Ocean City Maryland Golf Trip: Glen Riddle Golf Club

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

There is so much to write about on this Monday I'm not sure where to begin.  I guess the right thing to do is congratulate the 2010 US Open Winner, Graeme McDowell who was able to hold off a tough group of players hunting him down for the better part of the day.  I'm not sure I could swing a club knowing the names Woods, Mickelson, and Els were just a couple of strokes behind me.  Job well done! 

This weekend I also had the opportunity to go to Ocean City, MD for a bachelor party/golf trip.  We stayed at Glen Riddle Golf Club and played both courses.  It was my second time down here for golf and I really enjoyed it.  I was in the strange position of not organizing it but I'll give as much detail as possible to help everyone out.

Booking The Trip

As I mentioned above, I wasn't in charge of the trip but the best man, and good friend of mine, asked my opinion on what to do.  I recommended getting a house on or near a golf course for the weekend to cut the cost of hotel and get everyone in one place.  Using Golf Zoo, the course he chose was Glen Riddle in Berlin, MD.

When I asked him about the process, he said it great and he's not sure he would use it again.  He selected as house and thought we were all set.  He was then informed we needed to change the house and that was done.  This happened to me when booking my golf trip for September but it was quickly resolved.  I can't say whether that was the case now.  He also elected to pay and have everyone pay him back.  I recommend NOT doing this as Golf Zoo will allow each member to pay on their own.  I don't like collecting money from friend. 

Getting to Glen Riddle

One of the things that makes Ocean City Golf Trips so great is it's close by.  This was about 140 miles from Philadelphia making my travel time about 2.5 hours.  I will warn you, if you travel in the peak season, it will take a while.  The roads to get to Ocean City, 13 and 113 are filled with lights and can be a little slow.  If possible leave extra time or travel at off peak times.  I took half a day Friday and got on the road at noon to make sure I missed the traffic.  

Because the community is new, GPS and Mapquest didn't recognize the address of the house.  This was the case for everyone but I entered the golf course address and once in, drove around the community until I found it. 

Staying at Glen Riddle

We had a very nice 3br townhome located on the water and a couple of miles from the courses.  It was 3 stories, had a couple of balconies overlooking the docks and was tucked in a quiet area. 

 

(A view from one of the balconies)

The house was very modern and had a TV in the master bedroom, the living room and the finished basement.  It was clean when we arrived and could comfortably sleep 8-10 if you use couch space or bring an inflatable bed.

 

(Kitchen with island eating area, I should have turned the lights on for this)

 

(Living room with two couches and a dining room table.  This overlooks the water)

 

(Finished basement with couch, futon, daybed, and chair)

The Golf

There are two golf courses at Glen Riddle, Man O' War is their public course which we played Friday afternoon and War Admiral is the private course which we played Saturday morning. 
Once you play them it's easy to tell which one is public and which is private.

I'll review the courses as I usually do in following posts but I will tell you this.  If you have the option to only play one and you have a choice, play War Admiral.  While it's the more challenging of the two, it's in far better condition due to being played less and is a beautiful course, especially the back 9.  

 

(The clubhouse at Glen Riddle shared by Man O' War & War Admiral.  It's an old stable)

What WAM Thinks

I have been wanting to play these courses since my last trip in 2008 to Ocean City.  I'm happy I did and they were enjoyable.  War Admiral was far more challenging while Man O' War is pretty wide open.

I enjoyed the house and although it wasn't free standing (other houses were connected) we didn't seem to be a problem for the neighbors.  The community is great and I would recommend any of the houses here if you need a quiet place to stay.

The travel is easy which is something I enjoy.  You're only a few minutes outside Ocean City, MD and there are plenty of food options close by. 

At a cost of $260 for two rounds of golf and 2 nights in a house, I think overall it's worth it.  When we stay four nights and play 4 rounds it's about $500 so this sounded right to me.  We did have to bring our own sheets and towels which I didn't really care for but it's a small price to pay.

Notes:  Happy Birthday to AJ, she's 27 today.  Congrats to JJ and MJ on a successfully bachelors party.  I had a blast and the sunburn to prove it!  I'll follow up with my reviews of the courses in the next couple of days.

Comments

[Phoenix Edler]

Well, I can't imagine having a bachelor party in a golf course. It must be fun to play golf with your buddies while sharing jokes and reminiscing past experiences. Besides, they have also accommodations.

[WAMGolf.com]

Thanks for the comment Phoenix. It's a different dynamic when it's a bachelor party but you were spot on... the accommodations were key. Staying right on the golf course made life a little easier.