Located in the central-west region of Florida, aptly known as the Nature Coast, Cabot Citrus Farms is set across 1,200 acres of pristine natural beauty about an hour north of Tampa. Boasting dramatic elevation changes, sandy soil, and rolling hills canopied by towering sand pines, palmetto trees, and century-old moss-covered oaks, the unique…
Finding a quality public golf course in the Washington, D.C. area is about as easy as finding a lobbyist or lawyer on K Street. Like the D.C. population, the golf course selection is large and diverse.
There’s no better place to stay in Annapolis than the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel. Nestled right by the water, stepping out on your balcony gives you a bird’s eye view of Chesapeake Bay, and provides nothing but relaxation as you sip your drink and watch the ships sail across the water.
Built on land occupied until 2000 by a maximum-security prison, Laurel Hill Golf Club was a revelation when it opened to golfers five years later. The transformation of the forbidding property, formerly marked by guard towers and razor wire, to perhaps the Washington, D.C.-area's premium public golf address is an intriguing success story.
Jack Nicklaus' opening tee shot this week at Potomac Shores G.C. in Dumfries, Virginia came about seven years later than it was supposed to. Revived by SunCal and managed by Troon Golf, hilly Potomac Shores is the only public-access Nicklaus Signature design in the Beltway.
Forest Greens Golf Club in Triangle, Va., may seem like a private club, but in reality, it's a daily-fee track with perks like on-course beverage services and a large practice area. It's a fair course, without a whole lot of tricky drama or hidden treachery. With big, welcoming fairways and huge, modestly fast greens, this is a golf course you can enjoy again and again.
Located in a park-rich region of Northern Virginia, General's Ridge is a relatively short public course, where long drives are less effective than accurate placement. There's dog legs, blind holes, hills and ravines aplenty - but it's the slick stiff grass on the greens that will have you struggling to make par.
Reston National Golf Course reflects a philosophy of leisure and privacy. It's a classically designed, secluded golf course lined with mature trees on gently rolling landscape that makes for as timeless a setting for golf as you'll find in the otherwise maddening hubbub of the Beltway.
For Washington-area players, a trip to Augustine Golf Club in Virginia is like seeing an old friend who suddenly looks robust after a long illness. After closing in 2010, Augustine re-opened with little fanfare in April 2012. Irrigation and drainage work was extensive, roughly 1,000 trees were removed, and greens and bunkers were redone. The once-great course isn't quite what it used to be, but it's definitely recovered and poised to regain its original stature.
Laurel Hill Golf Club, which opened in 2005, has quickly become an old favorite. There aren't many trees and water only comes into play on one hole. Instead, the challenges come from the length and the elevation changes. Designer Bill Love also incorporated sprawling, asymmetric bunkers that both narrow the fairways and protect the greens.
Potomac Shores G.C. -- a Nicklaus design in northern Viriginia -- got seven years of grow-in before it opened in 2014. The result is a course more mature than its age.
Potomac Shores Golf Club, an upscale public course in Dumfries, Va., is set on rolling, forested hills on the banks of the Potomac. Almost every hole on this Jack Nicklaus design is encircled by dense forest, and very few holes are very flat. Most tee shots feature beautiful, elevated vantage points. Greens are large and undulating, so precision on approach shots is the key here.
Reston National is one of two courses located in Reston - but it is the only public one. Located halfway between the District of Columbia and Washington Dulles International Airport, this Ed Auld design sits on gently rolling, mature land filled with tall trees and features just a handful of water hazards.
RedGate Golf Course is gaining traction under the direction of Billy Casper Golf Management. Few courses in the Washington, D.C., area can beat its convenience or price. And none can match the neighborhood feel of the traditional 6,378-yard, par-71 track, which dates to 1974.
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