POTOMAC, Md. (Sports Network) -- The Tournament Players Club at Avenel was the fifth Club designed in the TPC Network of golf courses around the country. Opened in May, 1986, the TPC at Avenel is one of 15 private TPC venues in the United States. It was the third stadium course to be constructed and the first to plant fairways in zoysia grass.
Local architectural firm Ault/Clark and Associates, along with PGA Tour player consultant Ed Sneed, were called in to design the golf course for a measly $60,000. That's right. In today's day and age when Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman or Tom Doak get millions, the TPC at Avenel was crafted for only five figures.
Developed over 220 acres in Maryland's rolling countryside, just minutes away from famed Congressional Country Club, Avenel was a huge success as soon as it opened -- at least for Arnold Palmer, who made back-to-back aces on the par-3 third hole prior to the start of the 1986 Chrysler Cup.
Beginning in 1987, the PGA Tour began its run at Avenel with the Kemper Open and later the FBR Capital Open and finally the Booz Allen Classic. However, the tour players have criticized the layout over the years, and the PGA Tour left the Washington, D.C.-area venue off its calendar for 2007.
The opening hole at Avenel is a sharp, dogleg-right par 4 of just 393 yards, but don't be misled, as the tee shot plays uphill to a fairway protected on either side by long bunkers. A medium to short iron will remain after a successful tee ball to one of the smallest greens on the course, just 32 paces deep. Any shot offline and to the right will be gobbled up by a difficult bunker. An opening par is not a bad way to start.
No. 2 is the longest hole on the course, a whopping 622 yards from the gold tees. This par 5 bends to the right and plays downhill toward the green. A massive strike off the tee down the right side can cut the corner of the dogleg, but be wary of the thick rough, sand and tall trees that guard the bend. The proper second shot is to lay back around 100 yards for your third to leave a simple pitch to a very long, boomerang-shaped green. A back-left flag could be quite difficult, since a deep bunker looms large.
Palmer put the third hole and the course on the map with his back-to-back aces in 1986. This monster of a par 3 now plays to the tune of 239 yards. The putting surface is long and wide and features a shaved chipping area around the green. Slightly downhill, the real danger is short-right, as a creek and trees come into play. Shoot for bogey and maybe, just maybe, you might sink a short putt for par.
Aesthetically, the fourth is one beautiful hole, with a lake left and tall trees right. Scoring-wise, you better be on your toes. Although the fairway is very wide, it slopes from right to left and any ball hit toward the left will most certainly end up wet. A play down the right will set up a medium iron to a well-guarded green. The putting surface slopes from back to front, with sand left and deep and a grass hollow to the right. Talk about pinpoint accuracy.
The fifth is a fun, short par 4 that bends to the left with a myriad of traps down both sides of the fairway, while you?re likely to develop a love-hate relationship with the par-5 sixth. Just 520 yards in length, it is a severe dogleg right with tall trees and water all along the right, and the biggest problem lies with the green. Although quite wide at 35 yards, it's just six paces deep with water and a rock wall fronting the putting surface. Two bunkers deep will snare all long shots.
The dogleg-right, par-4 seventh is a gem, stretching 461 yards from the back buttons, and a blast of over 220 yards is required just to reach the elevated fairway. The wide fairway is accessible, but beware of the 35-yard long trap to the left of the landing area. A medium iron should be enough to get home to the slightly-downhill green. The putting surface is wide and long with sand short and deep. A back-right flag with the wind in your face could be one of the most difficult shots on the course.
A fairly straight par 4, the eighth is difficult due to length and bunker positioning in the fairway. With a back-left flag, just play to the center, two-putt and move on to the 166-yard, par-3 ninth, the signature hole on the course. This diabolical par 3 drops some 40 feet to the green with Rock Run Creek in the front and right of the green. Let's toss in the longest putting surface on the course (44 yards) and you have one bear of a par 3.
The inward nine starts off with one of the simplest holes on the course, a par 4 of just 374 yards, but the par-3 11th is no slouch, as two different teeing areas create quite a diverse look. Rock Run Creek cuts through the center of the par-4 12th, which in 1992 ranked as the toughest hole on the PGA Tour. The 472-yard hole features a narrow fairway that doglegs left with thick rough on either side of the landing area, not to mention the creek. The water then runs down the right side of the putting surface, which is over 40 yards in length. To make matters worse, the green features a sloping spine down the center.
The next two holes provide chances to get a couple of shots back, but not without risks. The par-5 13th is only 524 yards, but water to the left and tall trees and out of bounds to the right can make this hole quite unlucky. After connecting with the elevated fairway, you?re left with a couple of options as the creek continues its trek through the course, dissecting a split landing area and running parallel with the green on the left. The best play is to lay up, leaving yourself with a short pitch to a long, narrow putting surface.
Another risk/reward hole, the 14th is a 301-yard par 4. Trouble is in the form of, you guessed it, Rock Run Creek down the entire right side through the green for the last time. An iron off the tee will leave a wedge to a long, narrow putting surface, with sand and mounding to the left. However, a nice fade with the driver off the tee, could result in birdie, or even eagle. C'mon, go for it!
The final four-hole stretch starts off with a rugged 467-yard par 4 that plays uphill off the tee, and continues with the short 16th, where you must avoid the 50-yard long trap on the left and the deep rough and trees right. A three-metal on the uphill shot will leave nothing more than a short iron to a downhill, fairly small green. The putting surface is guarded right and front by sand with a ridge in the center. A back-left flag will require pinpoint accuracy if you're going for the pin.
The green is long and wide, but the par-3 17th is anything but easy. From an elevated tee, a medium to long iron will be required to clear the fronting lake and avoid the bunkers deep and right. Let's not forget the tiered putting surface that slopes hard towards the water. The key is picking the right stick, especially when the wind is up.
The 18th hole is quite a formable task. Your tee shot must favor the right side in order to open up the green for your approach. Any opening shot missed right of the target with be gobbled up by a long fairway trap and deep, unforgiving rough. The slightly downhill green is situated in a great amphitheater setting, with four bunkers strategically placed around the undulating surface. A great finishing hole.
At a shade over 7,000 yards, Avenel is certainly not long by the standards of today's game, but it plays very difficult, especially when you miss the fairway. It's a great mix of short and long holes with relatively small, but undulating, greens and deep, thick rough. With four sets of tees beginning at 4,800 yards, this course is for all players.
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