This course is in excellent shape, especially for late August. The signage, tee boxes, fairways, sand, greens (a few days after aeration), bunkers were all 1st rate, better than two local country clubs I have played this year. The rough was cut at a very reasonable and fair height. I've played all 10 MCG courses over the past two years and I would rate Rattlewood in the top 2-3. In the past it was probably more in the middle of the pack. Keep up the good work! read more

Rattlewood golf course was challenging for me! Couple holes had me good. Definitely one of the best MCG courses available, well maintained, priced well! read more

Sunday on this Holiday Weekend w/o anyone behind us, the Marshall drove right down the 3 hole fairway, holing up my game, to drive up and aggressively and disrespectfully tell us we were holding up the course...and "others" were complaining about the pace; no one was around. I was the only lady in sight on the course playing slightly slower as a learning, less powerful driver taking additional irons to reach the green. Talk about a confidence destroyer and a terrible holiday day outing. Rude staff can ruin a beautiful course, wish more considerate people were employed at the local courses. read more

I had a lot of fun at this track. It's tough to get to but that also means it's a quiet, solid track in northern Montgomery County. I think it has some of the most interesting par 4s in the area. Lots of short ones that work great in a scramble tournament. Love 11 and 15, both of which are drivable. The others come in all shapes and sizes. Experience is definitely needed for the par 5s from what I saw. It's just an open and fun golf course. Conditions were really good in late November but it has been great grass growing weather recently. Very walkable course as well. Small pro shop and food area. Range is straight up a hill so it's not great. But they have a putting and chipping green that are good practice areas. read more

I wish I took some pictures to do this golf course justice. For a MCG (Montgomery County Golf) course, this was a terrific place to go. I came on Saturday and it was not crowded. The pace of play was great and there were marshals out on the course ensuring that everyone was keeping up. The driving range was nice. Not too many stalls and all of them are uncovered but the yardage markers are great and the range is well-maintained. 275+ yard shots will hit the dogleg of the 18th hole so be careful! There is also a chipping green with all-you-can-hit golf balls (you don't have to buy 'em) that is fun to chip onto because it is elevated. The putting green is in fantastic shape and runs a little bit slower than the actual greens. The course itself was in good shape. The fairways were all very green, the greens were soft (a little bit sandy) but were true to break and slightly slow. The tee boxes were not very level but it wasn't noticeable to me. Someone in my 4-some was constantly commenting on this so I feel like there would be others that would find this to be a problem whilst I hardly even noticed. Some of the holes are very challenging, with drives requiring 180-200 yds to clear water and land onto the fairway. The par 5's play very long and are hard to go for in two. The par 3's are relatively short but well protected by bunkers. 2 of the holes ran along side some homes with kids playing and audible music but it wasn't a big deal. The clubhouse was nice and reasonably priced ($3.95 for hot dog, $4.50 for cheeseburger) and the staff was very nice and friendly. As far as a public golf course, this is a terrific deal and I will definitely be coming back. Note: this is only a 4 because 5 stars are reserved for top-notch courses. read more

Wish I could give it less than one star. The course was in awful condition today with patches of snow still on almost all of the fairways and the greens have recently been sanded. I understand the cart path only but to charge full price (no such thing as winter rates here) for the condition was extremely disappointing. We could've played Whiskey Creek, Worthington Manor, Pb Dye, Maryland National, Musket Ridge, and several other much nicer courses in the area this time of the year for $86. We play here about a dozen times a year, and I can honestly say that the staff are almost never friendly especially the arrogant guys in the Pro Shop. Although the one bright spot today was our starter, Ms. Debbie. She was very pleasant and a joy to speak with, which is a rare find at Rattlewood. My buddies and I were extremely disappointed today and will definitely take Rattlewood out of our rotation. read more

Love this course. For a municipal course, the greens are true and fast. It rivals the greens of courses such as Waverly woods or turf valley. The conditions are always good, although I see a lot of ball marks being unrepaired lately on the greens but that is on the golfers. The staff there are extra friendly and will accommodate most any requests. It is a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. It has become a favorite course of my wife and I, and we have played nearly every public course in the state of md. Depending on the time of day, pace of play can be either fast or slow. My wife and I have played 3 hour rounds and 5 hour rounds, so it just depends on the hackers that are on the course that day. All in all, a great course to enjoy a round of golf. read more

