever played. Also there yardages are way off on probably 12 out of the 18 holes. For example the last hole is a 405 par 4. Off the tee according to their yardage i hit a 350 yard drive which I did once but it was because i hit a cart path. I nothing average about a 280-290 drive off the tee but 350 just doesnt happen for me. I am not writing a bad review because i played poorly I actually shot par and was happy about that but the course was just in poor condition. I would not recommend this to anyone.