We lucked out with the weather on Saturday for golf, but because Sunday looked like a complete washout we didn’t make any golf plans. I left my friend’s place about the time the rain was letting up on Sunday and couldn’t resist the temptation to add a couple short courses to my list!

My first stop on the way home was Woodbrier Golf Course, which was a convenience option for me. I got there around 1pm and the place was a ghost town! The road to the course dead ends into a small gravel loop, with the clubhouse on the right and a home on the left.

I saw one other car in the parking lot and figured that was the car of the person working in the proshop. However, maybe it was the nearby homeowner’s vehicle because all the clubhouse doors were locked! I walked backed to my car and tried calling the proshop a couple times but it just rang and rang without any voicemail.

I mulled over my options and decided to leave the $15 green fee (walking) in the course’s mailbox with a short note. I couldn’t see any markings to indicate the course was closed and the website said it was open every day of the year, but it sure didn’t feel open. It was one of the crazier things that has happened in my new course quest!

Anyway, I got a couple holes into my round and found out why no one else was out there. The poor place had taken a beating with all the rain that we’ve had in the region recently! Half of a green was submerged and a creek that runs through the course had flooded some other low lying spots. By the time I found all this out I was already committed to a new course though, ha!

The greens seemed healthy given all the water they have absorbed, but know that Woodbrier is a mom-and-pop golf course. So, you won’t want to go into a round here expecting more than average conditions. Most of the turf was mixed grasses and very inconsistent.

Looking past the flooded conditions, Woodbrier is a nine hole course with a little quirk to it and some good bones. The opening holes make a bit of a “T” shape before the remaining holes loop around the other side of the clubhouse. The terrain here rolls and there is a nice mix of open and wooded holes. Also, you’ll find a few rock outcroppings which I thought added a lot to the look at Woodbrier.

I played the white tees which are 2,737 yards. There is one par-5, two par-3’s and the remaining holes are shorter par-4’s. One of the par-3’s, the 9th, is 253 yards! Oddly, the 3rd is a 251 yard par-4. So you have a par-3 that is longer than a par-4!

Avoiding a big number might be the most difficult thing about Woodbrier! Two of the wooded holes (the 3rd and 8th) are extremely tight and require straight shots. They aren’t long so laying up is the prudent play but I’m not usually accurate enough even with a long iron to find those fairways!

I don’t see too much of a reason to go out of your way to play Woodbrier. It definitely had a locals’ vibe to it even on a day when the locals knew better than to play!

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):