Virginia Golfer Jul / Aug 2020 | Page 31

COURTESY OF THE COURSE, LEONARD SHAPIRO There’s no formal practice range, but Rogers said Mr. Byron often took a shag bag of golf balls over to the farm’s wellmanicured polo field nearby and worked on his game there. The current “clubhouse” is a small shed that includes a refrigerator with cold drinks and few kitchen cupboards. There’s no cart barn. The two electric carts fit snugly together in another 12-by-20-foot shed that also houses several extra sets of clubs. Rogers does not know the original cost to build the course but estimated that a similar course today would probably be in the $8 to $10 million range, “which is conservative.” The upkeep now ranges between $500,000 and $600,000 a year, and Day has a staff of four workers. “The hope is that whoever buys it will keep the farm and the golf course as is,” Rogers said. “Keep the staff and run it like it’s been run the past 35 years. The sale includes all the equipment and the full staff is available to the owners, me included, on a consulting basis.” FANTASY LAND The course’s scenery is stunningly spectacular. The Blue Ridge mountains can be seen off in the distance. Mr. Byron had 2,000 now mostly mature trees from a nearby nursery planted all around, and a full-time farm arborist helps maintain them. So that Mrs. Byron would never have a problem locating her tee box, a Japanese maple was placed only a few yards from the ladies’ teeing ground on every hole. For any golfer, it’s a living breathing fantasy land. The mid-May day a visitor was invited to play the course, he spotted several foursomes of deer dashing down the fairway. Foxes, the occasional bear, and all manner of bird species have been seen on the property. A gorgeous gurgling mini-waterfall cascades about 60 yards from the 17th green, and with all those ponds, the fishing is good, too. As a single in a cart, it took only two hours to play 18 holes, including more than a few mulligans. There were a couple of pars, a near chip-in birdie at the sixth ABOVE: Hole 18 INSET: Heronwood’s logo proudly on display on of the course’s flagsticks. hole and a twisting 25-footer for bogey at No. 17. All in all, it was a golfer’s dream come true, and Heronwood will continue to remain on the golf writer’s personal bucket list, perhaps for a second visit. After all, there’s now a bit of course knowledge in the back pocket. Who needs Augusta National anyway, with Heronwood’s first tee only five miles from home. vsga.org J ULY/A UGUST 2020 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 29