Waverly Woods Golf Club
Location » Mariottsville, Md.
Phone » 410-313-9182
Fees » $64 Weekday, $79 Friday, $84 Saturday-Sunday.
Par/Yardage/Rating/Slope
72/7024/73.1/132
Description » Designed by Arthur Hills, 11-year-old Waverly features wide, playable landing areas and fast greens. Built on farmland, the course defies easy description. Housing developments are springing up around Waverly, spoiling some sight lines, but rarely encroaching on the course.
Reasons to play » Outstanding, thoughtful layout on rolling, varied piece property. The 2002 Maryland course of the year might have the best greens on a public course in the Washington area. The bentgrass looks splotchy, but plays perfectly — hard, fast and true. Challenging for strong players, playable for high handicappers. Good location, near Ellicott City, one minute off Route 70.
Signature hole » No. 12 » Par 4 » 370 Yards
Waverly Woods’ back nine is a thrill ride, full of elevation change and distinctive holes. No. 12 plays shorter than on the card. Reaching the fairway downslope will leave a wedge to the elevated green, framed beautifully by trees.
Best hole » No. 8 » Par 5 » 554 Yards
Long tree-lined hole, very attractive from tee. Fairway slopes downhill and to the right, giving players an opportunity to reach the green in two shots, a characteristic of all of Waverly’s par-five holes.
Preservation » A stone ruin, formerly a corn crib for the Waverly Plantation, was preserved and lies between the driving range and the 10th fairway.
Irish eyes » Notre Dame grads Tom Healy and Joe Hills (son of Waverly Woods’ designer) build courses that are for golfers, putting more money in range and practice facilities than in the clubhouse. They also own the best public course in Montgomery County, Blue Mash, and are building a private course in Healy’s hometown. Chicago Highlands, in the western suburbs, has enticing skyline views.
Friendly fairways » Landing areas are wide, but accuracy helps as taking the correct line will often propel balls further toward the hole to a level area. There aren’t a lot of bunkers at Waverly. Water is in play on only one hole. “In a lot of cases, it’s the landforms that serve as hazards,” says Healy.
Switcheroo » Waverly Woods’ nines were flip-flopped. No. 18, formerly No. 9, is a par-five that plays toward the clubhouse. Benign No. 10 used to be the opening hole, now replaced by four challenging holes to start.
