Links at Lighthouse Sound By Arthur Hills

The Links at Lighthouse Sound is an exquisite 18-hole championship course overlooking the Ocean City skyline and the St. Martin’s River. Known as the “Pebble Beach of the East,” the course features marsh, river and bay on fifteen of the eighteen holes. It will definitely get your attention, especially the signature hole, #5. Test your skills on this awesome Arthur Hills design.

After your last putt, stay for dinner at the Restaurant at Lighthouse Sound offering a wide variety of dishes from filet mignon to delicious seafood specialties. Make plans now to visit Lighthouse Sound – “Your Country Club for the Day.

Man O’War at Glen Riddle By Joel Weiman

As the legendary horse it is named after, Man O’ War has fast become the crown jewel of the Eastern Shore. Located on the GlenRiddle Farm just 3 miles west of Ocean City, this gem of a course will provide a truly spectacular golf experience and the supreme challenge for the seasoned golfer while offering those new to golf an opportunity to fall in love with the game.

Man O’ War plays 7,035 yards from the back tees and challenges golfers with distinctive double fairways, large greens, pot bunkers, and sand dunes. To preserve the beauty and significance of the historic racetrack, used to train so many champion thoroughbreds, designer Joel Weiman incorporated the track as a strategic cross hazard on three holes.

These pure windswept links of golf also feature bentgrass tees & greens, bermuda fairways, a practice range with a dual grass tee area, chipping and putting greens, full locker room facilities, and a fully stocked pro shop. Man O’War, a division of Ruark Golf, is also home to the GlenRiddle School of Golf and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.

Newport Bay at Ocean City Golf Club

We invite you to enjoy the Ocean City Golf Club’s award winning facility, which has been in operation since 1959.  Conveniently located just minutes from Ocean City, the Ocean City Golf Club has been a popular choice for golfers of all playing ability.  With two, 18-hole championship courses, Newport Bay and Seaside, golfers can enjoy a wide variety of scenic views that accompany the well-designed and manicured golf holes at the facility.

The  Newport Bay course became an instant favorite amongst golfers since it’s re-design in 1998.  While playing the challenging Newport Bay course, you will experience golf at its finest.  The Golf Digest ranked the Newport Bay course as one of the best places to play, earning a high four star rating.  With breath-taking views of the surrounding wetlands and the relaxing vistas of the award winning Newport Bay that are prevalent throughout your round of golf, we are positive that your experience will be special.

Before or after a round of golf you can enjoy cocktails and lunch at their large, fully serviced, 300 person capacity restaurant.  They also have two practice greens and a driving range that you can use to warm up before you play.

Nutters Crossing Golf Club By Ault, Clark, & Associates

Perfect on the way in or out of town! This championship par 70 design is just 25 minutes from Ocean City.  Nutters Crossing offers Bermuda fairways and bent grass greens that roll between 9 and 10 on the stimpmeter. They offer 90 degree cart ruling at all times, weather permitting.

Nutters Crossing offers a fully stocked professional shop, PGA instruction, Lighted practice range and full service restaurant. They welcome all tournaments and group outings. We look forward to seeing you for an enjoyable round of golf at Nutters Crossing.

Ocean Pines Golf & CC By Robert Trent Jones

Enjoy a round of golf at one of Robert Trent Jones, Sr.’s Mid-Atlantic Marvels! Located in the largest residential community on the Eastern Shore, Ocean Pines Golf & Country Club is a challenging 18-hole championship course nestled amid natural wetlands and scenic woodlands.

OPGCC dares players of all levels, ages and abilities to test their skills on this course, which cuts through the native pines leaving a fair but demanding course for all golfers! Our professionally staffed facility features a clubhouse, full service pro shop, locker room facilities, double ended driving range, sheltered driving area, practice chipping and pitching green, two practice putting greens, two practice sand bunkers, a modern learning center, and the Fairway Cafe. Come tee up in Ocean Pines.

Eighteen Fun Facts About Golf

1. Early shepherds may have used their curved staffs to hit stones in a simple game of “golf” as early as 2,000 years ago.

2. A more structured version of golf was invented in Scotland nearly 1,000 years ago.

3. The first golf balls were made of thin leather stuffed with feathers. Tightly-packed feathers made balls that flew the farthest. Feather balls were used until 1848.

4. The youngest golfer to shoot a hole-in-one was Coby Orr, who was five years old at the time. It happened in Littleton, Colorado.

5. Some older golfers try to match their age to their golf score. The oldest golfer to “shoot his age” was a 103-year-old Canadian man.

6. After feathers, golf balls were made from “gutta-percha.” Sap was drained from trees in Malaysia and boiled until thick. When hard, this substance was made into “gutty” balls.

7. Golf was too popular in Scotland in the 1400s–so it was made illegal. Laws said Scotsmen had to practice archery every day so they could defend their land. Instead, they were playing “golfe.”

8. The first golf tournament was held at the Prestwick Golf Course in Scotland in 1860. This contest is called the British Open today.

9. A golf ball made of rubber, like those we use today, was invented in the United States

10. Golf balls used in the U.S.A. are bigger than ones used in Canada or Europe.

11. The first golf contest for women was held in 1895 on Long Island, New York, although women had been playing for some time.

