Kitsap Series #3: McCormick Woods Golf Course
McCormick Woods Golf Course
5155 McCormick Woods Drive, SW
Port Orchad, WA 98367
Blue Tees: 6.658-yards/Rating 73.2, Slope 131
The third installment in the Kitsap Peninsula series, McCormick Woods, represents the best value of the four golf courses being reviewed. A very walkable track, McCormick Woods possesses soft, undulating greens that roll slick and true. The thick, surrounding woods of fir and cedar that hug, and even meander into the fairways. provide a unique, ampitheater-style setting. It’s like Augusta Light, but for only *$29.
The golf course tips out at 7,040-yards, but was reviewed from the 6,658-yard blue tees, which manage a hardy slope of 131 and rating of 73.2. Was McCormick Woods more difficult than both Trophy Lake and the Olympic Course, the other Kitsap courses reviewed so far? The answer, of course, is subjective, but I would say no. Birdie opportunities were aplenty, provided I stuck to the architect’s plan off the tee, and kept the ball below the hole on my approach shots.
Then again, there were some ugly bogeys on the scorecard too. There is literally no wiggle room at McCormick Woods in terms of missing fairways. If you are lucky a hooked, or sliced drive will kick off a tree and into the short rough, or even the fairway, but more often than not that Titliest gets tossed into the deep woods. That’s why playing within the architect’s design structure led to good scores, because often that mode took the driver out of my hands and replaced it with a 3-wood, and in some cases a hybrid.
Prior to arriving at the course, I had asked McCormick Woods’ general manager Shawn Cucciardi to point out the golf course’s signature holes, which he pegged as the 225-yard, par-3 4th and the 375-yard, par-4 5th. The relatively small green at the 4th was tough to hit from the back tees, but fairly easy to get up and down from with a miss. And the 4th, despite a slick green that slopes towards trouble, provided an easy birdie opportunity after a sand wedge approach. Both holes are spectacular, don’t get me wrong, but in terms of playability and authenticity I chose the holes that gave me the most trouble and/or the most excitement as my ‘signature holes’.
Signature Holes
#2 -- The 515-yard par-5, 2nd-hole is temptingly short, but trouble lurks from the tee box to the green.The tee-shot on the 2nd-looks like an alleyway in Brooklyn. McCormick's 'woods' introduced themselves rudely.
#3 -- The 411-yard 3rd-hole is a fader's delight, but allows for a draw off the tee if placed down the right side of the wide fairway on this dog-leg right, par-4. A good drive will leave a short-iron approach to a heavily guarded green. Miss it left and your ball is in the lake. Miss it right and find yourself stuck behind a massive fir tree in the bunker.
#16 -- the 411-yard 16th hole is a monster. Simply put, there is no easy way to play this hole as it plays much longer than it's listed yardage, and its continuous left-to-right slope tests even the straightest of shots. A hard drive up the left side should offer a 6, or 7-iron approach to a heavily-guarded green that slopes hard from left-to-right.
Value: as mentioned in the beginning, McCormick Woods offers some killer deals and is probably the best value on the Kitsap Peninsula. *The $29 weekday twighlight fee starts at 2:00 p.m. For those familiar with golf in the Northwest, the afternoon is often the best time to play.
Walkability: the best of the Kitsap series golf courses so far, McCormick Woods is an easy walk despite a rolling layout.
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