Bay Club (East) in Berlin

A major reason vacationers head to Ocean City is the option to do almost anything and everything they want. The opportunities approach endless: Hit the beach, windsurf, fish, cruise, sightsee, walk the boards, parasail, dine, dance and, of course, play golf.

The word is out. Over the past several years golfers have been hitting Ocean City’s state-of-the-art links in ever increasing numbers. 

But golfers face a dizzying array of choices as they decide where to stay and where to play. For openers, Ocean City’s course designers include Arthur Hills, Gary Player, Pete and P.B. Dye, Rick Jacobson, Robert D. Rauch and Richard Mandell, Ault Clark & Associates, and Joel Weiman.

After selecting a course, there’s the time-consuming process of calling (or Web surfing) numerous properties to find out what’s available and what the prices are. Once that’s done, it’s time to call the courses to determine what tee times are available.

That’s when golf packagers come to the rescue with more resolve, more resources, and more determination to please golfers more than your average superhero.  

To raise a golfer’s comfort level way above par, each course has marshals or golf assistants to maintain the pace of play and to help find the errant golf ball (or two). They may even suggest which club to use and offer tips on how to play a shot. All the courses have driving and putting practice areas and usually include range balls with your round of golf. You can count on a snack cart at most courses, and on hot days, someone may place a bottle of icy water in your hand to make sure you stay cool and hydrated.  

Club rentals are available for those who don’t own or don’t want to schlep their clubs on top of luggage, beach chairs, coolers, strollers and mothers-in-law. Every course has a restaurant and full locker room facilities, all air-conditioned.

Nancy Doffelmeyer runs the golf business for the Harrison Hotel Group, a collection of 10 oceanfront hotels (with a new Hilton suites and a new Holiday Inn Suites both due to open in spring 2006). The hotels, family-owned since 1951, include budget, moderate and premium properties. “We can accommodate anyone, regardless of the level of accommodations they seek and the level of play.”

Doffelmeyer says “customers call or e-mail in a request and we tailor a package to their needs. If an individual or a group needs lessons, we arrange them. If one family member wants a spa treatment or have a shop ‘til you drop day, then we’ll arrange that. If someone wants miniature golf, Shorebirds baseball, then we’ll take care of it and make it a family fun package. We also package corporate outings that may include a meeting in the morning, lunch, and then golf in the afternoon." 

As the founder of the Maryland chapter of the Executive Women’s Golf Association and someone who plays every Wednesday (she carries a 26 handicap) and has 25 years of experience in the hospitality field, Doffelmeyer knows her golf courses. If you want the newest, the most challenging, the most woman-friendly, or the closest, she has the knowledge stored for ready access in her mental computer. Nine years ago she started the Pink Ribbon Classic, a women’s tournament held every October to benefit breast cancer research, so she is more than qualified to organize charity and corporate events as part of a golf package.  

Doffelmeyer says, besides the convenience of making the reservations for you, the package can save a visiting golfer from $20 to $50 (that’s per person and represents savings on the greens fees and the hotel room), depending on the season and what time of day you want to play.  

There are 20 courses within a driver’s range (well, maybe a little farther) and the Harrison Hotel Group works with all of them.  

Mary Walter arranges golf packages for guests at the oceanfront Clarion Fontainebleau. She says the “advantage of going through a packager is one call does it all. We can book your tee times and hotel accommodations with one phone call. A package will save 20 percent or more, depending on whether you golf in the afternoon instead of the morning.

Links at Lighthouse Sound

“Basically,” she says, “we don’t have set packages. If you want to stay at the hotel for seven nights and play one round of golf or two nights with four rounds of golf, we’ll do it. We work with more than 24 area courses, some in Delaware, some in Cambridge and Easton. So, if you want to play a round of golf on your way to Ocean City or on your way home, we can arrange whatever you want.” 

Walter can handle reservations for one or 100 or more. With a group of 24 or more, the group leader comes for free or can distribute the savings to the rest of the group. The group and family demographics vary and may include people in their 20s or 30s, or “a bachelor party with the groom, groomsmen, fathers of the bride and groom, and uncles. We have firefighters, police officers, Rotary Clubs, just a vast range.” 

Reservations can be made up to a year in advance at most courses, says Walter. “Everyone wants to play Links at Light House Sound right now. It’s only three or four years old. On the other hand,” she says, “it’s the most expensive, so it’s possible to book a tee time with not too much notice. But all tee times are on a first-come, first-served basis, so booking early is a benefit.” 

Walter says some companies require a deposit when you book your package. ”We don’t require that,” she says, “but we do require payment 14 days in advance for groups of 12 or fewer and 30 days in advance for larger groups.”

Contact Information: 

Nancy Doffelmeyer, Harrison Group Hotels, 800-638-2106 or 800-TEE-1-OFF; hggolf@dmv.com, www.tee1off.com. 

Mary Walter, Clarion Resort Fontainebleau, 800-638-2100 or 866-624-6534; mary@ocgolfing.com, www.clarionoc.com. 

Mary Susan Jones, Boardwalk Hotel Group, 800-926-1122 or 888-GOLF-GRPS; www.boardwalkhotels.com.

Holly Hudson, Carousel Hotel, 800-641-0011; holly.hudson @ carouselhotel.com, www.carouselhotel.com.

Ramada Golf Packages, www.ocramada.com; ramadalimited@beachin.net

Best Western Golf Vacations; Kathy Enste; 800-888-2229; www.bestwesternseabayinn.com

 

Women’s Golf Getaway, 877-355-4653, womensgolfgetaway@aol.com. 

Ocean City Golf Groups, 888-465-3477, ocgolfgroups@beachin.net, www.ocgolfgroups.com.

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