The Woods Resort

The Woods' 36 holes split into two clearly different playing experiences. Mountain View, designed by Ray Johnston and opened in 1989, is the resort's championship-length course at 6,621 yards and par 72, winding through wooded, hilly terrain typical of the Eastern Panhandle. Stony Lick, also a Ray Johnston design, is a shorter, more forgiving par-62 course (roughly 3,018-3,700 yards depending on tees) built specifically -- per the resort's own materials -- to serve Woods Club members, families, seniors, and higher-handicap players who want an easier, faster round. Both courses are open to public daily-fee play as well as to members, which is consistent with the resort's broader model of golf as a resort/community amenity rather than an invitation-only private club.

Buying a home at The Woods does not automatically make you a golf-club member -- the access model depends on how you buy. New construction purchased directly through the resort's developer, PVP, Inc., reportedly comes with a bundled Family Indoor/Outdoor Recreation & Golf Membership included at no additional initiation fee (stated as a $3,150 value), which is the clearest bundled-golf feature in this market. The much larger population of existing, resale homeowners is not automatically enrolled -- they can purchase Woods Club golf membership separately, with a reported $5,350 initiation fee, or simply play as public daily-fee guests without joining at all. Every Woods property owner is a member of the nonprofit Woods Homeowners Association (WHOA), which is a standard, WV-recognized 501(c)(4) POA governing the subdivision's covenants and common areas -- WHOA membership is mandatory for owners, but WHOA itself is legally distinct from The Woods Club (the golf/recreation amenity operator, owned by PVP, Inc.). Buyers should confirm directly with the resort's real-estate office which membership terms apply to any specific home or lot before assuming bundled golf access.

The Woods reads less like a single subdivision and more like a small resort town: cottages, chalets, and larger contemporary homes are scattered across wooded lots, with the most golf-oriented product sitting along the two courses' fairways or on the surrounding mountainside with course and mountain views. The mix of vacation, retirement, and increasingly primary-residence buyers reflects the Eastern Panhandle's growing pull as a lower-cost, longer-commute alternative to Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland.

Beyond its two golf courses, The Woods offers two swimming pools, tennis and pickleball courts, basketball/volleyball and softball facilities, a restaurant and pub, a conference center for groups up to 100, the Sleepy Creek Spa, and hiking/walking trail access into the adjacent, state-owned Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area. Community traditions include the annual WoodsFest artisan festival and fireworks, and Winter Camp Park is open to all residents for picnicking and outdoor gathering.

The Woods sits roughly halfway between Berkeley Springs and Martinsburg in Berkeley County, in the heart of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle -- about 90 minutes from both Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, and close enough for both weekend-home and full commuter use.