Rattlewood Golf Course

I play Rattlewood a lot...it's a "go to" course for me. The last review I wrote was in 2021, so thought it was time--however, my review is about the same. Rattlewood is a hidden gem! It seems to always be in great condition, and this round was no different. The fairways were green with very little areas of "thinness," the greens were extremely fast, and the bunkers were in good condition. Remember, the course looks wide open, but the slope on these fairways can bounce a ball sideways into trouble, so select a club you can control to hit fairways. We played on a Saturday morning a little after 8:00 and were finished in 3 hrs and 35 mins! On a Saturday, that's almost unheard of. Because we have one of the Montgomery County packages, the price was very reasonable for a Saturday--quite the deal. Rattlewood is worth your time to play! Great course.

I played on 5/27 (Memorial Day) and again on Friday, 5/31. Both days, the pace of play was good...although just a little slower on Friday (we waited on most tee shots). The course is in excellent condition, particularly the bunkers (with nice, fluffy sand) and the greens and fairways. I will say, the greens are very fast. I probably had six more putts than I should have had due to going past the hole or a veer away from the hole that I didn't see or anticipate. But, the greens are beautiful and roll true. The rough was definitely rough!! It was thick and long and tended to be pretty penal...just play it smart getting out and take your medicine. Or, better yet, hit the fairway! Friendly and welcoming staff. One of the best Montgomery County courses...it will challenge your game with all the slope and sideway bounces/rolls, and will test your course management.

Rattlewood is always a "go to" course. It's open layout, wide fairways, and minimal trouble allow you to not worry too much about placing your shot...you can grip and rip it! However, you do have to factor in the slope of the fairways because of sideway rolls and big bounces that could put you into trouble. If you can hit the middle of the fairway, you won't have too much trouble; but if you're the least bit errant, you may want to club down and play it safe. The fairways and bunkers were both in great condition. I was in a couple of bunkers and the sand was soft and fluffy, which is the way I like it. The rough was lush and thick, but certainly playable. The greens, as always, were fast. You can't stick these greens--better to hit it short and let it run up vs. hitting the green and running off the back. For a Saturday morning, the pace of play was excellent--it was a little under 4 hours to play. We stayed right behind the group in front of us, and didn't get jammed up until #17, but it cleared out quickly on #18. (Someone must have gotten into trouble or lost a ball on #17 for it to have three groups on it.) The staff are welcoming and helpful, and the marshal kept checking on the pace throughout the day. Beautiful day, great course conditions, and wonderful friends! Nothing better!!

Bob Coupe is an amazing and indispensable member of the staff he made our round and should never be overlooked give that man a raise because he does more than justice for your course

I hadn't played Rattlewood in about 15 years, so this was almost a new experience. Hilly course with a fair degree of challenge, but quite playable nevertheless. Almost all the holes are reasonably open off the tee and it's not too lengthy. The greens are difficult to read and pretty fast, so that's where the challenges lie.

The course is walkable, although there are some pretty long stretches from 1 to 2, 6 to 7 and 9 to 10. There's a long walk around the lake on 6 as well.

The course was in stellar condition today. Pace was reasonable for a weekend.

This is a great layout. I have played several of the Montgomery County Golf golf courses, including Northwest, Needwood, Falls Road, Little Bennett, Poolesville, and Hampshire Greens over the past 22 years, but had not played Rattlewood until September 9, 2020. Loved it. Played again on 9/11 and 9/16 and will play 9/23. The main things are this course has great variety of holes and shots, rolling layout, uphill and downhill, doglegs, blind drives and wide open. And it is in SUPERB condition. Greens are fast. None of the invasive Goose grass that has affected tees and fairways on other courses after a very hot spell with heavy rains. No wet spots. Pace of play was great, completed 18 in under 4 hours. Not long, 6501 from the back tees, rating 71.4, slope 131. I played from the white tees, 6104 yds, rating only 69.5, but slope 127. In comparison, Northwest, which has held open qualifiers, is a beast from the tips at 7376 yds, with a rating of 74.9, but a slope of only 131, same as Rattlewood at only 6501 yds. Northwest white tees are 6325, rating 70.0, slope only 121 vs Rattlewood's 131. So clearly you can have a rewarding experience. One last thing, they have new carts with shock absorbers, quiet, the best I have ridden at any MCG course.

