My seventh course to open its doors was also the first to close — Beechtree opened in 1997 and closed ten years later, when the expansion of the Aberdeen Proving Grounds made the land more valuable for residential development. It had been built as the first “upscale daily fee” course in the Baltimore area, but it was beaten to market by my mentor Pete Dye’s course up the road, and struggled as second fiddle.
Beechtree was styled as a classic Northeastern parkland course, though there were also wetlands as hazards bordering 3-4 holes on each nine. The shaping of greens and bunkers was a bit more restrained than some of my earlier courses, based on the client’s tastes, and our desire to build courses in a variety of styles.
