The Links at Lighthouse Sound
Bishopville, MD (just outside Ocean City MD)
Architect: Arthur Hills
Middle: 6041, 68.3, 126
Gold: 6556, 70.9, 138
Directions: RT 50 to
RT 90 toward OC
L onto ST MARTINS NECK RD
Course on R
Summer '10 Fees:
$149, $99 after 11AM, $69 after 3PM, $60 after 5PM
Ruark Golf's 2010 Summer Specials
All specials include 3 courses
Must be played after 10am
Tee times can be made any time
Valid from 6/7/10 - 9/16/10
• Platinum
Lighthouse Sound, Rum Pointe and War Admiral - $235
• Triple Crown
War Admiral, Rum Pointe and Man O'War - $199
• Triple Play
Lighthouse Sound, Man O'War and The Beach Club - $179
You can purchase the card at the first course you play, or call ahead and reserve your rounds today by calling 888-424-8004
Check local guide Sunny Day (www.sunnydayguide.com) for off-season coupons
Tee times 1 YR in advance
Fat Guy Review, 2010: The Links at Lighthouse Sound is a bayside Arthur Hills design ranked #79 on Golf Magazine's Top 100 You Can Play. This target golf routing features multiple waterfront holes, double greens, the longest cart bridge in the country, pristine conditions, sweeping bayside and skyline views, shifting winds, and it's chock full of great risk/reward cape holes.
#10 Cart Bridge
But as you'd expect, it's pretty pricey and not a good value at the prime time rates. Ranked by many publications as the #1 course in OCMD, the course once hosted a national made-for-TV event on CBS which pitted Mickelson against an amateur contest winner.
The front meanders from the bayside clubhouse back through an upscale McMansion development for a few holes until Hills starts the waterfront drama on the par-3 5th, all-carry and playing dead into the seabreeze with Ocean City skyline views as a backdrop.
#5
Just for fun on the par-4 6th, take a stroll 100 yards back from the cart path on a serene crushed-seashell path around a perfect miniature pirates' cove crescent beach to the Black tees, where you'll have to hammer a low draw through the wind just to clear the carry over the water and make the fairway.
The view from #6 tee (notice my playing partner on the White tee box across the water)
The 7th starts the cape hole gambling, asking you to pick a perfect line to clear the carry, account for the wind, and keep from running through the angled fairway. Hopefully you'll leave yourself a good angle to a tough layup second in front of a water crossing hazard, before a nasty short-iron approach into a well-guarded green on the marsh's edge. The "turn" comes early (after the 7th) as you pass by the clubhouse again. The 8th is modeled after the Road Hole at St. Andrew's, minus the railway sheds and plus a massive waste area left.
The 10-hole "back" ducks into the maritime forest towards the river, where the short par-4 10th (285 yards from the Blue tees) dares you to drive the severely elevated green with a draw (I missed left in the woods and made 6), then the 11th is a classic par-3 Redan hole. Holes 15,16,17, and 18 all feature cape-like carries into angled fairways for a relentless gambler's finish. The 18th is a memorable short par-5, reachable in two but only if you find the right angle off the tee and then are willing to flirt with bay winds, marsh left, two large trees on the corner, and another severely elevated green.
#18
Personally I think Glen Riddle's nearby Man O' War is just as good a design and a much better value, although it's easy to see why the waterfront vistas and outstanding conditioning consistently put Lighthouse Sound higher on the magazine rankings.
Best Bar Nearby: The on-site grill room at Lighthouse Sound is hard to beat for bayfront views. Order a drink called the Back Nine, which is their politically-correct name for a slightly jazzed-up John Daly.
Lighthouse Sound Clubhouse
For a great beach bar, head back to Ocean City proper for the best Carribean style beach bar on the East Coast at Seacrets (48th St & the Bay, www.seacrets.com ), with acres of sand floors under a canopy of palm trees, buried boats for bars, order a drink to your inner tube while floating on the bay, and there's an indoor night club. Order a Pain In De Ass, a frozen combination of a Rum Runner and Pina Colada.
Seacrets
Break from the beach theme at Galaxy 66 Bar & Grille (66th & Coastal Hwy, www.galaxy66barandgrille.com) for eclectic modern decor, OCMD's most creative menu, great cheesesteaks, an outstanding cocktail selection, and a sexy rooftop bar.
Where To Grub Nearby: The Lighthouse Restaurant on-site is an upscale, white table cloth room with window-wall views of the bay and OCMD skyline. The lunch menu features sandwiches and salads, and you'll even find wings on their menu. Try Miss Lucille's Soup Du Jour.
My playing partners at Lighthouse highly recommended nearby Grove Market Restaurant & Smokehouse (12402 St. Martin's Neck Rd, 1/2 mile to the right out of the parking lot, 410-352-5055).
The road shack exterior of this local's secret gives no hint of the eclectic gourmet cuisine and charming interior awaiting inside, even if you are sitting on plastic resin chairs. No menu, just what the chef prepared from the catch of the day, freshest local meats, and the organic vegtables grown on-site. The toughest part is scoring a reservation. With a limited number of tables and high demand, it's not uncommon for the Grove Market staff to never return messages left for reservations by non-regulars. Snagging one is a real score, so my playing partners suggest the following strategy: Stop there for a beer or three at the bar, shoot the breeze with the barkeep, joke with the hostess a little, and make sure everyone you meet remembers your name. You may even have to pull this act a couple times to make sure it takes. From there, inquire about a reservation while there, and you may still have to call, leave a message, and hope they remember you.
For less hassle and a smaller check, head back into Ocean City to Dead Freddie's (64th & Coastal Hwy, www.deadfreddiesoceancity.com) for a great deck bar and good food.
For more booze, grub, and lodging options, see: Fat Guy's Ocean City MD Golf Weekend