Worldgolfer's Golf Course Reviews

Designer: William Flynn (1926), Harry Collis (1929, Front 9), Arthur Hills (2002, Renovation)

Location: Rockville, Maryland

History: Manor Country Club was designed and built by famed architect William Flynn in 1926. Flynn had initially planned on 27 holes, but for whatever reason, his front 9 was never completed. Harry Collis and club members designed today’s current front 9 in the late 1920s and Flynn’s design spans the current back 9 and 9-hole short course. In 2002, Arthur Hills performed an extensive renovation of the course. Manor has earned the following award:

• #8 Best Course in Maryland – Top100golfcourses.com (2025)

Conditions: 9/10, Manor Country Club is in superb condition, with lightning-fast bentgrass greens, lush rough, and well-manicured fairways and bunkers.

Value: N/A, This is a private course.

Scorecard:

Tee                     Par         Yardage         Rating          Slope

Black                 70           6781                73.2               134

Gold                   70            6427               71.5              129

Blue                    70           6037               69.6             125

Green                 70           5591                67.6             122

White                 72            5038               69.9            123

Hole Descriptions: Interestingly enough, by the time I’m writing this article, I’ll be moving to Maryland in the coming weeks. I’m excited to explore the great golf in the DMV area, a region I haven’t explored too much besides Manor and perennial public top 100 Bulle Rock. I played Manor with a friend who’s a member and is rightly very proud of his Club. While not on any official Best in State lists at the moment, Manor is a very enjoyable course with excellent conditioning, good land movement, and some very strong holes. In terms of a local club for members, Manor seems like a great option just north of Washington D.C.

Manor opens with a 413 yard straightaway par 4 with an exhilarating downhill teeshot from an elevated teebox. Like most of the course, this hole is fairly tight and tree-lined, with OB right the entire way. This bean-shaped green is rather narrow and slopes right-to-left, with bunkers defending it left, short, and long.

The 2nd hole is a nice dogleg left par 4 at 383 yards. Again tree-lined, this fairway begins to turn left around 230 yards and longer hitters may want to think about laying up here. This green has Redan-like qualities, sloping significantly right-to-left towards a deep left bunker.

One of the Manor’s strengths is its collection of five par threes, which are a difficult and varied group beginning with the 3rd hole. At 212 yards, this is the longest par 3 on the course and plays slightly longer up the hill. This narrow green features lots of internal movement with a prominent vertical ridge one must navigate from off the green. A deep bunker defends short right while a collection area of fairway lines the left.

The 4th is another strong hole as the first par 5 on the course at 554 yards. A big, sweeping dogleg left, this hole begins with a right-to-left canted fairway that starts turning to the left around 250 yards. Golfers are given options on their second shot, as this fairway swoops into a valley and is bisected by a creek about 140 yards short of the green. Those attempting to cover the hazard in two will need to be wary of a left crossbunker about 70 yards short of the green. This green slopes heavily back-to-front and is defended by two bunkers right.

At 184 yards, the 5th hole is a beautiful par 3 playing shorter downhill to a green on a pedestal surrounded by five bunkers and hazard short. The golfer will need to be precise with their distance control here.

Manor is not an easy course from the Black Tees and this is mostly due to a number of challenging, long par fours. On the front 9, the most difficult holes come on the 6th and 7th, back-to-back long par fours that run parallel to each other. The 6th is the number 1 handicap and plays straightaway and uphill at 446 yards. There isn’t really much to this tree-lined tight hole, but the length alone will make this an elusive par for many. This green slopes back-to-front with a bunker short left.

The 7th runs downhill the other direction but is the longer hole at 462 yards and in my opinion the most demanding hole on the course. Tall trees line the left side of this teebox and make for somewhat of a claustrophobic teeshot to a tight fairway also lined by trees down the right. At about 300 yards, a small creek begins down the left and runs all the way down the fairway, bisecting the hole about 50 yards short of the green. This green mostly slopes left-to-right with two bunkers down the left and a collection area short and right. There are lots of possibilities for a crooked number here.