BETTER PLAYERS - please read this review! I love playing Rattlewood but it shouldn't have a better rating than PB Dye or Little Bennett! I love playing it so much that I played my last round of the 20th century on December 31, 1999 there and the first round of the 21st century on January 1, 2000. Had birdies on both days! Rattlewood is a Montgomery County Golf Course. I would put Little Bennett and Hampshire Greens at the top of that list. Rattlewood tops the list of the rest of the courses with Redgate but I think Rattlewood is in better shape and the holes are more interesting. It isn't as easy as Needwood and Laytonsville but has some holes you can really score on. It only gets two starts because.... 5 stars is for Congressional and Columbia, 4.5 for Four Streams and Chevy Chase; 4 stars likes of Bethesda CC, Woodmont, Whiskey Creek, Worthington Manor, PB Dye. Even Little Bennett, only gets 3 relative to the other courses. I love that Rattlewood is very walkable and the staff is very nice. There are some great shot values - especially holes #2, 6, 9 (love this hole), 11, 13 (another great hole), 15. I love going for the green on the par 4 18th but take the right line. I have driven it into the maintenance shed! Play Rattlewood and have fun. Don't expect it to be a great course but it is a fun one. read more

last played 7/2/19. 4.5 stars is sopt on. Course has consistently been among of the best groomed public course in the area. Great Greens keeper. Good pro shop with nice people although check-in can be a little slow due to poor software for credit cards. Not 5 Star only because i have a very high standard for 5 start courses. For the price this is a 5 star +++ public course. Pebble Beach mightbe 5 star. I play the RAT around 30 time a year and as with all courses dmaintaince occurrs during the year. If you care ask when you make the tee time. Pace of play is usually 4 to 4.5 hours. They have a sign and phone number on the 9th hole tee for orders so your food is prdpared when you finish the hole and not slow down play. I appreciate that rangers who keep the pace of play moving. I usually finish in about 4 hours.... A well kept secret. read more

Just finished a mid spring round of 18 at this marvelous member of the MCG course circuit. This is definitely one of the best courses on the circuit. A beautiful drive through Maryland country roads leads to this beautiful little baby hiding in Mt Airy, MD. Because it is surrounded by county suburban life, you need your A game to spot the turn into the course parking lot. Ample parking, easy walk up to the club house. I found an exceptionally courteous and knowledgable staff. A well appointed pro shop, and a romantic yet rustic appearance to the club house. Driving range and putting green are present, if that's your thing! In fact, the mansion - within which the pro shop and clubhouse are contained - is in itself an architectural stone wonder to behold. Standard club house fare for eating, which I shall get to in a bit. I walked today, and boy am I glad I did. This course is beautiful. Wide, lush fairways, springtime greens which where a bit slow in the late morning air but sped up as the day warmed. A previous reviewer commented on unlevel t boxes, but I did not find the t's to be of concern. I was more distracted with the beauty of the surrounding countryside. Gentle rolling hills, noisy mockingbirds (CHECK OUT THE VIDEO & TURN UP YOUR AUDIO), ducks, geese, and plenty of duffers making their way around this delightful course. I particularly loved the wild undulating green on one of the front nine holes, but I won't spoil the surprise by telling you which one it is. I surprised a mama goose who scooted off of her nest of three eggs, and angrily squawked at me photo bombing her and her family to be!!! After our round ( I was high nineties, so I want a rematch), we stopped in the club house for lunch. Spotless restrooms here. Fountain drinks, a very nice club house bar, and a variety of hot grill items and sandwiches to select from. My hot dog and fries - with fresh accompaniment of onions, jalapeños, relish and mustard - were perfect. And I am BIG on the perfect hot dog after an enjoyable, non-pressured round of golf. You know what I mean? Once the leaves come in, I bet this course will tighten up to a fantastic challenge. Bravo Rattlewood Golf, I will be returning soon. read more

See all

Course is in rough shape. Staff was rude. Poolesville or Laytonsville are much better options.

I played Rattlewood Golf Course today for the first time and enjoyed every bit of it. The clerk at the clubhouse and the starter were friendly getting us off to a good start. It took a few holes to get use to the rolling fairways and quick greens. But it's a course I felt comfortable to play. We had a great lunch ending a good day. We'll be back again. read more

