Eagle's Landing Is Giving Up Its Marsh Holes for a Winter So It Can Keep Them

The 18th at Eagle's Landing is a par 4 that the course calls the "Beast of the East." Salt marsh surrounds it, the landing area off the tee is small, and there's no safe place to miss around the green. A tidal pool sits between it and the 10th, part of the Sinepuxent Bay marsh edge that Dr. Mike Hurdzan worked into the layout when the course opened off Route 611 in 1991.

That same water keeps coming onto the course. In 2025, tidal flooding covered the grass on some holes four separate times, and golf course Superintendent Joel McTavish told the Ocean City Council, as OC Today-Dispatch reported, "There's certain holes you can't even get to, let alone play." On Sunday, November 1, the Town of Ocean City takes those holes out of play so it can rebuild them.

The flooding is worst on the holes along the marsh

The holes on the town's list are the ones along the marsh. When the town first went out to bid, staff said flooding affected holes 7, 8, 9, 10, 17 and 18, and most of the work was aimed at 7 and 18, according to OC Today-Dispatch. That list includes the 18th, the course's signature hole, and the 10th, which shares the tidal pool with it.

McTavish told the council that tidal flooding events keep increasing. Eagle's Landing sells itself on bay and Assateague views, and in 2022 the town called it Maryland's first fully certified Audubon Sanctuary. The marsh is what makes the course worth playing, and it's also where the course is losing playable ground.

What the crews will do, and when

Contractor McDonald & Sons will raise one hole by three or four feet and build berms and drainage around the others, McTavish said. Deputy City Manager JR Harmon gave OC Today-Dispatch the latest schedule:

1. Pre-construction meeting. Already held.
2. Mobilization. Scheduled for the last week of October.
3. Holes close. November 1, the date McTavish gave the council.
4. Target completion. April 15, according to Harmon. An earlier budget session put the goal at May 1. Plan on mid-spring 2027, and treat both dates as targets.

The work goes beyond fixing low spots. Part of the project budget is set aside for mitigation planting and for bridges on the course.

How a winter round works with 12 holes

McTavish said six holes will close. Bob Croll, who briefed the council alongside him at a budget work session, said the course will run as a 12-hole course "from November into the spring of 2027," according to OC Today-Dispatch. The other 12 holes stay open all fall and winter, and Croll described three ways to play them:

Exactly which holes close is less settled than the count. Harmon said construction will affect play at holes 5, 7, 17 and 18, and he said modified play will continue for the whole project. The town's 2026 summer newsletter listed holes 7, 10, 17 and 18. Holes 7, 17 and 18 are on every version. If a favorite hole is on the edge of the list, ask the pro shop when you book.

Pricing at Eagle's Landing is dynamic, and the rates page doesn't show a separate construction or winter rate. Tee times can be booked on the course website or by phone. Online bookings need a valid credit card, but the card isn't charged until you pay at check-in. The booking tool has a Local Rewards Member tier. The town described that program as discounted green fees and credit toward free golf for year-round Ocean City-area residents, but no 2026 enrollment price is posted.

Why the town is doing this in winter

The project's cost history shows how the town handled it. The council's budget for the job was $2.3 million, and all three bids came in over it. The lowest, from McDonald & Sons, was $3.25 million. City staff then worked with the company on a smaller scope, and its revised estimate was $1.49 million, as OC Today-Dispatch reported. $1.75 million in bond proceeds pays for most of it. A council memo set a not-to-exceed figure of $2 million, and anything above the bond amount comes from the course's own reserve fund.

The town expects fewer rounds while the course is short. Croll told the council he wasn't sure how many golfers would want to play six holes twice, and the expected revenue loss is built into the budget and will be covered by course reserves, OC Today-Dispatch reported. At the same session, Recreation and Parks Director Kate Gaddis told the council, "We were very intentional in the timing of the project." The course has had recent upgrades too, with clubhouse work in spring 2025 and a practice area upgrade in March 2026.

If you want 18 different holes this winter

Golfers who would rather not repeat holes have options within a short drive of Route 611, and several have their own bay and marsh views.

GlenRiddle says Ruark Golf also owns Rum Pointe and Lighthouse Sound. GlenRiddle and Lighthouse Sound both use dynamic pricing, with daily rates on their online tee sheets. Ocean Pines Golf Club has a Black Friday Birdie Bash on November 27 starting at 9 a.m. Entry is $50 for members and $80 for nonmembers, and it includes golf with a cart, range balls and food.

The last full-course weekend

The Swing for Youth Golf Open at Eagle's Landing is Saturday, October 31, and it's sold out. It's the last event on the full 18 before the holes close the next day. If you just want one more round that finishes at the Beast of the East, the tee times before November 1 are your last chance until spring. Afterward, the Caddyshack Cafe is in the clubhouse.

At Coastal Life Realty Group, we follow what's changing around West Ocean City, from the harbor to the course off Route 611. If you're a golfer who's been wondering what your home near Eagle's Landing or the Sinepuxent Bay is worth, start with our free tool: Get Your Instant Home Valuation.