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

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."

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. 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.

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