Course Review: Maple Dale Country Club

For 8-1/2 years, I lived a stone's throw from Maple Dale Country Club, on the west side of Dover, Del. And, for some reason, I'd never played it ... until yesterday.

Despite the "Country Club" moniker, Maple Dale is open for public play, and, hankering for a little variety from my usual complement of courses, I snagged a midday Tuesday slot for $55 (no walking discount). While I didn't get much in the way of variety from my usual fare (it played very similarly to Garrisons in places), it was nonetheless an enjoyable round.

The course is pretty standard parkland fare, with some holes heavily lined by trees but others pretty wide open. Tee boxes and fairways are in excellent shape, greens play to about a 9-10 and are sloped and well guarded, and there's plenty of trouble.

The par-3 third is particularly unforgiving, featuring a well-guarded green replete with bunkers, shrubs, and a pond that forces either a lofted shot or pinpoint accuracy.

As far as the course layout goes, there are four par 3s, 10 par 4s and four par 5s, for a total par of 72. There's nice variety on the par 4s, both in terms of distance and direction. Two of the par 5s force layups about 110 yards from the green (one a fairway bunker, the other a ravine). On the flip side, the par 3s all played within about 15 yards of each other from the middle tee boxes — a little more variety here would be nice to test more than my 7-iron off the tee (which didn't do me any favours this day) ... maybe two mid-length, one shorter and one longer? The most demanding hole was No. 9, which has a forced carry over water off the tee shot and a very narrow landing area between a row of houses on the left and a row of trees on the right immediately into a slight dogleg right 150 yards-ish from the green.

Maple Dale uses the Longleaf Tee System, offering seven sets of tees ranging from 3,745 yards from the forward tees to 6,572 from the tips. The tee box signage reflected the old three-tee configuration, but maps of each hole were very helpful. I played the middle set, listed at 5,460 yards. Designed in the 1960s, there were no unduly long stretches between greens and tee boxes nor any sudden elevation changes. Overall, it made for a delightful walk, complete with water stations every few holes. As seems to be the trend, most people played BuggyBall™, which is a shame on such a walkable track.

The approach to No. 15, with the Maple Dale clubhouse in the background, requires a carry over water 90 yards from the green. Photos by the author.

Overall, Maple Dale is nothin' fancy — not posh, but not pretentious, either. I'll definitely be back.

What I like: Pretty setting, fairways and greens in excellent condition, extremely walkable, ample water stations throughout the course.

What I’d like to see: Updated signage to reflect current yardages and layup distances, more variation in distance on par 3s.

The ratings: Playability - B+, Condition/Atmosphere - B+, Layout - B-, Pace - A, Walkability - A, Service - A-, Amenities - B, Value for money - B. Overall, I give Maple Dale a B+.

And now, for the round …

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After some trouble off the tee the past couple rounds and way too many thoughts running through my mind with driver in hand, the mantra of "simplify" helped me keep tee shots in play (I hit more fairways than not). That said, I sacrificed a little distance in order to stay there (average driver was only 165 yards). A couple chunks, a couple pull hooks, and a couple tops cost me my best opportunities for par, but, aside from a disastrous triple on the first, I played pretty true to form — always a good thing on a brand new course.

My one par came on the 430-yard par-5 sixth, thanks to a 180-yard drive down the middle, a 155-yard 5-wood into the left rough (away from the fairway bunker forcing a layup), a 46-degree off the right edge of the green, a chip within three feet and an easy par putt. For the most part, it was boring bogey golf, save for a bad chip on No. 3 and a six-iron into the water on No. 18 leaving doubles. Lag putting was good all day: of my seven initial putts that were 20 feet or longer, I got five of them within three feet for easy tap-ins.

We'll happily take a workmanlike 93 on a new-to-me course.

Round Summary

Course: Maple Dale Country Club, Dover, Del.

Tees: Gray (5,460 yards, CR 67.2, SR 125)

Gross Score: 47-46–93 (net +2)

Pars: 1

Bogeys: 14 

Doubles: 2

Triples: 1

Fairways: 8/14

Greens: 0/18

Net Greens: 14/18

Putts: 33

Strokes Gained Putting: 3.63

Total Holed Putts: 49 feet

Longest Made Putt: 7 feet

Shortest Missed Putt: 7 feet

Match vs. Course Handicap: lost, 2 down (1-5-0)

Differential: 23.3

Pending Handicap Index: 20.5 (no change)

Distance Walked: 5.7 miles (~11,900 steps)

Time: 2 hours, 49 minutes

Maximum Heart Rate: 150 bpm