Playing Through: Pinecrest Golf Course, with DC United鈥檚 Steve Birnbaum

D.C. United's Steve Birnbaum joined Playing Through at Pinecrest Golf Course in Alexandria. (WTOP/Noah Frank) — D.C. United’s Steve Birnbaum joined Playing Through at Pinecrest Golf Course in Alexandria. (WTOP/Noah Frank)

In addition to being an avid golfer, Birnbaum spends his non-soccer time on his bike and touring the city's expanding restaurant scene, listing Le Diplomate as a personal favorite. (WTOP/Noah Frank) — In addition to being an avid golfer, Birnbaum spends his non-soccer time on his bike and touring the city’s expanding restaurant scene, listing Le Diplomate as a personal favorite. (WTOP/Noah Frank)

**Hole #1: Par 4, 387 yards from blue tees, 355 yards from white tees, 333 yards from red tees** If you can put a draw on your driver, your first shot of the day gives you a good chance to show it off, with a dogleg left moving down the hill away from the clubhouse. If not, you鈥檒l still want a wood off the tee here to be sure you clear the corner and have a clean look at the green on your approach. The putting surface moves fairly quickly away down the hill to the right, so control your long putts. (WTOP/Noah Frank)

**Hole #2: Par 4, 252/244/174** From an elevated perch, longer hitters have a chance to drive the green here. Faders get the benefit of the shape, as a well sculpted ball can start at the left edge of the back tree line and bound right into the putting surface. There鈥檚 water trouble right, but if you can find the green, you鈥檝e got a great chance at a good score. (WTOP/Noah Frank)

**Hole #3: Par 3, 143/126/108** This par 3 seems straightforward enough, but has given me trouble every time I鈥檝e played it. It鈥檚 uphill all the way to the green, so pull an extra club than you expect to need. Miss right at all and the ball will kick away dramatically and leave you with a nasty chip. The green itself has a bit of back-to-front pitch, but isn鈥檛 too tricky. (WTOP/Noah Frank)

**Hole #4: Par 5, 346/317/300** Perhaps the strangest hole I鈥檝e played in the D.C. area, on this incredibly short par 5 it鈥檚 all about shot-making. A drawn driver is the ideal play here, with a fairway that angles to the left with a slight slope in that direction. That will leave you with a blind second shot over a ridge 鈥� seriously, don鈥檛 be fooled by the flag at the end of the fairway. Go look for yourself where the actual approach goes and, if you鈥檝e got a shot clear of the trees, try to drop one on the green in two. The putting surface is huge and sloppier than it appears, so any strokes you can save yourself on the way in will improve your shot at a red score. (WTOP/Noah Frank)

**Hole #5: Par 4, 313/295/266** This hole edges slightly to the right before dropping off dramatically downhill to the green. An ideal drive is about 220 yards, leaving you atop the hill with just a wedge down to the ample putting surface. Again, a well-placed and thought out drive dramatically increases your chances at a low score. (WTOP/Noah Frank)

**Hole #6: Par 4, 321/299/274** Easily the trickiest hole on the course, there is trouble everywhere here. You鈥檒l need to shape your tee shot to the right, no matter what club you pull, to give you any shot of targeting the green on your approach. Ideally, you鈥檒l want to be at the very far right edge of the landing area, as the overhanging trees nearly entirely obstruct an approach with any loft. Don鈥檛 leave your second shot short, as a nasty downhill with a pot bunker sit in front of pitched green that falls off heavily to the left. (WTOP/Noah Frank)

**Hole #7: Par 3, 135/127/121** This par 3 tends to play a little longer than it appears, especially if the wind kicks up. The putting surface is plenty wide, so take the safe angle and avoid the sand to the right (and the water further right). Just hitting the surface is no guarantee of a par, though, as missing the pin badly enough can leave a tough two-putt. (WTOP/Noah Frank)

**Hole #8: Par 5, 443/425/382** Yes, it鈥檚 another weird par 5. There are bunkers along the left side that will catch a lot of drives, so unless you can confidently and expertly bomb one, this is probably a three-shot hole. Playing safe with an iron to the fairway lets you hit a wedge onto the landing strip left of the lake, giving you an iron across the water to a mammoth green. Play it that way, and you can give yourself a chance at a birdie and a good shot at par. (WTOP/Noah Frank)

**Hole #9: Par 3, 119/101/90** A short, par 3 finisher, make sure you pull the right low iron/wedge given the flag placement, as the green is deeper than it appears from the tee. It鈥檚 also fairly narrow, so accuracy is especially important if you want to leave yourself with a finishing birdie putt. (WTOP/Noah Frank)

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. 鈥� This was always going to be a busy year for Steve Birnbaum.

