GreatHoles
No. 8
O
THE HIGHLAND COURSE
AT PRIMLAND
by DAVID PARTRIDGE
ne of the most highly honored golf designs in the
Old Dominion is the Highland Course at Primland
Resort. Located in Meadows of Dan, Primland is a
luxury mountain resort situated on 12,000 undis-
turbed acres of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains,
and the Highland Course offers breathtaking views at every turn.
Primland was laid out by renowned British designer Donald
Steel, the only golf architect to have advised all the courses on the
British Open Championship rotation. Due to the mountainous
location, Steel called it the most difficult site he has ever worked
on and said, “We were determined we would die in our attempt
to build the course.” He was certainly rewarded for his efforts
with a true gem.
Among the awards given to the Highland Course, Golf Digest rec-
ognized it on its list of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses (No.
30) and 2019 Best Golf Courses in Virginia (No. 5). 2019 marks the
fifth consecutive appearance for the Highland Course on this pres-
tigious list published by Golf Digest. Other recognitions include
being ranked among Golfweek’s 2019 Top 100 Resort Golf Courses
(No. 31) and its 2019 Best Courses You Can Play (No. 2 in Virginia).
Primland sits atop a mountain plateau overlooking some majes-
tic highland views and a deep river valley; consequently, the course
has many significant changes in elevation. The 8th is a prime exam-
ple, a stunning downhill par-3 that both awes and terrifies you at
the same time. Standing on the tee, it is rare not to see some form
of wildlife such as bear, deer, turkeys, raccoons, and many other
animals that are frequent visitors on the Highland Course.
As you survey the tee shot, it is readily apparent there is plenty
of trouble on this difficult hole, especially given the length of
the approach. Regardless of where the flagstick is located, the
vsga.org
golfer should favor
the left side of the
green. The only real-
ly acceptable miss is
YARDAGES
long left; so take plen-
ty of club. Though it
is downhill, the hole
Black
Blue
really doesn’t play
220 yards
175 yards
much shorter than its
Red/Black
Green
actual yardage.
193 yards
104 yards
Since the green gen-
erally slopes from left
Red
to right, any shot on
193 yards
the left side of the put-
ting surface will yield
a reasonable birdie
chance and a relatively easy two-putt par. Shots that miss long left—
given the friendly terrain—will sometimes kick back onto the green
and if not, at least afford you an opportunity to get the ball up and
down for a cherished par on this most challenging hole.
The 8th at the Highland Course provides a sense of how special
this course is and how fun this hole is to play. While Meadows of
Dan requires some effort to get to—which is why this course is
one of the best kept secrets in Virginia—by making the trip you
will be rewarded with a superb experience and a wonderfully
memorable course to play.
PAR 3
A five-time VSGA Player of the Year, David Partridge was recently
elected to the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame. David lives in the
Richmond area and works as mortgage banker.
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