9. Lake Presidential Golf Club
Upper Marlboro, Md.
7,230 yards, par 72; Green fees: $50-$95;
301-627-8577; lakepresidential.com

With all of the Beltway blather we were subjected to last
year, it's easy to forget that there is one new arrival in the
Washington area that even the most partisan of politicos can
agree on: Lake Presidential Golf Club, located 20 miles from
the White House in suburban Maryland.
Lake Presidential is the handiwork of Landmark Land
Company, the outfit that yielded Kiawah Island and PGA West,
among others. Its newest layout is more
mellow than monstrous, a beautiful
stroll through wooded and stream-filled
terrain. The only point of debate here
is which par 5 is better: the fishhook-shaped,
570-yard 8th, which features a
tee shot from out of a chute of trees, or the
reachable 515-yard 18th, which tackles the
namesake lake from the get-go with an
imposing, forced-carry tee shot.