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3.2
130 Reviews (130)
5 Stars
93
4 Stars
24
3 Stars
7
2 Stars
5
1 Stars
1
Conditions
1.4
Value
2.6
Layout
4.2
Friendliness
4.1
Pace
3.7
Amenities
4.5
69.7%
Recommend this course
118 out of 130 reviews
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0
5 Stars
0
4 Stars
0
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
0
Value
0
Layout
0
Friendliness
0
Pace
0
Amenities
0
0%
Recommend this course
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.0
1 Reviews (1)
5 Stars
0
4 Stars
0
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
1.0
Value
3.0
Layout
4.0
Pace
4.0
Amenities
5.0
StaffFriendliness
4.0
100.0%
Recommend this course
1 out of 1 reviews
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About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 7031 yards
Slope 138
Rating 74.6

The Links at Lighthouse Sound is an Arthur Hills-designed golf course that covers a scenic and varied terrain. Hills took advantage of not only the beautiful views afforded by the course's location right along the Assawomen Bay, but also the natural diversity of the terrain. He routed the front nine along the bay while the back nine borders the St. Martin's River, through mature hardwoods and pristine marshland. The golf course is home to the longest cart bridge in the country, stretching almost 1,500 feet to bring golfers from the bay-side holes to the marshland holes. It is also the only course in the U.S. with five consecutive holes playing to the same double green. The signature hole is the par-3 fifth, which requires a carry over a marsh to a nearly island green bordered by water on three sides.

Course Details

Year Built 2000
Fairways Bent
Greens Bent Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Arthur Hills (2000) Steve Forrest & Associates (2000)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
Clubs Yes
GPS Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code No Denim, Collared Shirt Required

Food & Beverage

Snacks, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities

Accolades

Reviews

3.2
130 Reviews (130)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 13
19th Hole Scenic Views 12
Patio Dining 10
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 20
Forced Carries 18
Bunkers 12
This course/club is great for:
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 22
Advanced Golfers 16
A Bucket list/Top 100 Pick 15
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 12
Convenient to the City 10
Near Local Attractions 10

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Top course in area

I have played all over the world. This is one of the best layouts I have ever played, the views are breathtaking . Top notch green keeping, take fantastic care of the course. Excellent driving range and practice facilities. Love the views from the clubhouse and have had good food at the resturant. Only downsides are sometimes the greens get a bit marked up from the quantity of play. Bring your A game and hit the ball left off most tees

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing
Used cart

Poor Turf Conditions

There is an issue with the greenkeeping. Bare spots, ground under repair, soft/spongy turf, bad mowing, slow greens, geese poop, etc.

The course design is very unique, views/landscape are great, restaurant/bar is great.

Sadly the greens do not match the green fees.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Previously Played

Overpriced for such terrible conditions!

We paid $139 per person for a 5 hour round and the course was in terrible condition. Definitely not worth the money!!

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 58
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
4.0
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played

Disappointing day at a usually great golf course

I have played this course occasionally thru the last 15 years and I was always happy with the experience. The experience was well
Worth the cost each time I’ve previously played.

This time however was not so great. The back 9 holes were horrendous. Fairways without grass. Collars of the greens burnt out and muddy. The greens themselves were in very good shape for putting purposes. Tee boxes were poor on the back nine as well. Really a shame because it is a great course. They were obviously working on repairing the course.

I understand the weather has been tough, but for $139 it definitely was not worth that price. The staff were pleasant and helpful. I’ll be back but right now I wouldn’t recommend playing there for that price.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Links at Lighthouse Sound

If I could give it no stars I would. My friends and I were in town for a golf outing on Set.12th, 2021 so we played Lighthouse the Sunday before for $135. We had played the course 3 years prior and were excited to play it again. Well, the excitement eluded us as we started playing the course, the majority of fairways had bare spots, crab grass, assorted weeds, sticks and debris. The greens had more ball marks than I have ever seen. I always repair a couple of ball marks on every green, but I would still be there repairing all the ones on their greens. It was a huge disappointment after traveling from Florida and the others from Connecticut. We did mention it to the crew after our round, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. Luckily we also played Rum Pointe, Bear Trap and Newport Bay, they somewhat helped us forget the condition of The Links at Lighthouse Sound. If anyone ask me, I would say stay far away from Lighthouse Sound.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 13
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Spectacular views and course

