Virginia Golfer Sep / Oct 2020 | Page 32

Dye’s Final Gem 5 MORE COURSES The Links at Perry Cabin is the newest course to call Maryland’s Eastern Shore home. But the conglomerate of those before it make the area a worthy and easy day trip for players in the D.C. area or a high-quality multi-day golf vacation for those around the rest of Virginia. The following five courses have stellar reputations and years of experience making the most of the their environments, playability and customer service standards amid varied design styles. EAGLE’S LANDING GOLF CLUB, BERLIN Embedded with the natural landscape in and around it, Eagle’s Landing has carved out a niche as a true environmentalist’s golf course. Not only do the surrounding lands provide a constant reminder of the wildlife, hardwood forests, Sinepuxent Bay and Assateague Island, everything done here is conducted with preserving those special views. Forced carries, strategic placement off the tee, large waste areas and well-protected greens are the key design characteristics at this Michael Hurdzan layout. Eagle’s Landing has also turned into a popular nine-hole add-on, with those available after 2 p.m. It’s the perfect complement after a full 18 there or elsewhere earlier in the day. LINKS AT LIGHTHOUSE SOUND, BISHOPVILLE The longest cart path in the United States—a 1,500-foot-long wooden bridge located between the eighth and ninth holes at the Links at Lighthouse Sound—is a testament to how golf helped keep this former working farm from becoming another massive housing development. That previous plan was scrapped for good in the 1990s when Lighthouse Sound’s land was transformed into the 18-hole masterpiece it is today. Oversized INSET: Queenstown Harbor’s Lakes Course has been consistently ranked by women’s groups as one of the best tracks in the country. BELOW FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Eagle’s Landing, Links at Lighthouse Sound, Rum Pointe and River Marsh line the Eastern Shore with championship golf and amenities. salt-water wetlands are adjacent to large, playable fairways. But what about that bridge? It connects the bayside holes to the marsh ones. The totality gives Lighthouse Sound two very distinct feels all in one package. QUEENSTOWN HARBOR GOLF LINKS, QUEENSTOWN Split evenly between the Lakes Course and the River Course, Queenstown Harbor is 36 holes of golf dictated by the Chester River. The River Course was refurbished in 2011, and what came out of that project COURTESY OF THE COURSES 30 V IRGINIA G OLFER | S EPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 vsga.org