A Course You Can Play

Try Out Top Designer for Less

Among the local country club set, Arthur Hills's handiwork is well-known. Exclusive courses that bear the prominent designer's name include the redesign at Chevy Chase, the river course at Lowes Island and the gold course at Congressional. Hills has left his distinctive imprint on many a course from Florida to California.

The drawback of a Hills design, however, is at the pocketbook, which must be opened wide to accommodate the initiation fees and monthly dues required at elite clubs.

Enter Waverly Woods in Howard County, an inviting layout with all the pleasures of a Hills blueprint minus the exorbitant fees. For golfers fortunate enough to have played a Hills course, the contoured fairways, limited bunkers and undulating greens of Waverly Woods are unmistakable.

On the first hole, a par 4 that plays 344 yards from the middle tees, the challenge rests in accuracy. Though a reasonably wide fairway, No. 1 sets up with a flat landing area to the left and hills to the right. But stray too far left, and a hazard awaits.

The 380-yard, par-4 No. 3 incorporates the course's first split fairway and may entice long hitters to go right, over water and onto a thin landing area. The safer play is a shot left off the tee to a sloping collection area. There, the tee ball funnels closer to the green, which slopes at the front and back.

The fourth hole brings bunkers into play for the first time. Six of them crowd the right side some 220 yards from the tee on the 384-yard par 4. Farther to the right is out of bounds, severely limiting--and perhaps penalizing--the golfer who elects to shorten the dogleg right by going over the sand. That test not withstanding, a blind approach to the green comes next.

There are, however, challenges beyond golf on the front nine, such as trying to suppress the noise of development as workers erect houses surrounding the course.

Thank goodness, then, for the serene back nine, which at least visually seems a separate entity from the heavily constructed front. Better yet, the back nine begins with a scoring opportunity--a 309-yard par 4.

The fairway opens wide near the middle and is relatively flat throughout the dogleg right. The major difficulty rests on the green, which slopes away near the front to rebuff weak approach shots. Handle that, and a legitimate birdie chance is the reward.

The same can be said of No. 18, a 482-yard par 5. In fact, players with might off the tee may be tempted to go for eagle, hoping to reach the well-guarded green in two from the flat fairway.

But even without a red number on the last hole, golfers don't leave Waverly Woods empty-handed. Having played an Arthur Hills course at a fair price ensures that.

Waverly Woods Golf Club

* Designer: Arthur Hills.

* Par: 72.

* Yardage: 7,024 from championship tees; 6,602 from second tees; 6,304 from middle; 5,606 from fourth tees; 4,808 from forward.

* Spike policy: Soft spikes only.

* Fees: $53 weekdays before 2 p.m., $35 from 2 to 5, $25 after 5; $68 weekends before 2 p.m., $45 from 2 to 5, $35 after 5.

* Directions: From Washington area, take I-95 north to Route 32 west to Route 29 north to I-70 west. Exit 83 north to Marriottsville Road to first right at Warwick Way. Pass Waverly Mansion to clubhouse on left.