GreatHoles
No . 10 By
ROBERT TRENT JONES GOLF CLUB
David Partridge
T
PAR 4 he 19th Solheim Cup , a Ryder Cup-style competition contested between 12-player women ’ s teams from the United States and Europe , will be played September 10-15 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville . Home to the first four Presidents Cup tournaments held in the United States and the 120th highest rated course in America in Golf Digest ’ s latest biennial rankings , RTJ is a classic course , designed by its legendary namesake , which will be hosting its first-ever major women ’ s golf competition .
Although the U . S . holds a 10-8 edge in this trans-Atlantic clash , the Europeans have won two of the past three matches . Last year , the European squad staged a remarkable comeback in the final day singles matches in Cortesin , Spain , to forge a 14-14 tie and retain the cup . This intense competition has produced consistent brilliant play , compelling drama , occasional controversy and numerous close matches ; this year promises to be another impassioned confrontation between two outstanding teams .
Routed over beautiful rolling terrain that is densely populated with pine and hardwoods , the RTJ design reflects the philosophy that Mr . Jones pioneered — he made an art form of heroic architecture — and he applied his genius to create a
demanding layout with well over 100 bunkers that will surely test the world ’ s greatest female golfers . Furthermore , Jones , who has often been called the “ father of modern golf course architecture ,” cleverly laid out the course that bears his name so that the last 10 holes are played along the shoreline of picturesque Lake Manassas .
The 10th at RTJ , the second hole where Lake Manassas comes prominently into play , is a superb , short par-4 that is a particularly exciting design for match play . From the forward tees , some longer hitters may attempt to drive the green and from longer distances , golfers will likely play more conservatively with fairway metals or even irons off the tee to position their drives for an attacking , short iron approach on this slight dogleg left . The deep left rough is severely sloped , and the strategically placed fairway bunker ( where the short grass is narrowest ) must be avoided .
A good tee shot will set up an excellent birdie opportunity with a short iron ; however , the two-tiered putting surface — which is often exposed to wind off the lake — demands both accuracy and precise distance control on the approach shot , especially to pins on the shallow back shelf of the green . The ingeniously designed putting surface provides for an infinite variety of excellent pin positions
Gold : 380 yards
Green : 370 yards
Blue : 350 yards
YARDAGES
White : 315 yards
Silver : 300 yards
Red : 285 yards
to keep this hole fresh for golfers and to consistently challenge them each time they play this outstanding hole .
The Solheim Cup will be a spectacular celebration of golf and if you would like to watch these marvelous players , you can purchase tickets by visiting : solheimcupusa . com / tickets .
There are also openings for adults and juniors ( ages 15-18 ) to volunteer to support the Solheim Cup , and you can register for these opportunities at : solheimcupusa . com / volunteers .
A six-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 serving clients throughout Virginia .
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT TRENT JONES GOLF CLUB
14 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M ay / J u n e 2024 vsga . org