Thousand Acres Lakeside Golf Club

Thousand Acres Lakeside occupies terrain in Swanton, Maryland, a small community in Garrett County near the state's western panhandle where Maryland narrows between Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The course sits in the Appalachian highlands region, where elevation and topography create a different golfing landscape than the flatter terrain found elsewhere in Maryland. Craig Schreiner designed the layout, working with land that reflects the rolling to hilly character typical of this part of the state. The routing takes advantage of natural elevation changes and wooded corridors common to mountain and foothill courses in the mid-Atlantic. Garrett County's landscape includes lakes and reservoirs formed both naturally and through damming projects in the region's history, and the course name suggests proximity to or integration with such water features. Courses in this area often play through mixed hardwood forests with seasonal color changes that define the visual experience from spring through autumn. Swanton lies near Deep Creek Lake, a recreational area that draws seasonal visitors to western Maryland's highlands. Golf facilities in this region serve both local populations and tourists seeking mountain recreation. The climate at this elevation means a shorter playing season than courses in lower-lying parts of Maryland, with winter conditions limiting year-round access. Schreiner's design work reflects the practical considerations of building and maintaining golf courses in terrain where drainage, tree management, and seasonal weather patterns shape both construction decisions and ongoing course conditioning.