Course Review: Kensington Metropark

     When completing a golf course review, quite often I play new courses but often I play a course that I absolutely love. Kensington Metropark (KMP) is a golf course that is a must play for quite a few reasons. First, it is conveniently located for most golfers located right off the I-96 Kensington Road entrance. A second reason is the course is in such great condition.  The fairways are kept immaculate and the rough is cut to a good scoring level where golfers are not punished for errant shots. The fairways are also wide and the first cut off the fairways are about an inch tops and unless you really hook a shot, you will find your golf ball on pretty much every shot. Another plus is the scenery. It is very beautiful to play the course with all of the wildlife that can be found. Sand Hill Cranes, geese and deer are plentiful on the course and chances are that you will encounter the birds and possibly the deer depending on the tee time that you play. KMP plays as a course with four sets of tees and from the forward or red tees it tops out at 5,103 yards. Two sets of men’s tees range from 6,621 yards to 6,345 and with the lack of trouble from the wide fairways and rough, most days playing the longer yardage is advised.

The First Fairway Looking Toward the Green

     A good example of what is in store for golfers is the very first hole. Kensington only has six dogleg holes and a golfer’s first drive is helped by not only the wide open fairway but you can see the pin from the tee box. There is trouble on any golf hole as a no course can accommodate a snap hook but Kensington gives you a snapshot of your round on the very first hole. It plays from the longest tees (blue) from 412 yards.  Six of the 11 par fours play at 400 yards or longer and another three play at 380 to 399 yards and this forces golfers that hit the ball around 250 yards on their tee shots to play mid-range irons or better. Those that hit it longer are playing a high iron into the green and those lower will need the 3 or four hybrid or iron. My drive on number one gave me a seven iron into the green but this course has a defense and it is called the greens. They are both subtly and severely undulated and a well struck putt is needed for a player to move onto hole number two.  A golfer that misses their iron shot will hit into a valley and perhaps will have a ticklish downhill pitch to an elevated green. An ill-struck pitch shot will create a scalded third shot and the ball could easily roll through the green and depending on the pin placement, a three-putt is not out of the order.

The Fourth Green. You Cannot See the Valley
in this Picture

I-96 is to the Left of the Sign

    








The fourth hole at KMP is one where golfers need to hit it not only straight but have distance control. Guarded by trees on the left side, a mis-hit draw may find its way out of bounds along I-96 and a ball hit to the right will end up in the fescues and will give golfers a blind second shot. If you go right side, you most likely will have a pitch shot back into the fairway as advancing the ball in the thistle is not a sure thing. There are two valleys on this hole. A small one off the tee box which is not really a problem but at about 270 yards there is a very steep valley. If you are a long hitter and want to test the slope, you will have to contend with a downward slope and depending on the lie you may have a testy iron shot. Those that hit the fairway around 220-260 will have a mid to high iron shot into the green and most golfers are happy to hit it on in two. This number one handicapped hole has a severely sloping green from back to front and golfers that have to hit downhill or diagonal will find a three-putt in play. Going short of the green could kick your ball into the rough that sits in front of the hole and a blind shot to get close to the flag is possible.

We teed off to the Right of this Picture

The Geese and their Youngin's

    The eighth hole is the only hole on the course with water but for most golfers, it will not come into play. This 158 yard par three has out of bounds left side and the pond runs along the right but it is really a wide open hole. A ditch runs along the front of the green but both days I played it the flag was on the back of the green so take the trouble out of play and hit it firm and the hazards will not affect you.  Supreme players will hit a wedge but most will play a seven to nine iron and hitting it close is very possible. Years ago I went into the hole tearing up the front edge, hitting the stick and cup on the fly but the ball popped out after going in. The ball settled about three feet away. I studied my putt like Galileo studied the stars as getting a par after nearly holing out was not an option. I did make it and boy was I sweaty.

The View from the Tee Box on Number 9 is Steep

The Number 7 Green

     The ninth hole is an intimidating hole for some as it is one of the few holes where you cannot see the flag from the tee box. It plays as a 419 yard par four that elevates quickly off the tee box. Shots that veer left could find the fescues and the right into a cluster of trees that may make you pitch your second shot back to the fairway and leaving you scrambling for par or worse. From the tee box, many golfers will see well struck first shots pop into the air after hitting for the first time and that is always a great sign that you will maximize your distance. The green has a slope that changes depending on your shot. Two deep bunkers guard the front of the green and shots out of them are manageable.

Plenty of Places to be Blocked Out

Going Right Side Will Add Strokes to
Your Score

If You Can Hit a Draw,
Number 11 is Your Hole

     The back nine starts out wide open but the wild ride is on the 11^th hole. It plays at only 394 yards but is a severe dog leg left. A tree line guards the left side and a gentle sloping valley will capture shorter tee shots and for golfers that fade the ball right off the tee will face trouble from the fescues or trees that want to capture your ball. The first day I was in the rough to the right side but had a clear eight iron shot to the green which I landed but did not hold. The second day I had a tree blocking out my shot and I hit a punch five iron shot and nailed it landing it on the green and it rolled into the dog hair. Your best play is to hit a draw if you have one and leave yourself a short iron into the green. Trying to nail the drive is not a great play and a three wood is the way to go. Once again, the green here needs to be studied as hitting it on the wrong side will leave you with a possible three-putt. I played to par on this hole on days one and two and felt relieved that I did both times. Better drives and perhaps a birdie was in store.

