Golf in Dover

Pasadena Golf Center lets visitors create the satisfying thwack of a club hitting a golf ball in one of two locations. They can make out the sound on the 18-hole mini-golf course—where ears will also pick up the sound of trickling waterfalls and the gurgling of landscaped streams and ponds—or at the driving range. Golfers can manipulate a variety of clubs there since targets are set up at different lengths, and 20 of the range’s 34 hitting stations are covered to provide shade during warm months and heat during cold ones. In addition, a full setup of lights let them swing away into the evening or when Apollo's chariot of fire is in the shop. To assist in swing mechanics and proper alignment, the center organizes lessons led by Golf Academy of America–certified instructor, Brett Francisco.

Pasadena Golf Center is also equipped with a nine-station batting cage that challenges visitors with baseball pitches of varying speeds as well as slow- and fast-pitch softball. A 1,600-square-foot patio nearby can facilitate birthday parties or other special events.

In 1962, designer Ed Carmen masterfully crafted each hole to weave into the natural lay of the land, yielding a 6,600-yard golf course that melds bucolic surroundings with his own architectural style. A member of the USGA and PGA, Centerton Golf Club strings together 18 holes that meander through acres of dense forest replete with mature arbors, strategically placed bunkers, and Kick Me signs on the backs of fellow players.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course
• Total length of 6,600 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 69.2 from the back tees
• Course slope of 120 from the back tees

The 160 acres of undulating meadows and copses of oak, maple, sweet gum, and pine at The Links Golf Club were transformed into a championship course by Frederick W. Hawtree, who designed more than 300 courses around the globe, including the Royal Birkdale course, in partnership with his father and son. Hawtree drew inspiration from the natural lay of the land while contriving narrow fairways and bunkered greens that reward precision. Water comes into play on the 8th, 11th, and 18th holes, swallowing poorly aimed balls so oysters can turn them into pearls. Before hitting the course, golfers can rev their engines at any of the driving range’s 15 hitting stations. After a day of sinking cleated feet into bent grass, players can toast success at the copper-topped bar in the member lounge or bite into sandwiches and seafood at the club's restaurant.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,725 yards
• Course rating of 71.5
• Slope rating of 133
• Four tee options
• View the scorecard

With a total of 36 holes that wind through the wetlands at the northernmost tip of the Chesapeake Bay, Chesapeake Bay Golf Club maintains links-style courses in Rising Sun and North East, Maryland. Patrons have voted their approval of the golf club, which is a host of the 2012 Special Olympics, in Maryland Life's Free State's Finest 2011 list.

As players guide their golf balls through tree-lined fairways at the North East Course, they encounter blooming azaleas ringing the greens in the spring and offering adorable opportunities to express affection for a caddie. Budding golf enthusiasm continues to flower at the Rising Sun Course, where seven ponds poke their way into the line of play and remain a constant inconvenience. Rising Sun’s signature fourth hole, also known as Lookout, offers a prime example, with a vicious pond on the right swallowing up sliced tee shots and unsuspecting bunnies that graze too close to it.

North East Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 70 course
• Total length of 6,434 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 72.3 from the back tees
• Course slope of 138 from the back tees
• Six sets of tees per hole

Rising Sun Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course
• Total length of 6,636 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 73.1 from the back tees
• Course slope of 129 from the back tees
• Six sets of tees per hole