MIKE KLEMME VIA CUTALONG |
The lake , home to Lake Anna State Park and the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station , is known for its multitude of recreational activities , but until recently , golf hasn ’ t been one of them .
One of the projects Clark bid on and won in 1999 was construction of a master planned golf community at Lake Anna that included a 27-hole golf course with surrounding lots ( 300 ) on 1,000 acres off New Bridge Road not far from a Lake Anna landmark , the Food Lion grocery store .
After 20 years of starts , stops and ownership changes , Cutalong Golf Club has come to fruition .
“ It ’ s gratifying . It was , I guess , frustrating for 20 years because of starting and stopping . I think the biggest hurdle was actually keeping the job that long with four different ownership groups ,” Clark says .
ROCKY ROAD Cutalong ’ s story is book worthy .
The first owner sold the property after a change in plans from well and septic to
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sewer and water became too expensive for him . The second owners changed the golf course to 18 holes in the master plan and planned and planned but couldn ’ t get the project going either .
Meanwhile , the golf course design and construction business headed down the path of too much supply and less demand .
The third owner began construction in 2012 , completed three holes and rough graded five , but three starts and stops led to foreclosure and bankruptcy .
“ I thought that was the end of Cutalong . I kind of threw up my hands and said this is just not going to happen ,” Clark says .
The current owners , Stillwater ( based in Alpine , Utah ), are avid golfers . They restarted
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construction in 2018-2019 and completed 11 holes and the practice facilities ( spectacular 360-degree views of the property ). The last seven holes were completed in 2020 and opened for play in December . An official opening is planned for this summer .
“ We originally thought the golf course would be the semi-private model ; part of a housing subdivision . We had tremendous success with the membership sales , and our plan now is to keep it private ,” says Mike Bennett , PGA , and head of Commonwealth Golf Group , the golf club ’ s day-to-day operations manager . “ The owners are good people who wanted a good golf course . Tom ’ s poured his heart and soul into it .”
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