Virginia Oaks Golf Club

I've played over 100 different courses that are on golf now...this course ranks in in bottom 5 on course condition. There were thousands of golf ball sized mushrooms on the fairways (very difficult to locate your ball on the fairway), the greens were chewed up/un-puttable, there were very few yardage markers and the sand in the bunkers coarse and packed down tight.
The staff was friendly and professional. The course layout was player friendly. The proshop, bar/restaurant areas and restrooms were very clean.
The course was a bargain (inexpensive tee times on golfnow) but I will never play again.
-Golf enthusiast from the Phoenix valley and working in the DC area.

I think in a few years this course will be great, but for now, while the entire course is being redone, it's not worth it. Every tee box, fairway, and green is tore up. There are literally wasp nests on most greens. The starter was incredibly friendly and candid about how the old management neglected the course, and the free round (you pay for the cart) was generous in return, but I don't think I'll go back despite the price.

Played this course for the first time in 5 years and boy have things changed. Its clear that somewhere along the line this course was totaly neglected. It seems like things are slowly starting to turn around but it will be awhile. No starter and you have individual golfers jumping holes. At least 6 of the greens are in really bad shape. The back nine has a couple holes with complete fairways under renovation. Most fairways are spotty and there is typically no substantial fairway grass on any fairways. In its current condition I wouldn't pay more than $25 bucks to play this course. When you pay they give you a voucher for free green fees on your next visit but you must pay a cart fee of $25. Its for non peak times which based on the condition all green fees should be at non peak prices.

When I checked in to pay, the worker immediately gave me a coupon which was good for a free round with only having to pay a cart fee due to the "heat and weather conditions which impacted the course." I knew this was not a good sign. The course was in absolutely horrible condition as all of the putting greens were beat up and was like putting on dirt and mud. I find the weather thing a little bogus because other courses in the area are in great condition. This was my second time playing the course as the first time was in a tournament. I liked the layout and figured I would try the course again and this was a bad decision. I don't even think the free round (with the cart fee) would be worth it since the course is just not in good shape. I don't know the management situation, but something needs to be done with increasing maintenance on the course if they want to attract anyone to play there.

Could be a great course just needs to be better maintained. I see everyone on here complaining, ok, but it's still relatively cheap to play here. If the grass gets better they could charge an arm and a leg. Only complaint would be getting paired up poorly by the starter, which isn't really anyone's fault, it was Saturday. Besides that though, I'll probably be back.

I played this course about thirty times between the end of the 2015 season and midway through the 2016 season, and it got progressively worse every time I played it, to the point in late summer last year that it became unplayable, in my opinion. The course has a very nice layout and a nice balance between challenge and fairness. I would love to play it again if someone were to put serious money into rehabbing it. Right now, I can't recommend it as it is suffering from extreme neglect. Weeds choke the water hazards, fairways and tee boxes. Brush and other debris clutter the rough, even fairly close to the fairway, resulting in many unnecessarily lost balls. The greens are bumpy and have many bare spots. The staff, friendly but not terribly honest, keeps singing the same tune, that "new management" is working hard to restore the course after incompetence and neglect from previous managers, but my observation has been that the neglect and decline in playing conditions not only continued but accelerated under the new management. Frankly, it strikes me as a course headed for closure, with minimal money and effort being expended to keep a few suckers coming back until the course inevitably dies. Quite a shame for this once very enjoyable course.

Played this course about 20 years ago and it was a good experience. This time around, it was unbelievable how much the conditions had deteriorated. The people that allowed this to happen have no respect for the game of golf. Layout has always been good. Condition of course reminded me of Pinecrest back in the 70’s. They are in the vicious cycle of deteriorating courses. I would be very surprised to see a material improvement in the future…ever. Upon check-in, they acknowledged the “sub-par condition” and offered a coupon that allows free play with the condition that you pay $25 for a cart. Can go to so many nearby courses for a few dollars more, so no big incentive there. Would not waste the time to play at this course even if it was completely free. The operators of this course should be ashamed and Golfnow should respect its users and remove this course.

summer hot may kill grass on the greens and fairway..It needs total repair.

I like this course. good!
My family also like that course.

The layout of the course is pretty good. The problem is the condition of the course. When I played some type of wasps had taken over half the greens. The fairways are dry, and have lots of random patches of crabgrass right in the middle. The greens were also very burnt and dead. Hard to even putt on some holes.

The practice greens are burnt and destroyed as well.

I do hope that all the talk about a restoration does come true.

