Congressional Country Club (Blue)
October 2023 – I have spent a lot of time in and around DC and of course the course you always want to play in these environs is Congressional Blue. Now I had played the Gold course many moons back and had always ranked it very highly. Part of that was the course itself but a lot of its lofty ranking had everything to do with what could be the best clubhouse in the country. It has an indoor pool and Is bigger than the Capitol building – okay not really but it’s huge. There are different full dining areas, a great men’s locker room, historic nooks and crannies and etc., etc., etc. From Golf Digest, that ranks the clubhouse among its 30 greatest clubhouses in America (no numbers given), “Designed in 1924 by Philip M. Julien, the Spanish Colonial Revival-style clubhouse has made additions over the years but has done a great job at maintaining its relationship with the golf course.” Architectural Digest ranks it as the best in Maryland, Links Magazine has it in the 10 of Golf’s Most Impressive US Clubhouses, And, it’s ranked in the top 17 most iconic clubhouses from Golf magazine in the WORLD (high praise indeed). It’s pretty awesome, you get the idea.
The clubhouse is certainly part of the overall course experience and while this certainly impacts my course rankings, the golf mags don’t consider it in their rankings. Even still, Congressional Blue stands in elite company: #73 in the latest Golf Digest ranking, #55 for Golf magazine, and #49 on Golfweek’s top 100 Classic Courses, So combine a great course with a greater clubhouse, sprinkle in a who’s-who of DC membership and you get a top, top golf experience.
I won’t do a lengthy DC area write-up as I did one when I played Trump. I will add to that, though, that the Eagles sports bar (Sign of the Whale) has shuttered and we tried a few new restaurants since that write-up: Rasika (Indian and a Michelin star), The Smith (fun vibe), and Oceannaire (classic seafood fare in a hotel).
Even though it’s DC and the perfect place to discuss the buffoon we currently have in the White House, I won’t but I will say this: We’re currently in the aftermath of the Hamas terror attack on Israel and that dope Talib continues spouting Hamas misinformation without regard to fact or in sensitivity to the current situation – fucking criminal. The left takes every second they can crying about what Trump says, his speech and the fucking “insurrection” joke, and try cancelling all conservative opinion on campuses throughout the country because it doesn’t align with their crap agenda so they call it dangerous “hate” speech. Bullshit. Yet, they support this douche and her liberal pals spouting very dangerous bullshit support for the poor Palestinian people (right after a Palestinian terror attack on innocent Israeli families) – these Palestinians are the same turds who more or less elected a terrorist organization to represent them so they reap what they sow IMO. Oh and fuck that anti-Semitic Roger Waters, too. But I digress.
To the course. They somewhat recently removed hundreds of trees that shrouded the Blue course which erased the parkland vibe. I certainly remember playing the Gold as a parkland wonderland but didn’t play here before the re-do so only know what I know. They also did some rerouting so as to not finish on a par three. A great description of the remodel can be found at Global Golf Post.
I was partially tee-shamed here as my buddy Andrew who got us on (4 handicap) and our host Jon (same handicap) were much better golfers and not ones to play the whites. So we played the Gold/White combos at about 6,500 yards. That meant a lot of driver-hybrid holes for me. I played a perfectly average 95 but really struck the ball better than that. I’ll do some modest hole descriptions below. Played a fun game called Hammer. We split the teams and played three 6-hole matches. Each hole starts at $2 but as your ball is in the air, you can yell Hammer to double the bet. Then on the next shot your opponents can do the same with their ball in flight to double it again. Birdies then pay double again.
The 1st hole is a gentle opener measuring 340 yards. As I am well beyond the years where I can get a good drive out further than 225 yards, this was a good drive for me on the fairway and behind the right trap leaving a blind shot in. If you can clear the left trap with your drive, that is the place to be as I had deep and menacing bunkers to contend with. I had an 8 in to clear the bunkers – which I did – but left it in the rough just in front of the bunker left. Our caddie did say to always stay below the hole however that would’ve meant flirting with the bunkers here. Chipped on and had a 15-foot putt still above the hole for par, Nope went 5 foot past and missed the comebacker grrr.
No photo of the second. Par three playing 180 from the white/gold combos (white). Uphill as I heard all of the original holes were which was a complaint from the pros. I hit a shank left but a great Lovett wedge shot put me within 10 feet and just lipped out the up-and-downer for a bogey.
Par four, Third hole in a row playing from the whites from the combo tees and still 379 yards. If you see at 225 yards left there’s a ditch. Yeah don’t go in it. I just missed short in the rough and had a tough time getting out – you’re seeing my 120-yard fourth shot above. Put it on with an 8 (uphill and out of the rough so stop laughing) and left another ten-footer for bogey. Nope but left it in gimme range. I was getting a stroke a hole in our match so I was able to hang in with my partner and my net bogey pushed the hole.
