Bulle Rock Golf Course:
Another Great Pete Dye
Design in Maryland
By Travis Espenlaub,
Staff Writer
Havre de Grace, Md. - I must preface this review by first admitting
that I am not the easiest person to impress when it comes to golf
courses and it takes a great deal for a course to stand out as special
to me.
It is even more difficult for a golf experience not to be criticized by me in some small form or fashion, especially a golf course that costs more than $100 to play. If you are a person looking for the negative aspects of a golf course to be brought to your attention before you decide if you want to play there, you will not find them in this review of Bulle Rock Golf Course. With that all said, I will now let you know that Bulle Rock is the most impressive and beautifully laid out course I have ever been lucky enough to play.  Golf architect Pete Dye began designing Bulle Rock a few short years ago. It opened for play at the end of March 1998. Of course, Dye is one of the most well known golf architects in the World, but I feel with the piece of land he had to work with to design Bulle Rock, even an amateur golf enthusiast would not have gone wrong.
This is not meant to put down Dye's great design. It is only meant to point out, in my opinion, Bulle Rock is a piece of golf architectural art. Bulle Rock is the 81st course Dye has designed worldwide in his career. Speaking of Bulle Rock, Dye stated "I did not undo God's work". Bulle Rock is situated in northern Maryland, about 40 minutes north of Baltimore. It is also within very reasonable driving distances from Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Harrisburg. Its proximity to these cities is most likely the reason that currently Bulle Rock has more weekday business meeting golf being played than it has golf being played on the weekends. Upon entering the Bulle Rock grounds you quickly notice what a beautiful horse farm Bulle Rock must have been previously to becoming a golfer's paradise. Bulle Rock was originally the name of a stud horse back in the 1700's. The historic looking white clubhouse overlooks the course and surrounding area with a view of the Chesapeake Bay in the distance. The 23,000-foot clubhouse has a very charming southern feel.
The pro shop inside is one of the best, if not best, stocked pro
shops I have ever seen. There is a person on duty outside of the locker
room downstairs who will gladly shine your golf spikes prior to or
after playing a round. Inside of the locker room you can find all
of the amenities of the best country club around.
You are even invited to store your belongings in a locker if need be. There are colognes, razors, individual showers and many other luxuries that a person can use to freshen up once their round is complete. In the upper part of the clubhouse is located a top-notch restaurant with contemporary and traditional meals that will satisfy most anyone's appetite. In September's Wine Spectator magazine, Bulle Rock's wine list made their magazine for one of the best wine lists in the World. The deck that overlooks the golf course is a perfect place to share stories of the day's events on the golf course with friends or business acquaintances. Keeping with the country club theme, this public course is closed on Monday's and closes the day before Thanksgiving until late March when it once again reopens its doors. They keep the number of rounds per day between 100 and 180 people with 10-minute intervals between tee times.  A second 18-hole Pete Dye course (North Course) is currently under construction and planned to be completed by the year 2002. Early talk even has it that the North Course is going to have even more fabulous views than the current South Course does because of the more severe elevation changes. Also, a 220-room resort facility is in the planning stage.
Bulle Rock will make the perfect weekend getaway with two beautiful courses to play and accommodations to stay overnight. There is a natural grass driving range with 6 different greens at which you may aim as many range balls as you would like. Also, there is a nice practice green available for last minute putting. A personalized Bulle Rock bag-tag is provided to all golfers prior to teeing off on the first hole and the golfer's clubs are washed prior to and after a round of golf there. Bulle Rock has beautiful bent grass from tee to fairway to green, and the rough is made of a thick Bluegrass and the borders are cut from fescue. Bulle Rock's Director of Golf, Richard Rounsaville, told me that the rough was usually cut to be around 3 to 3 1/2 inches. However, when I played there I swear that a few errant shots of mine got buried in 5 to 6-inch rough. But I'm sure you all know how the rough looks a lot thicker and deeper when you are standing in it preparing to hit a shot out. The greens have a rather quick pace to them and also have many undulating breaks that must be studied carefully if 3-putts are to be avoided. They are, however, very true to their lines. There are four sets of tees for varying calibers of golfing skills. The back tees measure a total distance of 7,375 yards, which might make most amateurs wince if they were made to play from them. However, I believe these tees were set up for a professional championship to someday be played. The course is perfectly suited for a professional golf tournament because of its natural amphitheaters located on many of the holes. There are numerous vantage points from many of Bulle Rock's subtle rolling hills. One of the main features that I truly love about Bulle Rock is the fact that there are no two holes on the course that are alike. Each of the 18 holes has its very own personality and character. There are only two holes on the entire course that make it unable to see the green from the tee. One of those holes is the tricky par-5 15th. It is 529-yds but it is almost like two holes in one because a stream crosses the middle of the fairway and separates the hole. A tee-shot must be driven down the right side of the wide stream.  On the next shot you must cross over the stream and play down the left side to a green that sits on the same side of the stream with one of the 125 total bunkers on the course. Very high scores can easily be taken on this hole if strategy is not in your plan of attack.
The number 18 hole is a classic hole that would make an outstanding finishing hole in a major championship. It is an extremely long par-4 from the back tees, measuring a whopping 485-yds. If the length doesn't get your attention, the water that lines the entire left side of the fairway most definitely will. It is one of three lakes that is located on the South Course. You can bail out down the right side of the fairway but there are scattered trees that may easily get in your way for the lengthy approach shot to a green that is nestled next to the lake. The hill on the right side would make a fantastic natural bleacher for thousands of spectators. If you get a chance to visit the beautiful Mid-Atlantic area and you are looking for a fabulous golf experience, it would be highly advised to spend a day at Bulle Rock. Who knows, one day when you are watching a professional golf tour stop on television from Bulle Rock, you can tell people that you've hit balls from the same exact spot as your favorite touring pro. Daily Fees: $138/18 holes (closed on Mondays)
Replay Rate: $55/18 holes
Replay Rate: $100/18 holes (If pre-reserved)
Caddy: $30 + gratuity (Bag carrier)
Caddy: $20 + gratuity (Walk along; not bag carrier) Black Tee Course Rating: 76.4
Black Tee Course Slope: 147
Black Yardage: 7375
Par: 72 Blue Tee Course Rating: 74.0
Blue Tee Course Slope: 139
Blue Yardage: 6843
Par: 72 White Tee Course Rating: 71.5
White Tee Course Slope: 136
White Yardage: 6360
Par: 72 Red Tee Course Rating: 71.1
Red Tee Course Slope: 127
Red Yardage: 5426
Par: 72 Bulle Rock Golf Course
320 Blenheim Lane
P.O. Box 506
Havre De Grace, MD 21078
Director of Golf: Richard D. Rounsaville
Pro Shop Phone: (888) 285-5375
Website Address: www.BulleRock.com
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