You can experience private, top-flight golf at Turf Valley near Washington, D.C.

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. -- The carts are lined up, in rows of two military-style, from one end of the clubhouse to the other.

This is the scene on a typical Monday, Tuesday or Friday, when Turf Valley hosts the kind of corporate outings that have helped make the resort/private club a success since it opened in 1959 in then-sleepy Howard County.

Located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Turf Valley has undergone many changes as the area's population has boomed. Today, Turf Valley is the centerpiece of a community of the same name.

Despite its "private" status, anyone can access Turf Valley's 36 holes with a stay-and-play package. The best way to go is with a Golf View room, overlooking the back nine of the Original Course.

Turf Valley's Hialeah Course (6,547 yards/72.0 rating/138 slope) is the tougher and more scenic 18. The Original Course (6,762/71.3/130) is longer but has more room to miss and fewer hazards.

Both golf courses are Ed Ault designs that have true, fast greens and the overall conditions expected of a private facility, even one that gets as much outing business as Turf Valley.