Number 4 is the #1 handicap hole on the course. Combo had us on gold at 430 yards. Hit a nice drive (my usual 220-or-so-yard slight fade but as you see there is nothing stopping your ball going from the fairway into the bunkers on the right-hand side of the fairway. The sand was puffy so even a six just carried about 100 yards back into the fairway. The green is surrounded by sand – which I found again. Great out and gimme putt still yielded a 6. This time our host got a par and we were down one with a double hammer.
Five is not long – 365 yards from the golds – but you really have to thread the needle with your drive. I did – my opponents and partner did not. So just a nice little 7 in but I left it right. A bad chip left me a 25-foot downhill slider that I lipped and tapped in for 5-net-par to halve the hole. Below is five from the tee.
Six is a beast – 500+ yard par five with a fucking scary approach (which you can see below). Aim for the clubhouse but I didn’t fade and left it in deep, deep rough. Did not learn my lesson from earlier and tried to hit a hybrid which went no-where and then a six -iron that shanked forward about 100 yards dead right into more rough. I would’ve just picked up but my partner was struggling so persevered. This time I hit a good six and hit a 9 just over the water to the far reaches of the green needing a miracle putt to push the hole with a bogey six net 5 as both opponents were in for make-able par putts. Just missed the miracle and luckily neither me nor my partnered hammered so just lost the hole and a measly six dollars.
The par-3 seventh. Uphill. Nasty bunkers. 160 yards. Figured would take way extra club and hit my hybrid to within 6-feet below the hole. Easy birdie right? Nope meowed the birdie putt but dropped the par putt from about three feet (for net birdie) and took the first double hammer hole match with our host Jon as my partner.
I love the length and hazard variety at Congressional. The 8th is a drivable hole (not for me but close) but a brutal green complex to navigate. I left it out right with a delicate 80-yard or so shot between bunkers. I hit it perfect, but three putted for a bogey/net par and a push. Tough green here and almost impossible to stay below the hole.
Nine is a long par 5, 540 yards from the whites on the combo. This is from my drive and still had miles to go to get home. I just couldn’t get there in regulation but nailed my Lovett to around 10-feet where I missed the par putt and chance to win the hole – another push.
The short par-3 tenth was created in the Blue make-over and is now likely the signature hole on the course. The green is super narrow and there really is nowhere to drop a splashy tee shot. Of course I splashed it. My re-teed nine was about 20 feet but still two putt for a double which didn’t matter in the match – partner pushed it.
Eleven is one of my favorite holes at Congressional – though sucks if you’re in a cart. It’s a split-fairway par five. The fairway is split by a creek. You stay up the left and for shorter hits do so again on your second shot. I left my third about 120 yards out and hit an awesome 9-iron to the middle of the green. Our opponent Sumit birdied and hammered so an $8 hole. Below is the clubhouse from the path about 150 yards out.
Hole 12, dogleg left. Nasty series of traps protect the dogleg. From my approach about 150 yards out. Nice six iron for me put me on the green. Another bogey net par though and our other opponent birdied so were down $12 bucks and going into the final six-hole match.
Missed the par three 13th and not sure why. Beauty of a five iron onto the center of the green and parred and my partner Andrew drained a long putt for birdie and already up $4.
Fourteen is a mid-length, straight-away par four with water on the left and a narrow fairway as you can see. There’s a hazard to the right before the green that shouldn’t bother you and here I got to the green in three and had all three other golfers either in or flirting with the creek off their drives. Bogey and another hammer for the good guys. Below is a picture of where my second landed.
Fifteen from the tee. Straight away and long with menacing bunkers pinching the fairway and surrounding the green. Number two handicap so my very satisfying bogey net par only yielded a push.
Par-five 16th hole. Pretty straight and long. Don’t remember how I navigated it but double bogey. Just remember it was long and rough was nasty. The tee box is the ideal spot for a photo opp and below you will see me, our host Jon, Sumit and Andrew.
No photo of 17, a bogey which won us the hole. Forget whether we hammered or not, but since we were on pretty much hole, I am certain we would’ve.
Final hole, long and tough closer and green juts out into the water so don’t be left, right or long. I wasn’t and got in for a double for a 95 total. Perfectly mediocre for me but more because the greens were tough and pins were brutal so felt like I struck the ball well. In all, I love the course and with the clubhouse and vibe, rockets the course up the ranking for me. If you can get on here, by all means do so.
Golf Scrapbook 