I have a follow up to my original comments below. I did contact the golf course after the round and they took the pace of play message to heart, they really are customer driven. I will play them again and to me, if appears, when golfers have an issue communicating back to the course is the best action so they have a chance to fix something. I will support a golf course that cares about it's golfers. 8/29/13 Original comments: I really like, or want to like, Rattlewood. I rated a two star, it's really a 2.5 star. Almost average, and while their conditions are generally good and they certainly are trying to keep up with the maintenance, my main concern that will erase the conditions issue for me is the lack of pace of play. Everyone notices things wrong with a golf course when they are sitting and waiting with nothing to do. This past Sunday, 8/25, a marshal made his presence known by only driving around. We saw him lots of time... while we were waiting to tee off after the group ahead of us sat waiting to tee off, etc. WHY WASN'T HE LOOKING for the reason everyone was waiting?&*%%$ So, this course is average, to just below average. I find the courses in the Baltimore outskirts love to print stuff about having a pace of play, but never support it. It just can't be that difficult for the starter to remind everyone that today we want to get you off the course, please be conscious of your play. Just a little conversation will start the players thinking about the play. How about handing them something simple to remind them how to play smarter. Then, the marshal supports that. If someone has an attitude about they will play as slow as they want, nicely remind them they aren't the only ones out there and either step aside, or give them their money back. It can't be but a group every hour or so. You normally will know by any attitude at the start whether someone will push back. Just have a policy, then support it. When golfers are moving, we don't know certain things like an elephant sitting in a sand trap. The slow play, even the difference of 15 minutes, is aggravating. You can comfortably walk this course, so anyone riding can easily do 4'15" all day long. Over 4.5 is horrible. GET the golfers moving, and more will come and the slow ones will go somewhere else and muck up their pace. As the cart staff to notify the marshal as they know who is playing slow. Work as a team. Seriously, it isn't rocket science, it is customer service. That is enough to distinguish yourself as a 4star golf course. Then you can ask golfers to bring a bag of sand with them to dump it into the traps to make them better.thanks as I want to play this course more often. read more

Every time I go to this course i feel rushed even when I arrive early. The starter (lady) always has a face that isn't pleasant and never happy to see us. Today, the other starter drove back and forth as we were on the green and told us we were 7 minutes behind pace. After the turn we grabbed some food and ate as we played (the lady starter told us we should call in on the 9th to get food). The starter came back on the 13th and said we were 12 minutes behind and when we told them we made a quick stop to grab food he told us we're not required to have food . There was a 2some behind us but I looked back after every hole as we were on he green and never saw them on the tee box so it wasn't us that slowed down the other groups. When we got on the 18th the starter harassed us again to hurry up... we're on the 18th hole (green) and the other group isn't on the tee box yet. I'll never play here again for obvious reasons. POS staff, wish I got my money back after the 13th. read more

This was my first round at Rattlewood in 3 or 4 years, and I would say it has gone downhill a bit in that time. The woman in the pro shop was very helpful, even though her computer wasn't cooperating. Ultimately, she figured a way around the problem and even gave me a slight discount in the process. The starter was very nice and helpful . . . and exactly what a starter should be. It's obvious that they've struggled with the grass, and several fairways appear to have been completely replaced and/or re-sodded. One or two of those fairways were like standing on loose carpet. Some fairways, like #10 for instance, probably need to be replaced as well. And some of the greens were in pretty marginal shape. And the sprinklers on #10 smell like raw sewage. But to be fair, a few of the fairways and greens were in pretty good shape. The rough was like most other courses around here right now, thick and challenging to get out of. One thing that actually impressed me was the condition of the sand traps throughout the course. That's one of my biggest pet peeves in the last five years . . . that many public courses just ignore the bunkers and let the sand turn to eroded dirt and hardpan. These bunkers were all freshly raked with fluffy, good-quality sand. The food situation was odd. They had a girl stationed just outside the door of the restaurant, selling only combo hamburger or hotdog meals, not single hamburgers or hotdogs. Seemed kind of ridiculous to us. All in all, it was a mixed bag, with some nice staff members and nice bunkers, and a few nice holes. But the overall condition of the course is kind of rough, with tons of ball marks on the greens and fairways, and iffy replacement fairways and patches. At least they are working on the conditions, which is why I rated it 3 stars instead of 2. Not sure that I'll go back for a while, though. read more

I recently played a weekend round here and once again, MCG (Montgomery County Golf) can brag about another of its courses. Like its neighbor course Little Bennett, Rattlewood is a well-maintained municipal track highlighted by lightning quick greens that are in fantastic shape. The tee boxes and fairways, for the most part, were well cut and defined and the rough was penalizing. Any downsides? A couple. The pace of play was a bit slow - especially on the back nine. Also,the traps needed raking after a night of rain but I really can't fault Rattlewood on this. Nearly every course I've played this year has sported rain-caked and unraked greens. This MCG track isn't anywhere near as daunting as Little Bennett but it does have its share of challenging holes, including a few very long Par 4s and Par 5s. Included also is true 230 yard Par 3. Considering the greens fees here are about three quarters of what you'd pay at a P.B. Dye, Maryland National or Raspberry Falls, this course comes highly recommended for price and quality. read more