The 8th hole is another fantastic par 3 playing slightly downhill at 175 yards. This hole is more difficult than it appears, with a narrow, undulating green that slopes front-to-back on its front half. Any miss here will be costly, as three deep bunkers defend short, a creek guards long and left, and thick rough surrounds elsewhere.

Manor’s 9th hole brings you back to the clubhouse as a 517 yard dogleg right par 5 running uphill the entire way. This difficult hole is fairly tight, with OB right the entire way and a fairway that bends to the right beginning around 290 yards. A well-placed right crossbunker sits about 70 yards short of the green and is to be avoided on a lay-up. It’s very tough to hit this elevated green in two, with three deep bunkers short left and a steady right-to-left slope.

The back 9 begins with a 403 yard straightaway par 4 that plays shorter running downhill the entire way. OB lines the right side the entire length while the left is fairly open and lined by rough. This approach is quite attractive towards a right-to-left sloped green built into the hillside with two deep bunkers left.

The 11th hole is the shortest and easiest par 3 at Manor but still stretches to 170 yards from the tips. This one-shotter plays over water the entire way to a shallow, back-to-front sloped green lined by a bunker long.

At 338 yards, the 12th hole is the only reachable par 4 on the course and gives the golfer several options. Playing slightly uphill, this hole is generally very open, but large crossbunkers down the left at 220 yards and right at 280 yards are enough to give the golfer pause. This elevated green requires an aerial approach with a heavy back-to-front slope and bunker left.

The closing stretch at Manor is extremely strong and stout, with several tough par fours beginning with the 448 yard 13th. Playing straightaway and slightly uphill, this lengthy par 4 requires a brief forced carry over a creek to a snaking, tree-lined fairway. Bunkers line the left at 200 yards and right at 245 and 280 yards, making for an attractive teeshot here. This green runs back-to-front with bunkers flanking either side.

The 14th is another difficult par 4 at 450 yards as a slight dogleg left. Bunkers line the left at 250 and 270 yards, while mounds of rough line a fairly open right side. This diagonal green features lots of internal movement with deep bunkers on either side.

At 557 yards, the 15th is the longest par 5 at Manor playing along the edge of the property. This dogleg right begins with a claustrophobic teeshot through a tight, tree-lined chute to a fairway that turns right around 265 yards. Longer hitters can probably cut the corner here with a high fade, but bunkers begins down the left at 280 yards and missing to the right is likely OB. On the second shot, the golfer must contend with numerous small bunkers down the left, OB right, and a large bunker and rough patch that bisect the fairway about 70 yards short of the green. This green runs back-to-front lined by tight lies and a bunker short left.

The 16th hole is a sneaky difficult 437 yard par 4 that plays tougher than it first appears. This tree-lined fairway bends slightly to the left but features little danger, perhaps lulling the golfer into a false sense of security. This elevated green, however, is extremely difficult to hit as it is very long and narrow with a severely back-to-front sloped front third. A bunker on the left and thick rough surround this putting surface, leaving very difficult up-and-downs.

The 17th hole is Manor’s final par 3 playing slightly downhill at 189 yards. This hole features a large green containing a left swale defended by two large bunkers short.

Manor closes with one of its strongest and most difficult holes in the 443 yard par 4 18th. From the Black Tees, this monstrous hole requires a nearly 200 yard forced carry over marshland and creek to reach the fairway. A large bunker lines the right around 250 yards and the fairway begins to bend right and uphill at this point. This approach requires at least a club extra to a very long, narrow green that overall slopes back-to-front with two distinct tiers and two deep bunkers right. A par finish here is an excellent score.

General Comments: Manor seems to be a thriving country club, with excellent amenities, an active membership, and practice facilities including a full range and short game area.

I was also able to play a few holes from the 9-hole short course named the Harry Pitt 9. This is certainly not a championship course but is a nice option for beginners. Some pictures from this 9 are seen below.

Verdict: An underrated private course just outside of Washington D.C., Manor is an excellently conditioned, challenging, and strong layout and one I highly recommend.