This is a fabulous course designed by the late Arthur Hills. It is across Assawoman Bay from Ocean City, MD and is laid out among marshland. The first 7 holes are adjacent to the bay and provide for some awesome views and the 18th green is right next to the water. The morning I played it was 65 degrees (it had been 90 the day before) and the wind was blowing hard but did nothing to detract from my enjoyment. The staff is super friendly. If you are in Ocean City or the Delaware beach towns such as Fenwick Island or Bethany Beach, please treat yourself to this great golf course.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 16
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Never Disappoints

Great to get back to this beautiful track. Staff is friendly. Able to tee off a few minutes early and had a great pairing. Course was in good shape given the amount of play and this late in the season. It’s not perfect but very good conditions overall. You can’t beat the scenery and the layout is challenging but fair. Rum Pointe is up next.

Conditions Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 55
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Always good to give it a second chance

I love this course. My favorite in OC. Had a terrible experience last year , not so this year. Have played it 5 times and all where great. Pace, conditions, amenities all great

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 25
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Top course in OCMD

The course was in excellent condition from tee to green. Not a single complaint the entire round. The couple of months that courses were closed def allowed this one to grow in nicely.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 29
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

a delight to play

Played while on vacation at Bethany Beach. Had played it in 2015 & 2016 so knew the layout. Very challenging with nice views on front 9 of Ocean City. Pricey but understandable being in this area. Staff very friendly and accommodating. Greens were in great shape; not too speedy but smooth and made you pay attention. Practice area is very nice. Was in 2nd group off in morning and foursome in front let us through on 6 although really weren't playing slow. Lots of opportunities to lose balls but fairways are pretty wide but many forced carries. Overall a great experience and continues to be my first choice when in the area.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 55
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Great Course. Terrible Experience

My favorite course in OC, always a great experience until yesterday.
I was a single, hooked up with 2 other singles. 7:48 tee time, got off about 10 minutes late. This was the only hole we did not have to wait on the tee box for the entire round. After we teed off I noticed the GPS was not working. I figured I would let a marshall know as we go to the second tee and had to wait for 2 groups . Surely they would be out to address this backup .,as the gps tells the shop where every cart is. No Marshall till the 12th, I told them not to worry about bringing us a new cart. they did bring one while on 14.

Tried to get a Tito's in the restaurant after the 7th.. because we had not seen the beverage cart yet. They were out, bartender stated they will not get anymore more till Tuesday. Really.. how about someone go buy some from a liquour store.

When you pay $125 for a round of golf your expectations go up and they clearly blew it this time. Very disappointed as they did not live up to past experience.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
Incentivized Review
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Beautiful Views

This is my favorite course to play based on the scenery and surroundings. Absolutely beautiful with the wetlands and views of the bay and the Ocean City skyline. Would definitely recommend.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
2.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Overpriced and poor condition

For $175 (late September 2018), this course should be in tip-top shape. And it's not. Yes, the views are beautiful ... but you don't play on the views; you play on land. The greens were fair at best and the fairways were just horrible (as was the rough)..

Moreover, the grill didn't open until after 8am ... and we had tee-times at 7:30! What are 12 golfers supposed to do? Awww, I'm so sorry that the staff didn't want to show up to take care of their customers.

I will not return.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 19
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

A terrific Fall treat

I play this course a lot and today I played it in an outing. It was a beautiful day, breezy and sunny conditions. Wonderful views of the bay from many holes make it worth the trip.

The course was not uniformly in good shape but overall not bad. The back nine has more troubled turf conditions. They would do well to consider an aggressive tree removal strategy, especially on holes 9 -12. Leave them open to the bay and wind and they will sparkle. This was done on holes 3-4 with good results. More aggressive chemical use to combat adverse conditions would also help.

The greens were a gem and like the better OC courses rolled nicely. Not too fast but true. Prices have dropped here (and everywhere) and I fear that the declining golf rounds are putting too much pressure on course and greens are taking a hit. Several others have experienced this and I hope this does not. It is still one of my favorites, but I will be watching for improvements.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 22
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

lost luster over the years

I have played Lighthouse probably 10 times over the last 15 years or so. It's still remains one of the most beautiful courses on the East Coast. The layout and views are spectacular.

I have been disappointed my last couple visits in the course conditions, the maintenance is nowhere up to par from what it used to be, it used to be five star spectacular and now it is only three star I have been disappointed my last couple visits in the course conditions, the maintenance is nowhere up to par from what it used to be, it used to be five star spectacular and now it is only three star.

