Virginia Golfer July / August 2014 | Página 24

TheVirginia Explorer The Club at Creighton Farms ALDIE, VA. N estled in northern Virginia’s scenic Piedmont region an hour’s drive from downtown Washington, D.C., Creighton Farms is an exclusive gated community of just 184 homes. One of those homes belongs to course designer Jack Nicklaus, whose stylish 5,500-square-foot dwelling, currently under construction, is located near the ninth green. The golf course has received Audubon International certification for environmental preservation. The native habitat is matched by the area’s history. Civil War landmarks abound in a region where George Washington worked as a surveyor, and where the charming, wellpreserved 18th-century towns of Leesburg and Middleburg are just minutes away. The Club at Creighton Farms, opened in 2007, showcases Nicklaus at his best. “The land was perfect for an exceptional golf course,” Nicklaus says. “I simply had to peel away the cover to reveal its true potential.” Gently rolling fairways, framed in places by mature pines and hardwoods, are skirted by a thickly foliaged creek and other water features. Large sculpted bunkers defend the subtly contoured greens. It’s a par-72 layout that calls for tactics and precision from the members’ tees at 6,223 yards, but from the tips at 7,410 yards, Creighton Farms is one of the firmest tests of golf in the commonwealth. The trilevel clubhouse, overlooking the first tee and 18th green, is a handsome, welcoming edifice done up in an American Vernacular-style, with nine overnight club rooms available. Residences at Creighton Farms range from three to seven-acre custom estates, including Legacy Homes from $1.7 million and homes in The Enclave from $1.6 million. Custom Villas, at over an acre and located in the Nicklaus Village, are priced from $1.5 million. Huntleigh at Creighton Farms features seven of builder Stanley Martin’s exclusive home designs starting at $742,990. Club members enjoy reciprocity at other Southworth properties worldwide. (creighton