Basketball, football and baseball stadiums are all pretty much the same. Sure, Wrigley and Lambeau Field have their charm, but those lines on the field are always the exact same distance no matter where you go. When it comes to golf, every single place where we play our sport is wildly different. In rare circumstances, certain courses stray dangerously far from the norm. These are the golf courses that I love. The quirky, the unique and the golf courses that break away from the mold. TK’s Back Nine is one of those courses and it is about as far away from normal as possible. The golf world is better because of it.
The experience starts in the parking lot where you try to figure out where the door to the pro shop is. I did some investigation and opened the door to the toilet mistakenly. An absolutely perfect start. Once I found the correct door, I was immediately greeted by the general manager and the course dog. We chatted briefly and I happily paid the $10 green fee and headed to the first tee.
The first hole measures 86 yards and the next 8 don’t get much longer than that. In total, there are 870 yards of golf at TK’s. I stepped onto the first tee and knocked my Titleist onto the green like an old pro. There are several sets of tees on each golf hole that provide different options for play. A sign indicates the yardage and the plastic bucket is for empty beer cans. As advertised, this is the back nine. You start on the 10th hole and play through 18. The greens are small, circular and much smoother than your average back yard golf course greens. I was instantly in love.
The line between construction yard and golf course is noted by this row of retired street signage.
TK’s BYOB Tiki Bar. Rumor has it Van Halen partied here in 1985.
As much as you might want TK’s to be about the golf, it is decidedly much more about the back yard shanty vibes. There is a construction yard to the right of the first two holes and to the left you will find a tiki bar town that features several small buildings and a lighthouse. As you begin to work your way around the front half of the back nine, you will find that the various abandoned pieces of farm equipment will be just as interesting as the golf holes themselves.
The 14th hole plays short like the other 8.
The pin flags at TK’s pay homage to the glorious state of Maryland.
The tee mat on 13 ensures a quality lie.
“If I find out who was riding on greens, tee boxes, and running over tee markers today, you will be BANNED FOR LIFE. ”
It made me sick to learn that someone would commit such crimes against such a fun loving place that is operated with such pride. Punk kids are likely to blame. Hopefully these clowns check themselves before they wreck themselves.
The smattering of rusty old farm equipment elevates the vibes at TK’s.
Not the Unabomber cabin
Things really start to heat up on the finishing three holes at TK’s. The 16th hole plays towards an old grey cabin that I initially thought was the Unabomber’s original residence. After a tidy par and a quick sweep for explosive devices, I made my way to the corner of the property to play the 17th hole. On my way to the tee box, I navigated a small town of makeshift wooden buildings that run along the edge of an algae filled pond. There are several residences, a BBQ shack and even a bank. It is clear that this was the spot to be back in the hay day of TK.
The mayor’s residence at TK’s Back Nine hangs over the pond with a spectacular view of the 17th hole.
After a tour of the town, there are several options for the tee box on the 17th hole. One of the tee boxes plays over the pond and the other is located on top of an old pontoon. No matter where you elect to tee off from, the 17th hole is a delight to play.
The 18th hole provides one glorious final touch, a giant wooden train. Unfortunately, the train is non operational but it does add a great deal of ambiance to the finishing hole.
It took me less than an hour to make my way around the 9 holes at TK’s but it was easily the best hour of my visit to Maryland. I happily give TK’s Back Nine a 5 out of 5 score on my back yard golf course ratings scale. If you have the chance to visit TK’s Back Nine, you will not be disappointed.