Fredericksburg, Virginia -
Hit The Road Jack!

Golf is becoming a pretty trendy thing these days in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I remember when the only course in that area in the early 90s was Shannon Greens which was located visually off I-95. But they paved paradise and put up a parking lot..er..shopping center there. They must have awakened a sleeping giant, because since then, it has become quite the golf destination.

The real golf boom in Fredericksburg started in 1994 when Lee's Hill Golfer's Club opened its doors. Set with a Civil War theme (the tee markers feature battle time weaponry) on land General Robert E. Lee's troops once roamed, Lee's Hill was one of the first golf courses to develop an "upscale course" theme, providing better conditions and service for daily play. To this day, Lee's Hill is considered one of the top courses in the area.

Other courses soon followed. World renowned golf architect P.B. Dye etched his no guts-no glory trademark with The Gauntlet at Curtis Park. There are several dramatic shots on the front nine around Curtis Lake. The Gauntlet is the only course in the area with plush zoysia grass fairways and was ranked by Golf Digest as one of the best new courses of 1996.

Just across Curtis Lake you'll find Augustine Golf Club, which has quickly become one of the area's favorite upscale layouts. Rick Jacobson, who used to work for Jack Nicklaus Design, carved a real beauty here. Critically acclaimed by golfers and reviewers alike, Augustine is a majestic traditional design worthy of its accolades. Voted by Golf Digest, one of the top five new courses in the nation in 1996. One of Virginia's best!

Bill "Farmer" Meadow's philosophy is fun and exciting. He built Meadows Farms Golf Course with just that in mind. According to the Guiness Book of World Records, Meadows Farms is home to the longest hole in the United States at 841 yards. You'll also find waterfalls, island greens, a warm up hole, even a baseball field. Meadows Farms is pure unadulterated golf fun!

Right across Route 3 and on the shores of the Rapidan River is one of the newer courses to the area. Somerset Golf Club is one of the area's more demanding and picturesque designs. Architect Jerry Slack offers eighteen signature holes with both traditional and links style play. The course masterfully incorporates the beauty of Somerset's natural terrain while preserving natural areas and wetlands. After a series of rather creepy incidents, Somerset Golf Club became the first golf course in the United States to eliminate its 13th hole. They didn't take it out. They just renumbered it. So now you end the round on the nineteenth hole. Now that's superstition!

Just 30 minutes west of Fredericksburg in Midland is Kastle Greens Golf Club, a unique course adorned by a clubhouse built just like a castle, only without the moat. The Gary Cordova design combines a wee bit of Scotland on the front nine with a plantation-style design for the back. This new course has matured nicely and provides all the challenges of a modern design golf course set on the Virginia countryside. Kastle Greens just may be the best course you haven't played yet.

There are plans in the works for several new golf projects in this area, which will keep it one of Virginia's best golf destinations. With its location on I-95, the Fredericksburg area is easily accessible. All you have to do is hit the road Jack!