GreatHoles
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FARMINGTON COUNTRY CLUB
DAVID PARTRIDGE
The 2018 VSGA Women’ s Amateur Championship will be played July 9 – 12 at Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville. A strong field, including defending champion and 2015 USGA Mid-Amateur Champion Lauren Greenlief, will vie for the 93rd Amateur Championship.
Long recognized as one of the commonwealth’ s premier and most challenging, traditional courses, Farmington opened in 1927. Designed by Fred Findlay who laid out over 50 courses in Virginia— more than any other architect— Farmington is a true gem. Findlay skillfully capitalized on the beautiful rolling terrain of the Piedmont region of Virginia to produce superb shot values throughout all 18 holes.
While not exceedingly long( the ladies will play the course at about 6,000 yards), Farmington’ s great defense is its ultra-fast, sloping greens that place an exacting premium on approach shots. Farmington is a splendidly-maintained, outstanding test of golf that will crown a superb ladies’ champion in July. In May, it will also host a U. S. Open local qualifier for the second straight year.
One of the best holes at Farmington is the classic par-4 third, a slight dogleg right that stretches to 443 yards from the tips; the ladies will play at a little less than 400 yards. Bordered by penalizing trees on the right and heavy rough on the left with sloping topography that makes finding the fairway even more difficult, the third demands a strong, accurate drive to set up the crucial approach shot.
The second shot is played slightly downhill to a green guarded by three bunkers and a tactical false front that will reject poorly struck or defensive approach shots. The putting surface, reasonably flat by Farmington standards but still containing strategic slopes that must be both well-read and properly managed, create many intriguing putts and even more challenging recovery shots after a missed green. The third at Farmington is simply and truly a superb par 4 where par is always a good score.
Black: 443 yards
Orange: 414 yards
Blue / Gold: 399 yards
PAR 4
YARDAGES
Silver: 355 yards
Green: 351 yards
White / Lime: 295 yards
A longtime, passionate supporter of the VSGA, Farmington will be a splendid venue for the Women’ s Amateur Championship. Apart from its support of the Association and serving as the site for many past VSGA events, Farmington annually hosts The Kenridge Invitational, one of the premier men’ s invitational championships throughout the mid-Atlantic region.
A five-time VSGA Player of the Year and a multi-time winner of the VSGA Amateur, Mid-Amateur and Senior Amateur, David Partridge is the author of this series. David lives in the Richmond area and works as a mortgage banker.
FARMINGTON CC
16 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M ARCH / A PRIL 2018 vsga. org