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NORTH
As the Washington , D . C . suburbs continue to expand , driving out to Leesburg for a day in Loudoun County wine country feels more and more like an escape from the hustle inside the Beltway . One of the premiere daily-fee , public courses in the area for the past 20 + years is Raspberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club .
I may be dating myself but I can remember when Raspberry Falls first opened . It was a big deal . It was designed by Gary Player . It had pure , lightning fast bentgrass greens . There weren ’ t any houses on the property , the trees were immature ( read : not very tall ), and the stacked-sod greenside bunkers were unique for the area .
A lot of courses are given the ‘ links-like ’ moniker but few do much beyond aesthetics . Over the years those natural stackedsod bunkers became harder and harder to maintain and eventually they lost all of their character . Until recently , that is . Over the past couple seasons a number of these bunkers have been rebuilt in their original
Raspberry Falls will host a VSGA One-Day Event in July .
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style and are again unique to the region . In fact , if you never played the course back in the late 1990 ’ s or early 2000 ’ s you probably have no idea these bunkers were anything special to begin with .
Most recently , the club has embarked on a multi-phase bunker restoration / renovation . This project includes restoring most of the greenside stacked sod bunkers ( this time with artificial sod which should last longer and reduce maintenance ) while eventually renovating the remaining bunkers on the course with new liners , sand , and surrounds . These improvements will immediately bring much of the unique charm of the course back from yesteryear .
With the explosion of wineries in the state , one of the biggest growth regions is Loudoun County . Just 15-20 minutes away from Raspberry Falls is one of the newest wineries in the region , Carriage House Wineworks in Waterford . Only open since 2020 , this estate-run premium boutique winery is co-owned by Mike Fritze and Bruce Beddow .
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Fritze and Beddow ’ s goal is to make the best possible wine out of locally ( estate ) grown Waterford fruit . So far they ’ re succeeding . Even through the pandemic , the region ’ s wine lovers have found Carriage House . It ’ s cozy and welcoming ambiance is sure to only garner more rave reviews in addition to some really delicious wine .
CENTRAL
As you travel I-81 you could hit numerous other wineries along the way but we suggest you head towards Charlottesville and visit the winery of one of the earliest and preeminent Virginia winemakers , Michael Shaps Wineworks . Known for producing exceptional wines , Michael Shaps produces wine for his own label as well as others throughout the state . Many of which have garnered regional and national recognition .
In describing his journey , “ After seven vintages at King Family , Michael found a new home for his brand when he and a partner opened Virginia Wineworks in 2007 . This multifaceted operation is both the home of the Michael Shaps brand and Virginia ’ s first and largest contract winemaking operation , more commonly known as custom crush .” Today , this impressive operation produces 30,000 cases of wine for more than a dozen contract winemaking clients . Don ’ t let these numbers fool you , the wine is worth the visit .
Also worth checking out in this area from a golf perspective is Birdwood Golf at Boar ’ s Head Resort . Home to the University of Virginia men ’ s and women ’ s golf teams , the entire facility is now top-notch . Davis Love III , along with his brother Mark Love and course architect Scot Sherman created and reimagined the land to create a course that feels like it ’ s much older than it is .
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE COURSES / WINERIES |