The Delaware Shore - The Rookery

The Rookery
27052 Broadkill Road
Milton, Delaware 19968
Yards: 6139, Par 71 (White Tees)
Course Architects: Chris Adkins/Pete Oakley
Website: http://www.rookerygolf.com/
Score: 90 (43 out, 47 in)
Date: November 7, 2008

While spending a long weekend at the Delaware Shore, my golfing buddy and I played The Rookery in Milton, DE. This course is wide open with generous fairways and greens, not many trees, a few holes with forced carries over water, very similar to a links course without the fescue grass everywhere. Considering in the last few weeks I have played Galloway National Golf Club (ranked 74th) and Bethpage Black (ranked 26th), this is by far the easiest course I have played lately which was a nice break.

This was the first time playing this course, and since this course is adjacent to Route 1, I have driven by it many times looking at the mounds and white vinyl fence that lines Route 1. On an overcast day, I shot a round of 90 (4 lost balls), one of my best rounds of the year. I was hitting the ball with a slight fade today except a few that went straight by accident (hit 5 fairways) which was nice since this course was wide open and ending a few yards off the fairway didn’t hurt me at all. My approach shots and chipping was pretty good (hit 6 greens in regulation and came up a yard or two short on about three others), I was getting the ball on or just off the green on my approach shots. I was hitting my 7 iron better than ever, and I used that club all day. My putting was pretty good on the nice rolling greens (2 – three putts and 4 – one putts). Overall, my game came together this day and it was a great feeling since it maybe one of the last golf outings of the year.

After the round we stopped in at the restaurant and had a good cheese burger and awful nacho appetizer.

FROM THE WEB SITE: The Rookery is the newest public championship 18-hole layout in the Rehoboth Beach resort area. We offer a wonderful playing experience with four sets of tees for golfers of all abilities. 2004 Senior British Open winner, Pete Oakley and course visionary, superintendent Chris Adkins, have teamed up in designing a water laden, golfer friendly challenge just off the picturesque Broadkill River.

COURSE CONDITION: The course was in great condition, no divots in the tee boxes or fairways, a few pitch marks on the greens and the greens were rolling nicely.

FACILITIES: The Rookery provides practice facilities, pro shop, and restaurant.

SHOT OF THE DAY No. 1: Hole #18, 566 Yard, Par 5 – I pulled my drive into the left rough. My second shot came out hot with a rescue club and ended about 180 yards out in the first cut on the right side of the fairway. The pin was hidden behind a 8 to 10 foot high grass mound, I took aim at a telephone pole about 15 yards to the left of the pin and hit a 5 wood. The ball started at the pole and was fading toward the pin, I could not see the ball or pin till I walked up about 50 yards and saw the ball near the pin on the green. Grabbing my putter, I sank the three footer for birdie and the match.

SHOT OF THE DAY No. 2: Hole 11, 425 Yard, Par 4 – drove the ball 325+/- yards, on the green in 2, 2 putt for par.

SUGGESTIONS AND COMMENTS: Very nice course, wide open and flat. Very good course for a mid to high handicap golfer with lots of room to spray shots and bail out areas. I shot a 90 with the following scores on the last 5 holes, double bogie, double bogie, triple bogie, double bogie and birdie.

GOLFNERDNESS #1: We arrived a little early and the pro shop gave us the option of teeing off early. Skipping the option to warm up, we drove over to the starter and asked him if we could tee off since there was no one around, as stated in the pro shop. He asked us to wait and disappeared for about 10 minutes, then he and two golfers drove up to the tee box. The two golfers jumped out of the cart and started warming up on the blue tees. The starter said out loud, looking at us, maybe these guys would let you play with them. Immeadtialy one of the guys (found out later he was a preacher) said, ‘naa, we’ll just rip though the course’. So we waited, they really ripped through it, they played the blue tees, couldn’t reach the short fairways with their drives and sprayed balls all over the place. We waited for them on almost every hole but the last two, pushing them on every hole. If you suck, play the whites like the rest of us, you really ripped it up. After the round, he was in the restaurant yelling on his cell phone while other golfers already in the dinning area were trying to eat. After he got off, he looked at me and said, ‘you guys could have played with us’. I looked at him and replied, ‘Naa, you ripped this course UP!”

GOLFNERDNESS #2: Hole 5, 385 Yard, Par 4, dog-leg left – after the turn of the dog-leg, there are three trees in the middle of the fairway. There are hardly any trees on the course, then why are there trees in the middle of the fairway?

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT: Keep the ball out of the water on the few holes that have water, and you will shoot a lower score at this course. Hole #4, 290 Yards, Par 4 – Do not hit driver, lay up and hit 8 or 7 iron to the green. I laid up on my tee shot, then for fun (while waiting for speedy ahead of us to clear the green) hit three extra balls and could not reach the fairway over the pond.

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