I live nearby and play this course frequently as it’s one of the nicer ones around. I typically have no issues, however, today I had two separate issues with staff members. The starter was extremely rude when asking me what my name was and what my start time was. I have actually had issues with this starter in the past as well. It’s not a great way to start the round when the starter is rude rather than friendly. The major issue came while playing the back 9. It was later in the evening and the sun had set but there was still plenty of light to finish 1-2 more holes. I was playing my second shot when a course employee came out and said that carts are due back at 815 (I hadn’t checked to see what time it was). I responded by saying “thank you sir, we will have the cart back by 815” in which he responded by saying “it’s 830, you’re 15 minutes late and need to return the cart now”. I politely asked if there was a sign that said this when I checked in because no one ever mentioned when the carts had to be returned, I just assumed that it was when it got dark. This response was rude and unprofessional in my opinion. I politely asked if a refund would be considered since I wasn’t able to finish my round (still plenty of light left) and was charged the same price as groups that teed off an hour before me. He responded by saying “no, get an earlier tee time next time”. I was absolutely shocked by this response and could not believe the how unprofessional the employee was. As I was returning my cart there was another group out still playing and he did not ask them to bring their carts in and let them continue playing. When I returned my cart I asked the employee at the table if there was any sign stating that carts had to be returned by 815 and she said that there was not. I was very upset that I had been told by the other gentleman that there was a sign when there was indeed no sign. While the course was in great condition and I love playing here, I have had several issues with the staff and I do not see myself coming back to play anytime soon.

First round at Rattlewood this year. Great COVID procedures, and the staff are always welcoming. They had a table set up outside to check in and it was quick and easy. The course was in great shape...the fairways, bunkers and greens were nicely manicured. The greens, as always, were smooth and fast. The undulations in these greens can be subtle, but penal if you catch one that rolls away from the hole. I had trouble all day judging which club to use, because of the big bounces...in front of the green, and even in the middle of the fairway. I had to club down on every approach shot because of the bounces and roll through the green. Additionally, I was in five bunkers. Luckily, the sand was nice, but three of the bunkers were because of bounces on the approach shot. Ugh... The rough was extremely thick and brutal. Pace was decent, except we kept on the heels of the guys in front of us...the marshal talked to them once on the front and watched them on the back. We didn't complain, but evidently someone behind us may have. This is a great course and I always enjoy the opportunity to "grip and rip" my clubs in the open layout; however, I should have learned by now the bounces can be bad and the greens will run. Beware!

This is one of the furthest courses from DC of the MontCo courses. Layout is challenging but especially the undulating greens - expect a lot of 3 putts. Great condition, good COVID practices. Very good pace of play and easy to get tee times. I am a fan - if it was only closer to me, I would play it more

Rattlewood consistently is in great shape. The greens are fast and true. The elevation changes make choosing a club a delicate decision as the closer to the pin you are the better chance of scoring. Always fun, always a challenge. I highly recommend.

Rattlewood has managed to keep the course in better condition than most of the others i have played in the area. The complimentary lunch is a big hit.

I play this course several times a season, and today was my first for 2019. I was surprised and extremely pleased to see the course. It's in excellent condition! The tee boxes, fairways and rough are all green and lush. The greens are in excellent condition and running pretty fast. Even the bunkers were in good shape, although the sand was a tad heavy, which could be a result of the overnight rain we had. However, the course was pretty dry--no water in any bunkers, and the fairways were amazingly dry. The only pooling was in low areas bordering the cart path or natural low areas. It was cart path only, but really didn't need to be--they were being cautious. The staff are always friendly, and the course was packed. It took us a little over 4.5 hours on a Saturday and it was extremely windy--gusts of 25 mph. Rattlewood is a great course to test the rust on your game from over the Winter...wide open and you can typically find any errant shots. Great course!

The only saving feature were the greens were in good shape. Pace of play was horrible. 5 hours on a Friday is ridiculous. Pitcher of beer in the clubhouse was $19.90 . Come on man you must b kidding. Won' t b back if I can avoid it.

There hasn't been any real rain in over a month, so some fairways were dried out, but the greens were great all the way through the round. Pace was good (normal) for a weekday afternoon. I had not played the course in a while, but this round will get me back more often.

Wonderful outing! Shot 86, should have come in around 82. Hole 3 - Par 5 has been moved back to the tips (adding an additional 60 yards) make it a very challenging hole. Staff is outstanding. Mistakenly booked Wednesday on Golf Now for Wednesday afternoon play but actually booked for Thursday and the staff & Mr. Jo -Jo handled the mix up like a true professional. Got my group out with out any problems. Five (5) ******

Great course. Staff is extra friendly. Rounds always under 4 hrs

To be fair, pace of play was only an issue on holes 12-15 this day and really didn't bother us all that much. A course marshal was on the scene throughout and kept traffic moving along as well as can be expected on a Sunday afternoon. Fun place to play, good course conditions, only slightly more challenging from the blue tees. Based on value for the money; One of my favorite courses.

Decent valued course. Fairly open. Greens don't break as much as you think.
TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!!!!!

Really enjoyed the round. It has quite a bit of water and blind holes but its open enough that you dont get into to much trouble on bad shots.

I like mountain courses, and while this isn't extremely hilly, there are enough changes in elevation to make you think about club choices carefully. This is a course that beginners will enjoy, and not lose too many balls, while being a challenge to shoot a good score. In general, the holes are relatively short and you will get to hit a medium to short iron a lot. Reachable par 5's, and reasonable par 3 distances make it fair for the average hitter. The greens were at a medium speed when I played but it was right after a huge amount of rain. Nevertheless, the carts were only required to do the 90 degree rule and the course was not soggy at all. Excellent place yo remember after a lot of rain.