GreatHoles
No . 17 By
THE CASCADES THE OMNI HOMESTEAD RESORT
David Partridge
LARRY LAMBRECHT
T
PAR 5 his year marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of The Cascades , a legendary golf course that is part of The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs . Having hosted nearly 260 state championships over the last century , The Omni Homestead Resort has been a passionate supporter of the VSGA and golf in the commonwealth .
The Cascades has long been regarded as one of the finest mountain courses in the country . It was originally to be laid out by A . W . Tillinghast ; however , “ Tilly ” found the property unsuitable for a course and consequently , William Flynn , a heralded architect who designed such iconic courses as Shinnecock , Cherry Hills , Kittansett , and the James River Course at the Country Club of Virgina , was brought in to design The Cascades . Flynn is famous for his superb course routings , and it took his genius to create this spectacular track that is at the forefront of golf history in Virginia .
Apart from its ardent support of the VSGA , The Homestead has also hosted more USGA Championships ( 8 ) than any other club in the Commonwealth . Earlier this year , The Omni Homestead Resort announced that as part of its anniversary celebration of The Cascades , it would serve as the venue for two more national championships this decade : U . S . Senior Women ' s Amateur in 2025 and the U . S . Senior Amateur in 2029 .
Blue : 518 yards
White : 481 yards
YARDAGES
Gold : 375 yards
Red : 368 yards
One of the previous USGA Championships held at The Cascades was the 1967 U . S . Women ' s Open . Catherine Lacoste , a 22-year-old amateur from France , captured the Open . In so doing she became the only amateur to ever win the championship , the first international champion of the U . S . Open , and at the time , the youngest golfer to triumph in our national championship . Catherine was the daughter of René Lacoste , the renowned tennis player — a multiple winner of the French Open , Wimbledon , and the U . S . Open — who created the famous Lacoste tennis shirt with the iconic crocodile embroidered on the chest . It is not an alligator as many people mistakenly believe , for René was nicknamed “ the crocodile .”
The turning point of the Open came at the 17th hole , a spectacular par-5 where Lacoste , after squandering most of a seven-shot lead she held earlier in the round , made a birdie to forge a two-stroke lead that she maintained with a par at the closing hole . At such a young age , Lacoste had to persevere through the intense Open pressure , rain over much of the final day , and a series of five straight bogeys , to ultimately capture her signature victory .
The 17th is a dogleg left that circles around the base of a very high hill with tall trees and deep vegetation , and where countless golf balls go to their final resting place . The beautiful Cascades Stream ( which lends its name to the course ) borders the entire right side of the hole and enlarges into a scenic pond near the green before the water flows on to form another pond that fronts the 16th green . A long drive , preferably down the left side of the fairway to shorten the hole and improve the angle for the second shot , will afford golfers the chance to go for the green in two on this shortish par 5 . The flat putting surface can create some excellent eagle opportunities ; however , trouble awaits any poor shot with water very close on the right and two bunkers protecting the putting surface . The 17th at The Cascades is a truly great golf hole .
A five-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 .
vsga . org N OVEMBER / D ECEMBER 2023 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 13