Destination: Washington D.C

Planning a golf vacation to our nation's capital is more than patriotic -- it's fun. Because not only are there some pretty good choices when it comes to golf venues -- some are even located on battlegrounds -- but there is so much to else to do and see on your golf trip as well.

For example, you can tour the White House, visit the Smithsonian, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, the Capitol, Arlington National Cemetery or visit George Washington's Mount Vernon estate on the Potomac.

You could even stay at the infamous Watergate Hotel or check into something a little more like conventional like the The Hay-Adams, originally designed in the 1920s as a residential hotel. On the west end, you could book the Fairmont Washington D.C., or check into the famous Mandarin Oriental, which has been recognized as one of the world's top hotels for business travelers. As for dining, there is no shortage of great restaurants -- from the Inn at Little Washington on Pennsylvania Avenue, to great little pizza joints like 2 Amy's on the northwest side or Forlano's Market in nearby Virginia off Route 66.

D.C. also has professional sports, including baseball's Washington Nationals, the Washington Capitals of the NHL, Washington Wizards in the NBA and, of course, football's Washington Redskins.

As for public golf, Washington D.C. proper has only a few courses, many of which are run by the National Park Service. But it's also surrounded by several states, each offering some outstanding public golf within easy driving of the Capitol.

Southeast Pennsylvania, for example, has the Links at Gettysburg, near one of the most significant battlefields of the Civil War. It's a tough links-style layout designed by Lindsay B. Ervin. Southern Maryland has dozens of quality public offerings, including Eagle's Landing Golf Course, which overlooks Sinepuxent Bay and the Assateague Island National Seashore. Eagle's Landing was once ranked in the top 45 among Golf Digest's most affordable public courses. And in northern Virginia, you'll find an array of terrific daily-fee courses such as the Rick Jacobson-designed Augustine Golf Club, Gary Player's Raspberry Falls and Hunt club, and Laurel Hill, designed by Bill Love.