Welcome to Clubhouse Golf Guide, powered by TeeTime Golf Pass. Here you will find feature stories of some of your favorite local, regional and destination courses, all of which are participating courses in the passbook program. You may even find a humorous story or two celebrating the game we love so much in our “From the White Tees” articles written by Bud Key.

Bag it, Tag it, and Seal it with a Kiss
I own the golf bag from hell. It’s roughly the size of a ’72 Lincoln Continental, weighs two tons, and was hand-stitched from more full-grain leather than you’d expect to find at a S&M convention in Vegas. The fur-lined, overstuffed TOUR-style staff bag was presented to me for winning a closest-to-the-pin contest in 1988, the same year I got married. And it led to me and my wife’s first marital spat.

With Age Comes Wisdom
I turned 60 earlier this month and am bamboozled by the fact that I’m now the same age as “old” people. In defiance I spent my birthday hiking the expert trail at Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina, appreciating the irony. Standing on a rocky crag near the top, I unceremoniously gave Father Time the middle-finger salute while contemplating how in God’s name I was going to make it back down to the parking lot.

Miracle Golf Network is an Answer to Prayer
Ask a priest, pastor or preacher and they’ll tell you their decision to go into the ministry was one of the hardest they ever had to make. That’s the crossroads where I find myself — trapped, if you will, somewhere between the gates of heaven and the pits of hell.

It’s Up to You to Decide a Course’s Merit
I must really be the luckiest golfer in the world. After all, as the Mid-Atlantic director for TeeTime Golf Pass, I can’t recall the last time I played a course that wasn’t considered — at least by its owner or developer — a “championship” layout. And I’ve got the marketing and promotional materials from each one to prove it.

Piankatank River Charts Two Courses in One
Piankatank River’s location and Algie Pulley’s imaginative layout combine to create a secluded retreat for golfers wanting to get away from it all and let off a little steam.
Featured Course in this article:
Piankatank River Golf Club

There’s No Denying A Really Bad Golfer
Okay, I admit it. I absolutely love playing golf with someone who is having a really crappy day. First, it makes me feel a lot better about my own ineptitude. And second, you never know what outlandish excuses you’ll hear… ones that you can store away for your own personal use later.

Homeowners Might Want to Duck and Cover When I’m on the Tee
Have you ever wondered what knucklehead came up with the bright idea of putting houses and condos on golf courses? If you play like I do, the thought probably pops into your head several times each round.

Chariot Run is Way Ahead of the Field
Just about every hole or shot, for that matter, offers a safe or conversative side to aim for away from trouble.
Featured Course in this article:
Chariot Run Golf Club

The Physics Behind Not Getting What You Want
I’d been laying the groundwork for weeks. A compliment here, a gentle brush of the shoulder, there. Volunteering to help with the dusting and vacuuming was a strategic maneuver. Insisting we must spend more time with her mother, borderline brilliant. Agreeing to watch a Hallmark Channel movie instead of Friday night wrasslin’ and the trap was set.

Ready, Aim, Fire at The Links at Gettysburg
A round, here, marches you up and down the rolling Pennsylvania countryside, with lakes and creeks on almost every hole and dramatic rock cliffs that form the backdrop for some of the most memorable golf you’ll ever experience.
Featured Course in this article:
The Links at Gettysburg

Digging Myself Out of a Marital Trap
New Year’s resolutions are a holiday tradition. It’s the perfect opportunity to make promises you can’t possibly keep. Exercise more. Drink less. Golfers start each new season with much more lofty goals. Practice more. Cuss less. There is one resolution, however, I intend to keep this year. Under no circumstances will I ever invite my wife to caddie for me again.

Wake Up to Great Golf at Sleepy Hole
When combined with the sight and ambiance of the regal Obici House, first-timers might think they’ve mistakenly arrived at a hoity-toity private club.
Featured Course in this article:
Sleepy Hole Golf Course

The Golf Course Turns Saints Into Sinners
It’s been postulated that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. If so, it’s safe to assume I drive in the fast lane and hit every pothole possible whenever I play golf. I can only imagine the celestial tug-of-war that ensues between the heavenly angles and their fallen comrades when I make a tee time.

Hills’ Legacy is Linked to Maumee Bay
Hills’ design philosophy — courses that are natural, that relate carefully to the property, and that require very little earth moving — is captured to a tee at Maumee Bay.
Featured Course in this article:
Maumee Bay State Park Golf Course

The One Lesson Dad Never Taught Me
Currently I’m on the 16th tee box at Chockoyotte CC in Weldon, NC… light breeze over my left shoulder… hole bends sharply right 200-225 yards down the fairway… a small pond guards the left corner… and I don’t have a damn clue what to do.

A Course Worth the Pilgrimage
In a scene right out of the movie Field of Dreams, the cornfields open up to reveal the distinctive bent grass greens, fairways and tee boxes of a world-class layout.
Featured Course in this article:
Pilgrim’s Oak Golf Course

A Swashbuckling Good Time
An incredible swath of seaside property, the combined design talents of Pete and P.B. Dye, and a commitment by ownership and staff to provide an incredible golf experience make Rum Pointe a natural choice for golfers traveling to Ocean City.
Featured Course in this article:
Rum Pointe Golf Club

The Day My Golf Game Stopped Making Sense
Golf is a game of contradictions. Chop down to make the ball go up. Aim left to hit it right. Lowest score wins. Make a hole-in-one and you have to buy the drinks. If you and I can’t make sense of this silly game, just imagine what those who don’t play must think.

History Repeats Itself at Iron Forge
The course is at once a blend of modern golf with finely manicured conditions and of ancient golf with its bones laid bare to the forces of nature.
Featured Course in this article:
Iron Forge Golf Club

Iron Valley Sets the Bar
The goal from the start was to offer something different from start to finish and Iron Valley exceeds that by a country mile.
Featured Course in this article:
Iron Valley Golf Club

Wooden Tees are Grounded in Tradition
Business and family decisions between my dad and me almost always begin with him saying, “Let’s not put the cart before the horse.” I thought about that the other day while leafing through a popular golf magazine.

Southern Maryland’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’
A central precept of golf architecture is that, when possible, land should dictate design. There is nothing artificial about Swan Point.
Featured Course in this article:
Swan Point Golf Club

One Last Ace Card Up My Sleeve
“Persistence Personified.” If you click onto professional golfer Jay Delsing’s webpage, you’ll find those two words scrawled across the top. Makes sense, really. That’s because the very likable pro from Missouri sits atop the all-time record list with a staggering 565 PGA TOUR starts without a win.

A Blast from the Past
Mill Quarter Plantation shows that, like music and sit-coms, the best things did come out of the late 1960s and early ‘70s.
Featured Course in this article:
Mill Quarter Plantation Golf Club

No Matter How you Slice it, It’s Tough to Shake First Tee Anxiety
I’ve been playing golf regularly for 40 years now. Yet even today, I carry first tee anxiety with me to every course I visit. Put a pond, sand trap, utility shed, neighbor’s backyard, or church cemetery where nobody would hit it. I’ll find it. Pour a cup of water on the cart path. I’ll land in it.

On the Road to Myrtle Beach
MidAtlantic golfers who chose Interstate 95 as the easiest and most convenient route to Myrtle Beach may want to add a day or two to their travel itineraries.
Featured Courses in this article:
Chockoyotte Country Club, Scotfield Country Club, Belmont Lake Golf Club, Reedy Creek