“ I ’ m thankful they came along and recognized the incredible potential here . Having been here from the beginning and seeing what it once was , it was a beautiful golf course and can be again .”
“ I ’ m thankful they came along and recognized the incredible potential here . Having been here from the beginning and seeing what it once was , it was a beautiful golf course and can be again .”
— Terry Allen , original Beacon Hill member
Redefined fairways , restored greens and altered bunkers are just a few of the ways Beacon Hill is being reimagined . after construction started in 2001 , Abrams informed Clark that he ’ d be working alongside one of the principals in Senior Tour Players .
Abrams ( who is now deceased ) ultimately forcing Clark out of the project altogether . Working from Clark ’ s design , Miller ’ s plan included narrow 20-yard fairways , penal rough , deep bunkers and long , forced carries that were daunting for all but highly skilled players .
“ If you couldn ’ t elevate the ball , it was a very challenging golf course . People would come play the first three holes and leave because they had already lost eight balls ,” said Terry Allen , an original Beacon Hill member and former homeowners ’ association president who still lives in the home he bought there in 2002 .
“ I fell in love with its natural beauty — I had never seen anything like it — and it didn ’ t bother me that it was difficult because I didn ’ t care that much about my score ,” he said . “ But I know they had a hard time selling memberships because of it .”
Senior Tour Players hadn ’ t yet begun construction on a permanent clubhouse when it shuttered the golf course , citing financial difficulties , in 2006 .
A series of lawsuits ensued , as Citibank attempted to foreclose on the property and recoup whatever it could from an unpaid $ 11 million loan . Following a legal battle , three Massachusetts municipal pension funds that had invested in the Beacon Hill project were given control of the course .
The Beacon Hill HOA subsequently sued the pension funds for failing to maintain the course to the standard required in the
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THOMAS CLARK AND RESORT DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS
28 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M ARCH / A PRIL 2024 vsga . org