A Lot of Subtle and Not So Subtle Slope.
The Left Side Really Runs.

     The very next hole looks tame enough. The par three 12^th is long at 208 yards and the trouble is for mis-struck balls either left side or right. Drive it into the rough on either side of the green and your chip will be testy as the green seems to run no matter where you hit the ball. Hitting the green with your long iron or hybrid is no cinch for a birdie or even par. You will find yourself lagging as well-struck putts quite often find the dog hair or fringe and that is frustrating. Three is a good score and a birdie just might give you a skin or a pop with your friends.

You Can Drive Over the Sand or Drive to the Right.
There is Plenty of Room.

The Second Shot is Not as Long as it Looks

     One thing I have not talked about very much are the par fives. Where the par three and four holes are tough due to the greens, the par fives are on the scoring side. There are only three at KMP and they play from 482 to 506 yards. With the lack of trouble on them, most golfers will find birdie or par on at least one of them and most likely all three. Take the 506 yard 14^th. With bunkers lining the left side but are easy to maneuver around, most players will walk or drive around them with no problem. The first day I played the tee box was closer to 440 yards so a decent drive and a high iron shot gave me the green in two. The wind was swirling all day and was in our faces at times all weekend. Hitting the green in two is great for the ego but this green has subtle slopes all over it. I was a good 70’ from the pin and hit a poor putt leaving me about 15 feet for my birdie. How I hit the second putt I do not know. I tried the Dave Pelz technique of playing my running putt outside of where I thought it would break and it worked. Thank you Dave. For those not so lucky, there are trees and fescues on both sides of the green and they could come into play if you get in the thicker rough. The tree branches will knock down chips so you might have to play a higher iron to go under them.

Trees to The Left and Right Make this a Rare Tight Driving Hole

      Finally, coming to the home hole is a good test of golf. The 18^th is a hole that demands a well-placed drive. A huge Oak tree juts out on the left side and with the green tilting as a very slight dog leg left, you will have to hit a draw or bail out to the right side of the green if the tree is in play. Going around the tree to the left is out of the question as several smaller trees and thistle will make you to the right. On the other hand, If you put it behind a cluster of trees that block the right side, a pitch or bailout shot is in order. The fairway is wide so hitting the fairway is not tough. Your second shot will be a high iron or more on this 426 yard hole. The green slopes both back to front and left to right so putting it on the green is only something to mark on your scorecard. You still have work to do with your putter and putting your iron shot to the back of the green and putting to the front right will give you a roller coaster diagonal put and it may slide past the cup and back into the fairway. Every golf course has a defense or two and at KMP, the greens are the big equalizer.

     The beautiful clubhouse is functional and has room for golfers that want to have a snack, count out skins or relax after the round. It is not one where you can book a wedding reception but is suitable and they sell basic golfing supplies.

A Beer on this Patio Sounds Like a Good Idea

     While location of a golf course can be a reason to play it often, it does not entirely help Kensington. It is located off the of I-96 freeway and while finding it is easy, it is also easy to find for everyone else and this course gets heavy play. If you want to play a quick round of golf, this is not the place. I played the first day in just over five hours and the second in three hours and 40 minutes. I can understand playing at either time on the weekend but many golfers will wait to hit each shot and if time is not a concern then KMP is a great place. I knew going in this was the case so it was not a problem.

   Tournaments and Teaching Facility- KMP has plenty of tournaments for players from men’s, women’s, best-ball and junior tournaments just to name a few. There are two large putting facilities and you can chip. They have a driving net but no range.

KMP has plenty of programs for golfers of all skill levels and they run specials including two-for-one coupons. Carl’s Golfland has them when you make a minimum purchase.

Here is the Skinny...

Course Markings- 10- Excellent. No GPS but the hole placards, bird houses at the 150 yard marker and stakes to mark 100, 150, 200 give you an excellent idea of how far you are out.  

Conditions -9.8 - The greens are tough and immaculate. The fairways are watered and you have very few if any bad lies. Other than one green (number 15) that I believe has been reshaped, it is excellent. A few spots around some greens had some grass that would be a different height than the grass around it. My ball rested on this stuff 4 times the first day. That is an easy fix.

Playability 10- This course will lower your handicap if you hitting the ball decent. The first cut of rough is not much worse than the fairway. Be smart with your iron shots. Placing the ball in a tough putting spot on the green will add strokes fast.

Course Design-9.0 I like how you can use every club in your bag. I also like the wide fairways but know this is not the norm. Metro Park courses are usually good plays and I enjoy playing them.  

Pace of Play 4-
This is a slow moving golf course due to reasons described above. I think more player assistants would help including helping people play the right tees and make sure people that are backing up the course let people play through.

Junior/Adult Programs and Tournaments- 10- KMP has tournaments for all of the described and has a history of the course hole-in-ones placed in the clubhouse.  

The bottom line- This course is a 9.0 out of 10. It is a very enjoyable round of golf and play it this season. It is one of my all-time favorites.

To Book a Tee Time at Kensington, golf in a tournament or outing, contact them at the web address here. vv

http://www.metroparks.com/metroparks/parks/index_all.aspx?ID=6&r=0