GreatHoles
No. 8
KINLOCH GOLF CLUB
K
KINLOCH
GOLF CLUB
by DAVID PARTRIDGE
inloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot played host to the
Captain’s Putter Matches on October 14-15. This annual Ryder Cup style competition brings elite amateur
golfers from the Virginia State Golf Association and
the West Virginia Golf Association and pits them against their
counterparts from the Carolinas Golf Association (North and
South Carolina).
This year marked the 71st playing of this annual competition for
bragging rights in this friendly, yet highly competitive, intersectional rivalry. The 24-man squads feature 14 regulars, eight seniors,
and two super seniors. The competition consists of three rounds:
four-ball (also known as better ball) and foursomes (also called
alternate shot) matches are played Friday and singles matches are
contested on Saturday.
Regarded by many as the finest golf course in Virginia, among
its numerous awards Kinloch is ranked No. 56 on Golf Digest’s
Top 100 Courses. Designed by Vinny Giles and Lester George,
Kinloch is a magnificent layout that is an excellent test of golf for
the region’s finest amateurs.
One of the best designs at Kinloch is the classic par-4 eighth
hole. A long, slightly downhill two-shotter played over a beautiful
pond, the eighth demands a strong drive preferably favoring the
left side of the fairway. The left side features a speed slot that longer golfers can take advantage of with an accurate drive to gain a
shorter approach shot and this angle of play also affords the best
opportunity to attack the flag anywhere on the green.
The challenging second shot, typically played with a mid
vsga.org
to long iron from a
downhill lie to a wide
but shallow green,
must carry not only
YARDAGES
the pond but also a
steep false front that
BLACK:
WHITE:
will reject poorly hit
457 yards
378 yards
shots back into the
water. The sloping
GOLD:
RED:
putting surface fea437 yards
315 yards
tures a vast variety
of great hole locations and with green
speeds running around 12 or higher, the “fun has only begun”
once you reach the putting surface on this outstanding hole.
Kinloch Golf Club is a fervent supporter of the VSGA and
has previously been the venue for not only the Captain’s Putter
Matches but also the VSGA Amateur as well as the United States
Senior Amateur and the Middle Atlantic Golf Association Amateur
and Senior Amateur. Apart from its marvelous course, Kinloch is
renowned for its outstanding service to members and guests, and
the club was a wonderful host for the Captain’s Putter Matches.
PAR 4
A five-time VSGA Player of the Year and a multi-time winner of
the Virginia State 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.
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