Maryland Business

By: jackie.sauter

Golf World, one of the country’s most prominent golf newsweeklies, released its first annual Readers’ Choice Awards.

Awards were given to the top 50 public, private and resort courses in the country based on criteria such as the quality of the course, condition, reputation/prestige, service and caddie program.

Two Maryland courses made the lists—and they’re not Congressional Country Club and Baltimore CC.

Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace was ranked by readers as the 9th-best public course in the country, and Caves Valley Golf Club (pictured above) in Owings Mills got the 36th spot for top private course.

Even if you find many of these course rankings unimportant (trust me, I do sometimes), you have to realize that this is a big deal for Bulle Rock and Caves Valley.

Let’s start with Bulle Rock. They have hosted the McDonald’s LPGA Championship the past four years, and now it looks like the LPGA will bail on the site after next year. Poor attendance and a decrease in charitable donations spelled the end for the course. I’m sure there are plenty of locals wondering how Bulle Rock is seen by others outside of the mid-Atlantic, and the ranking says a lot.

As for Caves Valley, we haven’t heard much about the course since the 2002 US Senior Open. Despite strong crowds and a thrilling finish between Tom Watson and Don Pooley, the course was seen by many players as a drag to walk. Even at the NCAA Championships in 2005, several of the college golfers I spoke to said it was a lovely course, but too many steep climbs and long walks between holes tired them out.

I expect both venues will actively pursue major tournaments in the near future, and these rankings should provide a boost.

RICHARD SIMON, Multimedia Reporter