What Was Good for Hogan Still Good for the Goose

Even as its popularity reaches unprecedented levels, golf remains a game rooted in tradition. The great players of this generation are quick to pay homage to the legends before them, and much the same, the seminal courses are models for the spate of new links being built at a frenetic pace.

For a small dose of local golf history, look no further than Goose Creek Golf Club. Far from the polished layout of the burgeoning crop of courses sprouting in the Washington area, Goose Creek, for better or worse, offers simplicity in its design. It also boasts royalty under foot, courtesy of Ben Hogan.

Hogan, one of five players to have won golf's four modern major championships, graced the course in the late 1950s and did much more than simply play the par-72 layout. He mastered it.

Hogan's round of 59 remains the course record, and though amateurs stand no chance of approaching that number, golfers of all skill levels can draw some comfort knowing they drove from the same tee boxes and fired at the same greens.

And tracing the steps of Hogan won't cost nearly as much as, say, following Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach or on the Old Course at St. Andrews. During selected months in the summer, Goose Creek offers the discounted rate of $19.99--cart included--before 9 a.m.

The first hole at Goose Creek sets up similarly to most of the next 17: straight, with forgiving fairways. No. 1 is a par 5 that plays 473 yards from the back tees and 463 from the middle. There are no tricks either at No. 2, another par 5 of virtually identical length and shape.

Consecutive par 5s is quirky if not questionable, but the design is especially puzzling in that it comes on the opening two holes.

The back nine contains a similar configuration at Nos. 14 and 15. Both are par 5s, straight and with little danger. The play on 14 is to avoid the bunkers guarding both sides of the green; on No. 15, two bunkers instead line the right side of the fairway.

The course's imperfections aside, there are a handful of scenic holes that set up the back nine. Holes 10 through 12 all run along Goose Creek's bank, although there is nominal risk of finding water off the tee.

Coming home on No. 18, players may feel at first somewhat dissatisfied with the course's rudimentary layout and its well-worn fairways and greens. But then remember: If it was good enough for Hogan, surely it's worth the time to play.