Let me just start off by saying I never write reviews but this course is in such made shape I had to warn people not to play here. I payed $48 to play at VA Oaks and let me say they couldn't pay me enough money to come back and play...so not worth it!!! The tee boxes are not maintained, wouldn't even know where the tee boxes start and the weeds begin if it wasn't marked. The greens are infested with what I believe are digger wasp (Cicada Killers) but if that's not bad enough they again are not maintained at all (no one repairs their ball marks). Fairways are not fairways, I would rather be in the rough cuz at least the rough has grass. As for amenities, they don't have any and if you want food or drinks they are over priced. At lest PWCG gives you a cooler with water on your cart. So again, please don't play here, pay extra $$ to go anywhere else.

Played here before and enjoyed it. Staff are probably the best in area. Course however in rough shape - fallen off badly from a year ago. Pace of play slow. Can't recommend now but fingers crossed for the future...

It's simply a shame that this course is not well-maintained.
The layout is very good, a good solid challenge without getting ridiculous, and a good compromise in length. It is a good neighborhood course with a significant housing-presence but still a good layout and some nice lake views. It just be a great course if it was better-maintained. As it is I can only shake my head. Wasps have taken over half the greens and the fairways are just dry, patchy, with crabgrass in places where the fairway should be. It's just borderline-ragged.

It's almost like the owners have decided to let it go to waste and see who will try to buy it and start it up again. But this is a course that really needs to be played more often and make more money if that is what is keeping it from getting the maintenance that it deserves.

Good clubhouse, nice deck under a shade good for sitting out and watching people butcher the 9th hole :) a bit expensive if you wander away from the canned beers.

Took 5 and a half hours, following a threesome who were following a twosome. Both groups playing from the blue tees, trash players all. Not a Marshall to be seen, no cart girl. Three holes open in front of twosome. I complained at the turn, did no good.

Save your money. This course is on its last legs. The practice green and the actual greens are disease ridden and dying. The tee boxes are bare or have unmown crab grass and the fairways are over watered and bare. Huge disappointment for the $46 rate on GN.

They have really let this course fall apart. T-boxes were dirt and crab grass. The fairways are torn up and appears they are seeding. Worst greens I've seen in a long time. This course used to be nice a few years ago so can only assume superintendent left or just doesn't care anymore. Will not go back to this course.

Today was the first time I've played Virginia Oaks in several years and WOW, has this course really gone down hill. I never cared for the layout which is why I stayed away for so long, but playing it today was like playing a different course than it used to be. Previously, at least the tee boxes, fairways, and greens were well kept but today I have to say this was the worst kept course I've ever seen. The every tee box was weeds, patchy grass, and mostly sand/dirt. The fairways were burnt out and divot marks clearly ignored. Fairway and green-side bunkers were straight mud and unplayable. On #18 there were 20+ geese hanging out on the fairway inside 100 yards and walking up to any ball in that area made certain you were going to step in goose droppings.

The kicker though was earlier in the round on the #5 green. It was swarming with hornets and I counted four nests burrowed IN THE GREEN. I let the ranger know it was borderline dangerous and he said "yeah we're trying to get rid of them". Clearly not trying hard enough. While that was bad enough, when we got to the #15 green, half of it was covered in hornets and I counted FOURTEEN nests. Seriously.

The bees alone are unacceptable and frankly dangerous, but everything else added up cemented it for me that I'll never go back. Oh and the flag stick on #1 and #14 wouldn't stay in the hole and had to be leaned into the cup.

To be fair it was a $35 round, the staff were friendly, and we played at a decent pace. But for real, I've never played a round of golf and seriously wanted to ask for a refund at the end, until today. Avoid this place.

fairways are is very bad condition, bad drainage and green are damaged

The condition of the course is fairly good. However the staff are not so friendly.
The guy who is maintaining the grass did not stop for a while when golfers playing, even watering us.
There's a guy who keeps follow us closely even when we told him stop doing this.

When I moved to this area over a decade ago one of the first courses I played was Virginia Oaks. Since it was a P.B. Dye course that was public, I was excited to give it a try. It did not disappoint. It was in excellent condition with a GPS system on every cart and the course in very good condition. Tee boxes, fairways, greens, and other amenities. At the time it was probably one of the best golf values in the country.

However, the course has deteriorated from year to year. Two years ago I played the course and it was in such bad shape I decided not to go back. I went back yesterday because I got an extremely good deal and I live very close to the course, so I thought I would give it a shot since I knew that they had a new management team.

It is not where it used to be, but it seems to be heading in the right direction. The fairways which were burnt out in places and had crabgrass growing in many spots two years ago are improved. Again not excellent, but significantly better. The greens have made improvement as well. The tee boxes still need a lot of work.

However, based on the improvement and the fact that the course is a great layout for the money, I will be returning.