18 courses around DC Suburbs & Frederick that take public tee times, by city. Private member clubs are left out.
The top-ranked public course in Maryland's Frederick County, a hilly 7,001-yard layout with Catoctin Mountain views and old stone distillery ruins by the 18th; take a cart, it's spread out.
golfpass.com golfdigest.comAn Arthur Hills course in the Catoctin foothills with big elevation changes; every rate includes cart, GPS and range, and military play 40% off.
golfpass.com marylandnational.comA low-cost public course in the Middletown Valley near Maryland National and Musket Ridge.
golfpass.com golfdigest.comJoe Lee's last design, a ridge-top course west of Frederick with long views over the Middletown Valley.
fairwayfinder.io golflink.comA long, tough 7,000-plus-yard course that has hosted U.S. Open local qualifying many times, known for championship-level conditions.
linksmagazine.com golfnow.comMaryland's only Jack Nicklaus Signature course, in the mountains of Western Maryland about two hours from DC; you don't need to stay at the resort to play, but recent reviews say conditions are uneven.
golfpass.com golfnow.comThe best of the Montgomery County courses, hilly and wooded inside a regional park, with fast, sloping greens and some forced carries.
mcggolf.com golfpass.comA wide-open, links-style course on old farmland just north of Gaithersburg, with big greens and cart included on weekends.
golfpass.com bluemash.comA rural, no-frills county course with a driving range just past Blue Mash, a good value pick.
visitmontgomery.com golfdigest.comThe longest and most upscale public course in Prince George's County, 7,230 yards through woods and streams with a 30-acre lake by the clubhouse.
lakepresidentialgolf.com golflink.comFrederick's city course along the Monocacy River, a solid, good-value layout open year-round.
golfpass.com golfpass.comA tree-lined Prince George's County park course on an old dairy farm, a friendly, affordable round for mid and high handicaps.
pgparks.com golfpass.comA busy, well-liked public course just north of Frederick with easy tee times and fair prices.
golfpass.com golfdigest.comA walkable county course minutes from Rockville with an extra 9-hole executive course, good for a quick or budget round.
visitmontgomery.com greenfeetracker.comA county course with wide fairways and gentle slopes in northern Montgomery County, easy on high handicaps.
visitmontgomery.com golfdigest.comA 27-hole county course with long, tree-lined fairways near Wheaton, the closest full-size public golf to DC on the Maryland side.
visitmontgomery.com greenfeetracker.comThe original Montgomery County course, rolling terrain in Potomac, handy for a round close to Bethesda.
visitmontgomery.comA hilly county course with water hazards in eastern Montgomery County, between Olney and Silver Spring.
visitmontgomery.com