Awards Won: Voted Top-10 Best New Public Golf Facility (Golf Magazine),
Voted Top-5 Best Golf Facility in Maryland (Golf Digest).

Website: lighthousesound.com

HISTORY: In just a short period of time, The Links at Lighthouse Sound has become a true favorite among the many travelers to Ocean City, Maryland.

Veteran course architect Arthur Hills crafted this gem along the St. Martin's River and Assawoman Bay with outstanding views of the Ocean City skyline. Ten holes border the marshlands of this 1,000 acre site, which features the longest cart bridge in the United States, stretching nearly 1,500 feet.

Hills was able to carve out a memorable layout without moving a lot of earth. "Not often is a golf course architect provided a site with so much natural diversity. Our goal from the beginning was to create a course that allows Mother Nature to show off her beauty."

Originally a working farm, the property was envisioned to have nearly three thousand home sites in the mid 1960s. Although construction actually begun, the project was stopped well before completion and the ownership of the land changed hands a few times.

In the late 1990s, the Ruark family purchased the project with the intent of preserving the natural beauty of the property. They eliminated most of the home sites and brought in Hills to design a layout that would not impact the environmentally sensitive areas.

REVIEW: The course opens with a relatively easy par four, with a waste area along the right side and the driving range to the left, just over the mounding created as a barrier.

Number two, a par-five of just 508 yards, allows the player to make birdie, as two well struck shots could produce an eagle try. A long bunker runs along the whole right side from 250 yards out to the green, while missing farther right will result in a very wet experience. Lighthouse Sound features the only consecutive holes in America that play to the same double green. Interesting routing has the 2nd and 3rd holes sharing a 16,000 square foot green set along the marsh of Assawoman Bay.

The third hole is very deceiving, due to a large mound fronting the green and the large putting
surface.

From the tips, the fourth could be the most difficult hole on the course. Generally playing into the wind, a carry of 240 yards over marsh is needed just to reach the fairway. Then you're faced with a difficult second shot to a green that sits out in the bay and is surrounded by water.

Another outstanding hole is just around the corner as you reach the par-3 fifth. At 218 yards, with a 200 yard carry over marsh and into the wind will force many a player to bail out left. One of the most difficult one-shotter's, features a beautiful view of the Ocean City skyline.

The sixth tee box is unique, as it sits out in the bay behind the fifth green. This simple par four is made difficult due to the bunkering on the left and the Bay along the entire right side. To make matters worse, the undulating green has a large humpback in the middle forcing balls to slope hard to the left.

The seventh is a monster of a par five, stretching 622 yards from the tips with a carry of 238 yards. A high fade with the wind behind your back will allow the player to attempt to reach the landing area short of the green. The small putting surface, just 26 feet in depth, is guarded short right by two pot bunkers.

The eighth hole not only mimics the first, but also runs parallel to the starting hole, as it also
features the same waste area, this time on the left. One of the few plain holes at this venue. It's now time to take a journey, as you drive your cart under the road and travel to the ninth tee. Your ride will take you over a bridge from the bay side to the marsh side of the course. The bridge is home to the longest cart bridge in the United States, stretching 1,500 feet.

It's now time to get back to business, as the closing hole on the front nine provides one of the most difficult to drive. Another long carry over marsh and wetlands to a narrow fairway guarded left and right by trees will provide the golfer another interesting challenge. Even with a sold tee shot, your approach now must clear a marsh jutting out 80 yards short of the green and carry to an uphill putting surface which falls off sharply on the left side.

A reprieve of sorts when you reach the 10th. At just 310 yards, this is a great chance to be aggressive to set up an easy birdie. A big, right to left draw will leave a little pitch to an elevated, small green that is fairly flat.

One of the signature holes, the 11th is a great par three with the St. Martin's River in the background. The green is uphill and slopes to the front and the back from the center, making the correct club selection a key.

The river comes into full view on the 12th, a great straight-forward par five. Another forced carry of 200 yards over marsh to a large fairway, allows the player to let it all hang out. However, miss right and trees will gobble up errant shots. Your layup shot must now negotiate a bunker in the center of the fairway and a large tree on the left side. The putting surface is hidden behind a large mound on the right, exposing only the left side of the green. Your third shot must be long enough to carry the right side and straight enough to bypass the waste bunker left.

The final par three on the course is nestled amongst the trees and marsh. This beauty is all carry from the tips with a huge bunker protecting the entire green.

Bombs away as you reach the 14th. A fairly simple hole with a large fairway with just one bunker, 258 yards from the tee. The green slopes from right to left and is very accessible, despite using a mid to long iron.

Don't try to cut to much off on the 15th. This right to left bender over water has a big fairway, but a carry of 230 yards is still needed to allow the golfer to attack the green. The putting surface is guarded on the left by bunkers and slopes severely from left to right and back to front.

It's birdie time at the 16th, as this short, 360-yard hole would indicate. A fairway metal or long iron will leave a wedge to a somewhat difficult two-tiered green. Club selection will depend upon the pin placement.

As you head for home, it doesn't get easier as you tee it up on the 17th. At 455 yards, this brute plays out of a chute of trees to an elevated fairway that falls off on the right. Even with a strong tee ball, your second shot will be a long iron to a green that is guarded by two huge bunkers. The wind will once again be a factor as you leave the wooded area and return to the bay.

The final hole is an outstanding par five that gives you a false sense of security. Doglegging severely to the left, your tee shot needs to carry 230 yards to have any shot at reaching the green in two. Your next shot must once again carry another section of the marsh to a green that is elevated, some 30 feet above the fairway. It can be done, however left and long is jail, so bail right and chip close for birdie.

FINAL WORD: A bit pricey in the summer, however, this beaut is the best course at the Maryland shore. The quartet of par threes are some of the best on the east coast and views along the bay and the river are as good as it gets.

The closeness of the range facility to the first hole is a bit awkward, since many balls find their way into the fairway. If the wind blows, and it usually does, bring plenty of ammunition, because not only will you be swept away by the beauty of the course, but so will your shots.

Although not able to host any major events due to its 2,000 feet of cart bridges, The Links at Lighthouse Sound should be a major fixture of your golf tour on the Delmarva peninsula.

THE LINKS AT LIGHTHOUSE SOUND