Course Review - categories are ranked on a scale of one to five

LAYOUT - rating: 5
A thinking player's delight, this superb plan from renowned architect Arthur Hills is a must-play for the serious area player. Not easily defined, the layout offers parkland and open features, a smattering of watery graves, tight and open holes and severe and subdued elevation changes on a delightful piece of property. The par 5s are all reachable risk-reward gems, while the par 3s average more than 190 yards from the back tees, practically begging for bogeys. You won't find a throwaway hole at Waverly, and the closing stretch from No. 11 to the finish is among the finest in the region.

TEES and GREENS - rating: 4 +
Bentgrass through the green, Waverly opened last week in prime condition thanks to former Caves Valley assistant superintendent Steve Lutz. Still an isolated rough spot, but in general the greens were fast and true. The firmness of the greens is simply sensational; they're just hard enough to require careful placement but soft enough to receive properly struck long irons. Every new public refers to itself as an upscale daily-fee facility, but most are simply dressed-up munis masquerading as masterpieces. The proof is always in the putting surfaces, and these are outstanding. Unlike overnight architects who routinely build too much undulation into their greens, Hills was careful to keep Waverly's greens challenging but fair and playable. Solid.

FAIRWAYS AND ROUGH - rating: 4 +
Among area publics, only Bulle Rock, Augustine, and Raspberry Falls opened in this type of shape. The turfgrass at Waverly is phenomenally healthy, affording consistent, firm lies everywhere on the layout. Amazing for a facility that opened last week.

SERVICE/FACILITIES - rating: 3 +
It's difficult to rate Waverly in this category because no clubhouse has been built. Chipping and putting greens and an expansive range make Waverly the area's best practice facility in terms of size or quality. The natural-grass range features a unique contoured fairway cutout to give players a more realistic teebox feel

FEES/VAULE - rating: 4 +
At $38-60, Waverly Woods represents the best bargain in the region for Monday-Thursday players willing to walk. Among the five courses on its level, only Swan Point (Issue, MD) offers a comparably affordable weekend rate ($61).

OVERALL EXPERIENCE - rating: 4 +
The only thing that could keep this course from joining the area's top five publics is an enveloping, aura-killing residential community, complete with jungle gyms, picket fences and barking dogs. The American Dream is every golfer's greatest nightmare. Unfortunately, the long-term plans for Waverly Woods include a housing development. In the meantime, the place is almost perfect. Hills' layout flows along in unwavering splendor, Lutz has the course in exquisite shape, and the pure golf mystique resonates with every swing.

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