12. Professional women formed the Ladies Professional Golf Association (L.P.G.A.) after World War II.

13. The word caddy comes from the French word for student, cadet, which is pronounced cad-DAY

14. The first golf course was probably St. Andrews in Scotland, which is more than 400 years old.

15. The dimples on the outside of a golf ball help the , ball fly farther and more accurately,

16. Many professional golfers are superstitious. Nancy Lopez (born January 6, 1957) is one of the most accomplished women in the history of professional women’s golf.

17. A North Carolina man, Lang Martin, once balanced 7 golf balls one atop another, for a world record.

18. At least 20 people have scored two “holes-in-one” in a row.

Golf History FAQ: What is a Links Course?

Especially in the United States, the term “links” is frequently misapplied. “Links” refers to a very specific type of golf course. But nowadays it is common for any golf course that is relatively treeless to call itself a links course. And that’s not accurate.

But in America, they get away with it. Most American golfers – and I am one – have never seen a true links course … except for the ones we see each year while watching the British Open.

The British Golf Museum says that “links” are coastal strips of land between the beaches and the inland agricultural areas. This term, in its purest sense, applies specifically to seaside areas in Scotland.

So “links land” is land where seaside transitions into farmland. Links land has sandy soil, making it unsuited for crops. Such land was often, in times past, thought to be worthless because it was not arable for crops.

But back in the mists of Scotland, someone had the bright idea to start knocking a ball around that land, hitting it from point to point. And from those humble beginnings, links golf courses emerged.

Because they were close to the beach, lots of sand bunkers were a natural (the soil was very sandy, after all). But such bunkers had to be deeply recessed to prevent sand from being blown away by the constant wind. Because the soil was of a poor quality and constantly buffeted by the seaside winds, not much would grow on it – mostly just tall, reedy grasses, and certainly no trees.

So a true links course is not any course that is treeless. The term “links” historically applies specifically to strips of land in seaside areas that feature sandy soil, dunes and undulating topography, and where the land is not conducive to cultivated vegetation or trees.

Because they were built on narrow strips of land, links courses often followed an “out and back” or “out and in” routing. The front nine went out from the clubhouse, one hole stringed after another, until reaching the 9th green, which was the point on the golf course farthest from the clubhouse. The golfers would then turn around on the 10th tee, with the back nine holes leading straight back to the clubhouse.

In modern terms, a “links course” is more broadly defined by Ron Whitten, the golf course architecture beat writer for Golf Digest, to include golf courses built on sandy soil (whether seaside or not) and that are buffeted by winds. Whitten says a links course must play firm and fast, with sometimes crusty fairways and greens that feature many knolls and knobs to create odd bounces and angles. And, of course, a links course, in Whitten’s definition, needs to be relatively treeless with a native rough that is tall and thick.

View Photos of Links Courses
Pictures are worth a thousand words, or so they say. Here are photo galleries of three seaside links courses that show what a true links looks like:
The Old Course at St. Andrews
Turnberry Ailsa Course
Royal Birkdale

Sources: R&A, USGA, Golf Digest

Play The Peninsula Golf Course

 

The Peninsula is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course located in Millsboro, Delaware.  The Peninsula’s private, 7,200-yard, par 72 Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course opened in April 2006 and is a marvel of engineering, ingenuity and breathtaking beauty, ensuring its future as one of the country’s most celebrated places to play.

Delaware’s first Signature Course weaves strategically through The Peninsula’s nine exclusive neighborhoods offering exquisite challenges and playability at every level. Seven holes of the golf course are set dramatically along the Indian River Bay and Lingo Creek, and set the tone for the special feel of the Troon Golf Experience at The Peninsula. At its grand finale is the spectacular 18th Hole, which, in the Golden Bear’s own words, “will become The Pebble Beach of the East.”

As a designated Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, the course was planned, developed, and played by the Master himself. So, once you step out onto the greens at The Peninsula, you’ll be walking in the legend’s footsteps…and living his dream.   

But to step on these greens and include this amazing course in your next Ocean City Golf Vacation, you will have to call the Girls at Pam’s, because no other packager has access to this facility. 

When You Thought Our Vacation Deals Couldn’t Get Any Better!

Our unbeatable low prices and fantastic exclusive specials are just another reason why Pam’s Ocean City Golf Getaways is the right choice for your Ocean City golf packaging needs.

Check out our Featured Hot Deals and Booking Bonuses below to select from one of our hottest deals going or call us today to customize your own money saving package choosing the exact courses and accommodations you want.

 The golf is great, the savings are huge and the added value we offer our clients is unbelievable!

War Admiral at GlenRiddle By Joel Weiman and Jim Furyk

The tradition of excellence continues at GlenRiddle Farms with the newest addition of War Admiral, the sister course to Man O’War. Designed by Joel Weiman and Jim Furyk to be an exclusive private track, the public will have a chance to play the best of the best for only a limited time. 

With its rugged breathtaking bunkers, beautiful tidal marshes, and meticulous tree lined fairways, War Admiral will soon take its place in history, just as the Triple Crown winner it was named after. War Admiral stretches 6,828 yards from the back tees and is the ultimate challenge for the scratch golfer, while the huge oak trees that provide a bit of shelter from the coastal winds, will increase the playability for golfers of all levels.

To add to the truly spectacular golf experience at War Admiral, the GlenRiddle Golf Club, a division of Ruark Golf, features full locker room facilities, fully stocked pro shop and is home to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.