Golf
Staycation
With air travel off the schedule for many, opportunities
abound for great golf near home | by CHRIS LANG
VIRGINIA REALLY IS IN THE CENTER OF IT ALL. A quick drive, flight or train
ride can take you to all sorts of great golf destinations, whether it be iconic Bethpage
Black in New York, Pinehurst in North Carolina, Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head in South
Carolina, or the courses along the northeast Florida coast.
But we understand that we’re operating under a strange reality this summer. Many of
us are not yet ready to hop in an airplane or jump on a crowded train to travel for a golf
vacation. Thankfully, the Commonwealth is filled with interesting courses that are only
a day trip away.
By now, most know about Virginia’s famous resorts: Primland, The Golden Horseshoe,
Kingsmill and The Omni Homestead among them. Virginia features plenty of hidden gems
worth exploring, though. So get ready to throw your clubs in the trunk and set off on an
Old Dominion road trip adventure.
THE GREAT NORTHWEST
The Interstate 81 corridor in northern
Virginia features plenty of public golf.
Take a detour east on I-66 toward Front
Royal to find tee times at Bowling Green
Country Club or Blue Ridge Shadows Golf
Club. The state’s northwest features three
unique layouts worth exploring on any day
trip. Add some hiking in the nearby Blue
Ridge Mountains for an ideal quick trip.
Let’s explore:
➽ The Schoolhouse Nine, Sperryville.
Northwest of Culpeper on U.S. 522, you’ll
find this nine-hole throwback gem that has
drawn the attention of the self-professed
“golf nerds” of the Sugarloaf Social Club
(see Virginia Golfer’s December 2019 issue
for more on SSC). Nestled in the shadow
of Old Rag and the Blue Ridge Mountains,
this unique design features nine challenging
par-3 holes, ranging in length from 85
to 171 yards. As you work your way around
the course, you’ll walk past a series of
native wildflower meadows bordered by
the Thornton River. Don’t go looking for
an online tee time, though. Starting times
are on a first-come, first-served basis. Pay
online, check in at the Headmaster’s Pub
and set off on an experience unlike any
other in Virginia golf.
Though the
Headmaster’s Pub may
not be open, simply
pay online and tee it up
at Schoolhouse Nine,
the perfect course for
a quick morning outing
with your kids.
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V IRGINIA G OLFER | J ULY/A UGUST 2020