Maryland's PB Dye Golf Club:
Bring all your Clubs
By Travis Espenlaub,
Staff Writer
IJAMSVILLE, Md. - The PB Dye Golf Club is located only a few miles
off of the Beltway, but no where on the course will you be reminded
of the hectic city life of Washington D.C, which is less than a
half an hour away. I noticed a sign as I drove up to the clubhouse,
which showed a quote from PB Dye himself.
The quote read, "Be prepared to use every club in your bag." PB Dye knew exactly what he was talking about when he stated this. PB Dye is one of the premier golf architects of our time and for him to allow this golf course to bare his name shows his love of this course. The PB Dye Golf Club was opened for public use earlier in the 1999 year but it doesn't play like a brand new course at all, except for some of the young trees lining a few of the fairways. In my opinion, the PB Dye Clubhouse is one of the more beautiful clubhouses you will see in the Mid-Atlantic region. The pro shop is well stocked with many nice golf items and attire. The restaurant, which is also attached to the clubhouse, has many different foods available, from appetizers, to soups and salads, to sandwiches and premier pasta dishes. The porch of the clubhouse overlooks much of the course and has the awe-inspiring 9th and 18th greens within a chip shot away. Off to the side of the course is located a driving range with grass tees and six target greens. A small complimentary bag of range balls is provided upon loading up your cart. The driving range was a bit on the rough side the day I was there and it is located rather close to the first hole, but the different distanced greens aid in helping to warm up for the many different shots that await you on the 18 holes of golf. There are also two putting greens for both putting and chipping. A bunker is located close by for those last minute practice sand shots. The course advertises having the only G2 Bent Grass greens in the area. These greens are supposed to be a 10 on the stimp meter and be similar to the speed of the greens at the 1999 U.S. Open this year, which was held at the Pinehurst No. 2 Golf Club. Although they were quick greens, I didn't think they were as quick as some other courses' greens in the area and at dusk I felt the greens actually became a tad on the slow side. They are very true greens and the many undulations in the greens make them some of the most treacherous I have played recently. 3-putting is not difficult at all on these oversized greens if some care isn't taken to first judge all of the breaks. Another aspect of most of PB Dye designed golf courses is his use of railroad ties around bunkers and mounds. This effect is a very pleasing sight to look at, however, if you are unlucky enough to have your ball come to rest around these pieces of wood you may not think they are so beautiful of a sight.  PB Dye also has many of his signature miniature bunkers throughout the many acres of the course. Some of the bunkers I noticed were very interesting to look at, however they didn't seem to serve any real purpose because they would never come into play unless someone had never played the game of golf before.
The course was in excellent condition from tee to green. It is not a course you would want to play if you don't have command of all of the clubs in your bag. It is definitely a shot-makers course and like with all of the PB Dye courses I have played, he dares you to try and hit shots that aren't always in your best interest as a golfer.
If you can make the shots he dares you to hit, you are rewarded
handsomely, however, if you fail to make the one-in-a-million shot,
you will be punished accordingly with many different types of hazards.
A perfect example of one of Dye's tempting holes is the number-16 par-4, which is 407-yards from the back tees. It is a dog-leg right that has an ocean of sand on the right side which tempts you to bite off more than you can chew to cut the corner and shorten the hole. Even if you try and play it safe off of the tee with a shot left of the bunkers on the right side, you still have two other bunkers on the left ready to catch your ball. If that isn't enough, once you get ready to hit your approach shot into the uphill green, you have more sand and those infamous railroad ties to negotiate. One of the most spectacular holes on the course is the number-11 par-3 island green. It is only 169-yards from the back tees and offers a breathtaking downhill shot to a green that has water on the front, back, and left sides. On the right side of the green is a steep hill that would leave a very difficult shot to a small green with water in it, if the shot wasn't made exactly right. Another obstacle of this hole and the course as a whole is the wind that plays havoc with the precise shots that have to be made. The course is relatively open, which allows the wind to blow in from all directions. If nerves are not enough to overcome this island green hole, overcoming the wind will almost send you to your knees in prayer before hitting your tee-shot. The one complaint that I have with this course is that it seems like some of the holes were designed too close to other holes. I don't like the feeling that I am going to be hit with balls from adjacent fairways and the same goes for the shots I hit that go slightly astray towards other fairways. This isn't the case on all of the holes at the PB Dye Golf Club, however it does play a factor on a number of them which does make it somewhat annoying. On one of the holes we had to wait to approach our tee due to players on another hole teeing off.  The staff at the PB Dye Golf Club was top-notch and there are many fine courses within a short driving distance that could turn a visit into a nice 3 or 4-day golf vacation getaway. With Frederick, Washington D.C., and Baltimore only a short drive away, there are also many fine places to dine and rest your sleepy head.
Take PB Dye's warning and be prepared to use all of the clubs in your bag and take my warning and keep smiling at the beauty that the PB Dye Golf Club has to offer you. Weekday Fees (Mon-Thur): $69/18 holes
Weekend Fees (F, S, Sun):$79/18 holes
Replay Rate (Everyday): $39/18 holes Tournament Tee Course Rating: 74.6
Tournament Tee Course Slope: 141
Tournament Yardage: 7036
Par: 72 Championship Tee Course Rating: 72.9
Championship Tee Course Slope: 138
Championship Yardage: 6721
Par: 72 Dye Tee Course Rating: 70.7
Dye Tee Course Slope: 135
Dye Yardage: 6401
Par: 72 Regular Tee Course Rating: 69.2
Regular Tee Course Slope: 132
Regular Yardage: 6022
Par: 72 Forward Tee Course Rating: 71.5
Forward Tee Course Slope: 129
Forward Yardage: 5391
Par: 73 PB Dye Golf Club
9526 Dr. Perry Road
Ijamsville, MD 21754
Head Pro: Jeffrey Rossenberg
Pro Shop Phone: (301) 607-GOLF
Website Address: www.pbdyegolf.com
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