COURTESY OF THE COURSES
In the Richmond area, Independence
Golf Club features the Bon Secours Mentor
Short Course, a nine-hole short course
that is also being used as experimental
grounds for the Virginia Tech Turfgrass
Program. The First Tee of Richmond’s
downtown facility features a six-hole Lester
George designed short course that’s
open to the public as well. Lansdowne
Resort in Loudoun County and The Golden
Horseshoe in Williamsburg also offer
nine-hole short courses adjacent to their
championship tracks.
One course of note out west is the renovated
Blacksburg Municipal Golf Course,
otherwise known as “The Hill,” where
current PGA Tour member and past Delta
Dental State Open of Virginia champion
Lanto Griffin got his start. George led an
extensive renovation effort in 2017 and
the club reopened in the summer of 2018.
The biggest changes were the removal of
some trees and the subsequent upgrade
in the quality of turf, and the addition of a
practice facility.
HIT THE PARKS
Five VSGA member clubs operate under
the umbrella of the Fairfax County Parks
Authority in northern Virginia, the most
notable being Laurel Hill in Lorton, host
of past U.S. Public Links and VSGA Women’s
Amateur championships. FCPA clubs
offer a little something for everyone who
may be visiting the Washington D.C. area.
Pinecrest in Alexandria recently debuted
renovated bunkering at its nine-hole
facility, and Jefferson District in Falls
Church offers another quick nine-hole
round for players.
Head out to the western part of the
county to play Twin Lakes’ two 18-hole
layouts. The par-72 Lakes Course opened
in 1967 and is much more forgiving than
the Oaks Course, a par-71 track that
opened in 1998. Greendale Golf Course,
an 18-hole facility in Alexandria, rounds
out the FCPA roster.
ABOVE: No. 13 on the Boulder Course at
Rock Harbor, featuring the “castle green”.
INSET: The par-3 16th at Laurel Hill Golf Club
in Lorton.
The Northern Virginia Regional Parks
Authority (NOVA Parks) runs three VSGA
member clubs, including Algonkian GC
and Brambleton GC in Loudoun County
and Pohick Bay in Lorton, not far from
Laurel Hill and historic Gunston Hall, the
home of George Mason.
Your travel options may be limited this
summer, but your golf options aren’t if you
stay in the Commonwealth. A staycation
filled with quality golf is still within your
reach.
vsga.org
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