.: Tee is Served :.

Pick-up and drop-off, all meals, accommodation, luxury transportation (from limousines to 57 passenger coaches), green fees, sight-seeing and excursions.

top

Best Local Courses:

All of the courses listed here received ratings of 25 or higher in the 2005 Zagat's Survey of America's Top Golf Courses. Zagat's populist system, best known for its use in restaurant evaluations, invites readers to rate golf courses via questionnaires. Courses are rated on a 30-point scale: A score of 25 means "excellent"; 26 through 30 means "extraordinary to perfection."

Among regional favorites, Bulle Rock in Maryland and the Homestead in Virginia rank among the nation's Top 50, according to Zagat readers. Bulle Rock ranks among the nation's toughest tracks.

MARYLAND

1. Bulle Rock, Havre de Grace, 29 . www.bullerock.com ; 410-939-8465

A super-tough Pete Dye layout widely viewed as the region's best player's course (and priced to discourage all but the serious golfers who can handle it).

2. Swan Point, Issue, 28 . www.swanpointgolf.com ; 301-259-0047

A beautiful waterfront track that's far off the beaten path but worth the trip, Zagat raters say.

3. Atlantic Golf at Queenstown Harbor , River and Lakes courses, Easton , 27/25
. www.mdgolf.com ; 800-827-5257

Well-tended pair of layouts with liberal water hazards located just over the Bay Bridge .

4. Links at Lighthouse Sound, Ocean City , 27 . www.lighthousesound.com ; 410-352-5767

Spectacular Ocean City views, Zagat players say; one nine plays right along the water.

5. Rum Pointe Seaside Links, Ocean City , 27 . www.rumpointe.com ; 410-629-1414

A tough but fair links-style design with bay views, Zagat reports.

6. Whiskey Creek, Frederick , 27 . www.whiskeycreekgolf.com ; 301-694-2900

Ernie Els is co-designer; mid-fairway farmhouse ruins make No. 18 unforgettable, say raters.

7. Atlantic Golf at South River, Annapolis , 26 . www.mdgolf.com ; 410-798-5865

Tight fairways require precision, say Zagat players, not distance.

8. Beechtree, Aberdeen , 26 . www.beechtreegolf.com ; 410-297-9700

Half the price and half as difficult as neighbor Bulle Rock -- but more beloved by most players.

9. Eagle's Landing, Berlin , 25 . www.eagleslandinggolf.com ; 410-213-7277

A municipal course that many call the best on the beach -- and a bargain to boot.

VIRGINIA

10. Stonewall Golf Club, Gainesville , 29 * . www.stonewallgolf.com ; 703-753-5101

A beautiful challenge and a "country club for the rest of us" on Lake Manassas , says Zagat.

11. Bay Creek , Virginia Beach, 28 . www.baycreekgolfclub.com ; 757-331-9000

Scenic, much-awarded, player-friendly Arnold Palmer design.

12. Homestead , Cascades, Roanoke , 28 . www.thehomestead.com ; 540-839-1766

One of the top "oldies but goodies," Zagat readers say, with classic design, caddies and a luxe mountain resort experience.

13. Golden Horseshoe , Gold and Green courses, Williamsburg , 27/26 . www.goldenhorseshoegolf.com ; 757-220-7696

Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed the Gold; heir Rees Jones the Green. Both are Virginia classics.

14. Augustine, Stafford , 26 . www.augustinegolf.com ; 540-720-7374

The area's original daily-fee layout remains a standout.

15. Kingsmill, Woods course, Williamsburg , 26 . www.kingsmill.com ; 757-253-1703

"Quiet," "lovely," "playable," say the Zagateers. One of three courses at the resort.

16. Raspberry Falls , Leesburg, 26* . www.raspberryfalls.com ; 703-779-2555

Links-style course with deep bunkers, mounded fairways and country club service.

17. Westfields, Clifton , 26* . www.westfieldsgolf.com ; 703-631-3300

A Fred Couples layout that requires you to think your way around, the raters say.

18. Wintergreen, Stoney Creek course, 25 . www.wintergreenresort.com ; 434-325-8250

The 27-hole valley layout is a challenging players' course by Rees Jones. For heat relief, try the resort's narrow, tricky Devil's Knob mountaintop layout.

For more information about golf in the Mid-Atlantic, please call us anytime at
1-888-TEE-4ME2 (833-4632) or locally in Washington D.C. at (202) 882-2127.

top