Despite the fact that the U.S. Men鈥檚 National Team, for which he’s made 11 appearances, won鈥檛 be playing in this summer鈥檚 World Cup, the D.C. United defender鈥檚 plate is plenty full. He’s become one of the most recognizable faces on the team, a presence at many off-the-field team events. United is moving into a brand-new, long-awaited stadium. Oh, and he is getting married.

鈥淢y fiancee鈥檚 doing a great job 鈥� she is doing basically all the leg work,鈥� he told WTOP. 鈥淚 have a little bit of say in some things, but she is killing it right now. I鈥檓 just happy not to have to worry about it while the season鈥檚 going on.鈥�

Even though he is busy, every couple of weeks 鈥� once the weather gets warm, at least 鈥� he tries to find time for his own personal refuge on the golf course. He often plays with teammates, but the amount of golfers on the club has shrunk in recent years. His old roommate, Chris Pontius, was a more avid player, who loved Raspberry Falls. Birnbaum鈥檚 usual track is out at 1757 in Loudoun County, but not because it necessarily plays to his strengths.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say it fits my game very well,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not a super straight hitter, obviously, so I feel like I鈥檓 dropping a lot.鈥�

Now his usual playing partners are Jared Jeffrey and Taylor Kemp, fellow mainstays who have each been in Washington a year longer than Birnbaum. With cold weather and mounting responsibilities, there hasn鈥檛 been as much room for golf. But Birnbaum joined Playing Through for a quick nine this offseason, as we hit Pinecrest Golf Course in Alexandria.

Pinecrest offers a nice remedy for those on a time budget. Tucked into an Alexandria hillside, the short, narrow nine holes horseshoes its way around a cul-de-sac, demanding accuracy and proper club selection, as well as good planning. With short overall yardage and easily walkable distances between holes, you can easily finish in less than two hours, if the course is clear ahead of you.

Like any course around here, it鈥檚 going to lose its luster in the winter months, but the greens hold up well in the cold weather. The overall hilliness of the course leaves you with plenty of putts where you have to consider not just the line to the cup, but the overall slope of the course around you.

There鈥檚 a practice green, which will give you a good feel for the actual course, as it has a fair amount of pitch to it as well. There are also driving stalls, where you can hit into nets, in lieu of a full range.

Birnbaum let me know that I really didn鈥檛 need to post the score card. But as regular readers know, that鈥檚 not how we roll here. I鈥檒l give him a pass for being a bit rusty 鈥� he’s got a lot going on. Speaking of, the D.C. United season is already underway, with the first 鈥渉ome鈥� game coming up Saturday, March 17 at the Maryland SoccerPlex, and the official opening date of brand-new Audi Field on the horizon in July. Birnbaum was at the recent topping off ceremony, when the last steel beam was lowered into place, a role he has grown into as a face of the team.

鈥淭his is my fifth year, so I鈥檓 one of the longer (tenured) players that have been with D.C., now that we鈥檝e had so much turnover,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t just kind of naturally happens. It鈥檚 not something really any of us think about.鈥�

But it鈥檚 also exciting, especially knowing what it will mean to be at a brand-new home.

鈥淚t looks awesome, and it fits with the city,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd you can tell that it鈥檚 going to be just a great facility, not just with the players, but with the fans.鈥�

Dates and Rates

Open year-round, weather permitting (follow Fairfax County weather guidelines)

In-season weekdays: $19

In-season weekends: $23

Offseason weekdays: $18

Offseason weekends: $18

Specials

Seasonal Passes 鈥� current offer, 10% off 5 rounds, 20% off 10 rounds, 25% off 15 rounds

Food/Drink

Clubhouse snack bar offers sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs. No cart.

Pace of Play

Can easily break two hours with no traffic in front of you

Dress Code

Standard golf attire; no jeans

Directions

From Interstate 395, take West Duke Street/Little River Turnpike exit, cross Braddock Road and the entrance will be immediately on your right.

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