A Golf Tour To Maryland

If a survey were to be conducted for the most fortunate state in the country Maryland would win hands down. It is the second richest state with an average household income of $60,000 annually, it is blessed with all kinds of terrains – from sand dunes in the east to marshes near the bay, to gently undulating oak forests in Piedmont and pine groves in the west. Although it is a small state compared to its neighbors Pennsylvania and Virginia, it attracts a lot more tourists because of its 200 plus golf courses spread evenly across its varied topography. What golfer wouldn’t plan a golf tour to the so-fortunate Maryland?

The Free State is also close to the seat of power in the country and as such attracts a lot more ‘power play’ on its courses. So golf travel to Maryland also boasts of a lot of dignitaries besides the everyday Joe. Adding to its good fortunes, Maryland is also home to some of the finest courses designed by ‘top of the heap’ architects like P.B.Dye, Arthur Hill and Ed Ault. With the area’s superb climate you can ‘golf travel’ to Maryland for a better part of the year.

The densest golfing area in Maryland is Ocean City, the St. Tropez of the East Coast. With geography reminiscent of the fabulous courses of Great Britain, designers have created some of the best layouts in the Ocean City area making it a popular ‘first stop’ on most golf tours to Maryland. One of the first courses you’d want to play on your golf vacation would be Eagles Landing, a Michael Hurdzan design, within a stone’s throw of Ocean City.

A scenic seaside course rated one of the most affordable public courses in America, Eagles landing costs your golf holiday budget anywhere from $30-$60 but gives excellent value for money. Eagle’s Landing overlooks Assateague National Seashore and the ambience created by this proximity adds variety with the course crisscrossing wetlands, grasslands and pools. That makes for a beautiful but testing terrain to play on and gives you a very satisfying round of golf.

Another must play around the Ocean City area is Rum Pointe, a Pete and P B Dye product lined up on the Sinepuxent Bay. An 18-hole spectacle, Rum Pointe will cost you between $90 and $100 and give a distracting view of the bay, the legendry hideout of Blackbeard and Captain Kidd. Some other courses you’d want to play on your golf vacation are the Beach Club Golf Links, The Ocean Resorts Golf Club and The Links at Lighthouse Sound.

If you would like a lot of links-style courses on your golf vacation the Eastern Shore area between the Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay is where you need to go. Courses to include in your golf package around here are River Marsh course at the Hyatt Regency, Chesapeake Bay in Cambridge and Harbourtowne Golf Links in St. Michaels. One course that your golf tour cannot do without is the 27-hole Hog Neck Golf Course in Easton. A Lindsay Erwin/Charles Maddox design, Hog Neck is a great favorite with the locals and the Golf Digest. For $ 55, it looks a pretty spot on your golf holiday ‘did that too’ list. Also add to your golf package the Queenstown Harbor’s Lakes and River courses which have been consistently ranked in the state’s top 10.

During the War of 1812, the British declared Baltimore ‘a nest of pirates’, Francis Scott Key wrote ‘The star spangled banner’ here and the city is best known for its plethora of churches and monuments. Seeped in such history and with the whiff of romance in every corner, the Baltimore/Annapolis area is a pleasure to play golf in. Most golf tours start with the Bulle Rock and add the Beechtree Golf Club, Swan Point and the Ault & Clark South River Golf Course in Edgewater.

Other Maryland courses that should wind up on your golf package are Glenn Dale and the Ault/ Clark designed Potomac Ridge and Cross Creek, P.B. Dye Golf Club and Whisky Creek.

If good things come in small packages, you certainly want Maryland for Christmas. The number of courses this small state can pack in is huge and a perennial pull for golf holiday makers from all over the country.