GreatHoles
No. 5
THE OLD COURSE AT THE
OMNI HOMESTEAD RESORT
by DAVID PARTRIDGE
F
or nearly a century, The Omni Homestead Resort
in Hot Springs has been a passionate supporter of
the VSGA. Having served as the venue for countless
championships and other Virginia State Golf Asso-
ciation events dating back to 1922, it is one of the
most important partners of the VSGA.
Opened originally as a six-hole course in 1892 and later expand-
ed to 18 holes in 1901 by the legendary Donald Ross, Omni’s Old
Course has the distinction of being home to the nation’s oldest
first tee in continuous use. As highlighted by a plaque on the
tee, many American presidents have played The Old Course,
and their interest in the game—along with the support of iconic
institutions like The Omni Homestead Resort—helped golf really
begin to grow in popularity in the United States.
In August, The Old Course played host to two championships,
the 60th VSGA Women’s Senior Amateur and the 5th VSGA Super
Senior Four-Ball Championship. This year marks the 14th con-
secutive Women’s Senior Amateur to be played at the Old Course
and the 58th Women’s Senior to be held at Omni.
One of the best designs on The Old Course, and indeed one
of the truly neat short holes in Virginia is the par-3 fifth, the
signature hole at The Old Course. Played downhill toward
Sam Snead Memorial Highway, this little gem demands an
accurate, well-judged shot to reach the well-bunkered, trian-
gularly-shaped green that is narrow in the front and expands
at the rear.
vsga.org
The small target is
only the start to the
challenge of the fifth
hole as the putting sur-
face is very fast from
YARDAGES
front to back and breaks
sharply from left to
Gold:
Blue:
right. A subtle, but very
163 yards
140 yards
strategic spine in the
White:
Red:
middle of the green cre-
137 yards
148 yards
ates some real challeng-
es—both for putting and
recovery shots—espe-
cially when the hole is cut in the right rear of the green. With the
wider, more forgiving back section of the green affording more
uphill putts, whenever possible golfers would be wise to play their
tee shots to finish past the flag on this charming, yet testing, par-3.
The Omni Homestead Resort and The Old Course were a
superb venue for both state championships. If you would like
to enjoy the hospitality of the Omni Homestead Resort and the
outstanding golf it offers, the VSGA encourages you to sign up
for the VSGA One-Day events to be played at the Old Course
and on the world-famous Cascades Course on October 22–23,
respectively. Both tournaments include a Ladies Flight so these
events will be extremely popular—especially for couples—so the
VSGA encourages you to sign up quickly.
PAR 3
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