Mistaken Identity
The Mystery of Sewells Point
by JIM DUCIBELLA
F
OR NEARLY 100 YEARS , golfers at Sewells Point in Norfolk believed they were playing on a course created by Donald Ross , one of the most prolific and revered architects in the game ’ s history .
President Dwight D . Eisenhower , Admirals Chester W . Nimitz and Lawsom P . Ramage , and pro superstars Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer were among the thousands who challenged what today is a 6,300-yard , par-71 layout located just six miles from downtown .
There are references to Ross nearly everywhere at Sewells Point : a placard at the front entrance , a large portrait in the hallway from the pro shop to the grill . Some of the merchandise sold in the pro shop has Ross ’ name stitched on it .
He ’ s as much a part of the fabric of Sewells Point as the fairways and greens . There ’ s only one problem : Donald Ross did not design Sewells Point .
14 V IRGINIA G OLFER | J ANUARY / F EBRUARY 2025 vsga . org