In golf, a course consists of eighteen holes with a division by two making up a "front" and "back" nine. With most courses this division bears no meaning or distinguishing difference between the two nines other than a convenient way to route golfers back to the clubhouse at the turn.

Well if you'd like to make the turn and play a round where each nine feels like two entirely different courses, then no course exemplifies this feeling better than the Lakes Course at Twin Lakes in Fairfax Virginia.

After writing a spotlight article on the Oaks Course last year we knew we had to return and check out the facilities other course. The Lakes Course is the original course of the 36-hole facility and first opened in 1967. The combination of both courses makes for a very diverse pair fitting for every level of golfing ability.

What makes a great day of golf? Some might argue a "good score"....others might say "a round with good friends" but the real hardcore golfer would say "36-holes instead of just 18". Lets face it's hard to find time for nine holes some weeks but for those perfect summer days and special times with family and friends, nothing beats two rounds back-to-back.

In the Mid-Atlantic there are many wonderful courses to play but few offer 36-holes of great golf like the Compass Pointe Golf Course in Pasadena Maryland. In 2003 the first 18 holes of the Lindsay Ervin design opened and the following two nines opened a couple of years later. Today, all 36 make for two compelling different tracks offering a complex mixture of duality not surpassed anywhere in the region.

The stretch of I-95 between Baltimore and Philadelphia is a common route for many commuters and salesman alike. Even though the cities are only an hour’s drive apart, the small towns and suburbs between are home to a plethora of quality golf courses.

A couple of weeks ago we made a trip up I-95 to play Pilgrim's Oak Golf Course in Peach Bottom Pennsylvania. This “hidden gem” is a world away from both cities but close enough to escape and enjoy one of the most interesting and best conditioned courses anywhere!

I'm going to let all golf courses in the Mid-Atlantic in on a "little secret". There is a simple two part formula that can make any course successful. This formula might sound like simple common sense, but after many rounds at a variety of different courses, there are two traits I see in the most successful courses.

The first ingredient is a "quality design". Yes, what “makes” a quality design is subjective but a consensus of true quality always includes tremendous variety.
What this means is the course needs enough "difference" to keep repeat business coming back.

What's in a name? "Names" are usually given to distinguish one from another. When it's applied to golf course or club most try to be true to the origin of the land or namesake of where the course resides. This can be a person who owned the land before the course was there or the city or county the course serves.

But sometimes the name is more than just a "distinguishing attribute". A name if well thoughtout, can exude its own essence capturing an innate feeling present when you fully experience everything a course or club has to offer. Recently we made our first trip to Hidden Creek Country Club in Reston Virginia and I personally can't remember any course I've previously played with a more appropriate name.