GreatHoles
No. 15
T
COUNTRY CLUB OF VIRGINIA
JAMES RIVER COURSE
by DAVID PARTRIDGE
he Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course
has hosted the Dominion Energy Charity Classic for
the last three years. The opening event of the sea-
son-ending Charles Schwab Cup, the tournament
has quickly established itself as one of the most
popular stops on the PGA Tour Champions. While many facts
validate the success of the tournament, perhaps none are more
remarkable than the Classic contributing more than $600,000 to
deserving non-profit organizations in central Virginia in its first
two years, and this amount was expected to surpass $1 million
following the 2018 event.
The Dominion Energy Charity Classic and the PGA Champi-
ons Tour recently announced a 10-year extension of the event
through 2029. In addition to the title sponsor extension, the
James River Course will remain the host venue for 10 years.
These joint agreements represent the longest simultaneous
extensions ever announced between a title sponsor and a host
venue in PGA Tour Champions history.
A two-time site of the U.S. Amateur and a frequent venue for
VSGA events, the James River Course is a superb test that was
originally designed by noted architect William Flynn. Subse-
quent re-workings by Rees Jones and Lester George included
a total renovation of the 4th hole by George, but the genius of
Flynn’s original classic routing remains largely intact.
One of the really neat holes on the River Course is the beautiful,
short par-4 15th, which is perfectly framed by mature hardwoods.
A gentle dogleg left that entices the very longest hitters to consider
trying to drive the green, most golfers will play a shot for position
from the tee. The drive favors a right-to-left shape to turn off
three fairway bunkers on the right and avoid large trees as well as
vsga.org
a small, but perfectly
placed, stream on the
left. It is vital to get
this tee shot on the
YARDAGES
short grass or at the
very least, out of the
Blue:
White:
various hazards that
317 yards
308 yards
protect this hole.
While a solid drive
Black:
Gold:
will set up a potential
317 yards
284 yards
good birdie opportu-
nity with a short iron,
Green:
Red:
the slick putting sur-
308 yards
284 yards
face slopes decidedly
from back to front so
the approach shot demands both accuracy and precise distance
control. The 15th is unquestionably a hole where putting uphill
is a major advantage, and the character of this outstanding par 4
definitely adds to the first-class golf experience that is the James
River course.
The Country Club of Virginia is a longtime, ardent supporter
of golf. As golfers, we applaud the support of the membership and
administration of CCV as well as the stewardship of Dominion
Energy for their commitment to bringing great golf to Virginia
for many years to come.
PAR 4
A five-time VSGA Player of the Year and a multi-time winner of
the VSGA 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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