GreatHoles
No . 7 By
BELMONT GOLF COURSE
David Partridge
W
PAR 3 ith a rich , colorful past dating back to 1917 , Belmont Golf Course in Richmond is unquestionably one of the most historic courses in all of Virginia . Originally an early home of the famed Hermitage Country Club , Belmont was designed by the legendary architect , A . W . Tillinghast , and was later renovated by Donald Ross . In more recent years as part of a major revitalization effort , Love Golf Design transformed the facility into an outstanding new golf campus to serve golfers .
Belmont is the only course in the commonwealth to ever host a men ’ s major golf championship ; it was the venue for the 1949 PGA Championship won by Sam Snead . The PGA was then conducted as match play and after two qualifying rounds , Snead had to win six head-to-head matches , including a 36-hole final , to capture the championship .
In the 1970s , Hermitage moved to its current location in Goochland County and the club sold the course to Henrico County . In 2020 , the First Tee of Greater Richmond won the opportunity to take over the operation that began the marvelous metamorphosis that led to the present facility . Belmont includes a 12-hole course ( all Tillinghast original designs ), a six-hole short course , an enormous putting course ( the largest in Virginia ), as well as an outstanding practice
area . As evidence of the remarkable success of the First Tee program and the attendant renovation of the Belmont property , in 2022 the Greater Richmond Chapter served 76,000 children across its three facilities in the Richmond area .
Tillinghast , one of the most prolific designers in the history of golf , is famous for his challenging creations ( 50 major championships have been conducted on 24 of his courses ). His overarching design strategy was that each course , and indeed each hole , should have its own unique identity and that is why there is very little redundancy in his work . That distinctiveness is part of Tillinghast ’ s genius , and it stands in stark contrast to such notable Tilly contemporaries as C . B . Macdonald and Seth Raynor , who believed in adapting recurring hole templates to the property they were working on at the time . Tillinghast was quoted as saying , “ a round of golf should have 18 inspirations . Each hole must have individuality .”
Tillinghast placed great emphasis on the quality of approach shots , and he typically tested players with deep , menacing bunkers around his greens as well as putting surfaces that included intimidating undulations . The real challenge on a Tilly course often begins when golfers don ’ t place their approach shot in the correct area of the green — recall watching U . S . Opens on television , the demands of Winged
Green : 165 yards
Blue : 150 yards
YARDAGES
Black : 180 yards
Yellow : 115 yards
Red : 80 yards
Foot , one of the most difficult courses in the world . These design characteristics are clearly present in the 7th at Belmont with four yawning bunkers , and the green pitched away from you on virtually every shot from the sand , along with significant slopes in the putting surface that require a well-executed , precision tee shot . While only a mid-iron even from the tips , the 7th at Belmont is a classic example of Tillinghast ’ s brilliance and where a par on this demanding hole is always an excellent score .
A five-time VSGA Player of the Year , David Partridge was elected to the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame in 2020 . He lives in the Richmond area and works as a mortgage banker .
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