Green fees may or may not include cart fees, and may change without notice. The Washington area's elite publics are as playable and pretty as those in any major city. We've picked our Top 20 courses, all of which are open to the public, using an admittedly subjective list of criteria heavily weighted toward playability, convenience, value for the money and overall quality of experience. Legendary area course architect Ed Ault made the best of the tight-knit surroundings, serving up fairways lined with skyscraping trees and open, rewarding greens. Reston has dramatically upgraded its service and facilities in the past 18 months, securing its position as Washington's best public course.
Tremendous demand keeps the place extremely busy, but it's well worth the time and trouble to play.
Enterprise Golf Course 2802 Enterprise Rd. A mature beauty set gently among towering trees, the course occupies the former estate of Capt. Newton H. White, the first commanding officer of the fabled USS Enterprise aircraft carrier. A big plus is its location convenient to the Beltway and near USAir Arena. A big minus is that it doesn't take advance tee times, causing some serious traffic jams during peak periods.