The full price rate is overpriced, for the rate that I paid it is acceptable but it still has lost a good bit of the luster that it had years ago.

The greens don't roll as nice and fast as they once did, the manicuring around the edges of the course is rough, lots of weeds where they never existed in the past, and once you are too far off the fairway, there are a number of very bare spots.

to reiterate: the layout is spectacular, the design and uniqueness of the holes - but just not as rich and I appealing as it once was

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 61
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Windy weather
Used cart

Amazing course layout

Although its pricey, love this course and want to play it again as soon as possible. great course conditions and love the layout

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
2.0
First Time Playing

Extremely disappointed

I planned a 3 day golf trip with the guys and this was supposed to be the gem of the whole trip. HOWEVER, the decription below was copy and pasted from the previous review because it was 100% accurate to my experience one year later. Only difference, we suffered through the round, which took over 5 hours.

Had a bad experience playing this course. At bag drop had to unload my car since no employee was in sight. Tee'd off 20 minutes after scheduled start. Pace of play was ridiculously slow. Called the pro shop on two different occasions to report slow play. Rangers came out and apologized profusely but did nothing to move groups along. The single who played with us quit after 9. Our group quit after 13 after 4+ hours of hit and WAIT golf. No ranger was seen on back 9 in the afternoon. Unacceptable for a highly touted facility. The front 7 has nice views of the bay and ocean city and is in decent shape but the back which is wooded is in pedestrian shape with irregular rough, crab grass on tee boxes, and bald spots near the greens. At $139 fee, this golf course is no bargain. It is over valued and under conditioned. Will not play here again. Do not recommend.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
First Time Playing

Bad experience

Had a bad experience playing this course. At bag drop had to unload my car since no employee was in sight. Tee'd off 20 minutes after scheduled start. Pace of play was ridiculously slow. Called the pro shop on two different occasions to report slow play. Rangers came out and apologized profusely but did nothing to move groups along. The single who played with us quit after 9. Our group quit after 13 after 4+ hours of hit and WAIT golf. No ranger was seen on back 9 in the afternoon. Unacceptable for a highly touted facility. The front 7 has nice views of the bay and ocean city and is in decent shape but the back which is wooded is in pedestrian shape with irregular rough, crab grass on tee boxes, and bald spots near the greens. At $139 fee, this golf course is no bargain. It is over valued and under conditioned. Will not play here again. Do not recommend.

Conditions Average
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 3
3.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

The Tale of Two Courses

I played on September 16th, 2017 with a group of golf buddies as part of our annual outing. We were excited to play this course, as it is widely touted to be the best course in Ocean City and one of the top ranked in the country.

We ended up with a strange feeling after playing this course. The first seven holes and holes 17 and 18 are links style and wind-swept and the remaining holes are wooded or parkland style. The links style holes are in great shape - tee box to fairways to greens. However, the rest of the holes are in terrible shape - bald patches all over the fairways and bang in the middle, hard pan areas around the greens making it impossible for an average amateur golfer to chip or pitch, beaten up greens and poorly maintained bunkers.

We did not pay full rates as this part of an overall package. But, I understand that the regular prime time rate is $199 for a round. Its simply baffling how they cannot keep the course in better shape through the season.

Don't be fooled with the standard answers from some of the over rated Ocean City courses this year that it had to do with the unusually hot summer, lots of rains, blah blah blah....We played a couple of other courses in the same area, one of them a public course and they were in fantastic shape. These courses experienced the same weather. And we are expected to believe that the Number 1 course in Ocean City could not keep up with this weather, and that too for 9 holes out of the 18.

Overall the course is challenging, and the layout requires proper club selection and prudent shot making decisions. The wind is a huge factor. Especially the par 5, where we had to go up two clubs to combat the winds from the bay. The views of the links style holes are spectacular thanks to the vegetation and stunning views of the bay.

We will definitely not be going back to play this course.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Favorite in OC, Maryland

I think the bay views are stunning and the layout is enjoyable with some genuine links-thrills along the way. Love the shared greens and when surrounding neighborhoods and waterfront are incorporated. The front 9 is as good as it gets in the OC area. I finished up once on 18 as a wedding reception was hosted at the clubhouse. I bogeyed while a cellist played in a nearby gazebo. It was magical. It's expensive in the mornings, but a good bargain in the later afternoon.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
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