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4.9
102 Reviews (102)
5 Stars
94
4 Stars
8
3 Stars
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2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.8
Value
4.8
Layout
4.8
Friendliness
4.6
Pace
3.6
Amenities
4.8
100.0%
Recommend this course
102 out of 102 reviews
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About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 7389 yards
Slope 151
Rating 76.6

Spring Creek Golf Club, which is just outside of colonial Charlottesville, tumbles across the wooded hills that sit beneath the mountains of central Virginia. The scenic course winds through mature trees and it is also accented with rock walls and bridges. The layout will test your accuracy with its narrow fairways, water hazards, and strategically placed sand traps but it is still playable enough to appeal to a wide range of skill levels, and there is plenty of scenic respite as well to make the round well worth the reasonable green fees. The golf course is relatively young but it has quickly garnered a strong following. When it opened in 2007 it was named the "Best New Affordable Course" by Golf Digest, and since then the accolades have kept coming, including being ranked as one of the top 100 public golf courses in the country.

Course Details

Year Built 2006
Architect Ed Carton (2006)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes
GPS No
Pull-carts Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Caddies No
Golf Simulator No
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes
Practice Hole No

Policies

Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Proper attire is required.

Food & Beverage

Bar, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities

Accolades

Reviews

4.9
102 Reviews (102)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Patio Dining 6
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 17
Undulating Greens 15
Thick Rough 13
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 16
A Bucket list/Top 100 Pick 13
Entertaining Clients 11
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 18
In the 'Burbs 6

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Purest Course in Mid-Atlantic

Played here before and couldn't wait to get back when I saw they were rated in Americas Top 100. Course was in great shape except for a few bunkers. Greens true and fast and the bent fairways are a real treat for this area. somebody said they may be going private so I wanted to get back out while I could. Highly recommend this track.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 13
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Excellent!

I can see why it’s voted best public in VA. Very good playing conditions, beautiful layout, challenging yet playable. It was a little pricey but I believe it to be worth the money. All around great experience.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Awesome course!

Had a great time here today. Bad weather so we had the course to ourselves and enjoyed it immensely. Challenging but not unfair. Amazing condition for this time of year. My only problem was with the tee markers. All the marker stones basically look the same color. I don't understand why Black, Blue, White, Yellow, and Red aren't good enough. Not a huge deal but a tad confusing and unnecessary. Overall one of my favorite courses in Virginia.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Very enjoyable round

Championship layout. Challenging, but fair. The greens had many repaired pitch marks, and were soft due to a lot of recent rain, but still rolled remarkably well. Good value based upon the after 3pm rate.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Top Shelf Course

I am a Dallas resident and play on a lot of well kept Bermuda. In 2020, I played about four rounds at Spring Creek. Two rounds in spring and two rounds in summer. The bent was/is absolutely beautiful. Conditions on all surfaces - excellent. It is sad to see that despite the HUGE amount of effort by grounds keeping staff at SC some players choose not to repair their marks....

Some of the more accurate long bombers I join up with feel that this course less challenging for them, but many of the holes are plenty long from the tips..

Spring Creek is the top pick when I am in Virginia.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Bent grass beauty

Fairways and greens were beautiful. A bit pricey but I would do it again.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 27
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Cold weather
Used cart

A Must Play

Played this course a couple of years ago and couldn't wait to come back out. Heard they were under new management and was worried things may have changed. Well it was Incredible! I live near about an hour away and the Summer was hard on several courses in the area but it looks like Spring Creek came out of the drought in tour condition. While it's somewhat difficult to swallow the $125 green fee, I didn't go away thinking that at all. Golf staff was friendly and made us feel like members of their club. I would definitely recommend this course if you haven;t played it. Although you might want to hurry as I think they are trying to go private in the near future.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 05/01/2020

Thank you so much for your 5-star review! We are so glad to hear you enjoy our course and wonderful staff. We look forward to having you back in the future.

Played On
Reviews 222
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 25 Contributor
Virginia Advisor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

Even When Fully Aerated, Spring Creek Still Shines

I played here several weeks ago just a week after they had aerated the entire course: greens, fairways, tee boxes, rough, everything. Normally, that would make playing a frustration-free round of golf very difficult but somehow the best courses just do things better.

The greens still rolled smoothly if a touch slower than normal and the holes throughout the rest of the course had little impact on my play. Though still early in the season the grass was fully grown in and lush, a nice benefit to bentgrass over the many Bermuda turfed courses I play around Richmond.

Another thing that helped me enjoy my round was knowing that while the aeration my have posed a slight inconvenience to me then, I had full confidence it was going to ensure the playing conditions for my subsequent rounds later this year here would be that much better. When you have trust in the greenskeepers at a course, it’s a lot easier to overlook a temporary degradation in play.

Props to Spring Creek for continuing to offer world-class conditions, a solid design, fantastic facilities, a friendly staff, and despite a slight price hike this year, a very good value.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 8
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 222
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 25 Contributor
Virginia Advisor
Previously Played
Wet weather
Walked

Maintaining Its High Reputation

Spring Creek has built a nationally-acclaimed reputation for beauty and conditioning and my recent visit proved they continue to take that reputation seriously.

Conditions, conditions, conditions. Few bentgrass courses do it better than Spring Creek. From the tightly mowed, soft tee boxes to the lush fairways, rough, and greens, there is no part of the course that doesn’t shine (with the exception of some of the fringes that the maintenance crews are working hard to remedy). Bunkers are groomed and despite the wet weather, almost none had standing water. The greens are among the fastest in the state now and it’s so satisfying to make a long putt.

But without other virtues, excellent conditions don’t get you very far. Thankfully, Spring Creek shines in two more categories: layout and practice facilities. The design is a pleasingly diverse track with plenty of character but mostly just easy on the eyes. The driving range, pitch/chipping practice green, and separate putting green really make you want to show up early for your round. I just wish the range was grass, not mats.

The staff remains professional if not super warm to non-members. For a place that’s been trying to go private for years, it’s somewhat understandable but I have not experienced any negative treatment in my last few visits. The value here remains good though it’s not cheap. I only walk here (a bit of a challenge but doable) and that can run you as little as $44 on a weekday afternoon. But rack rates on the weekend including cart exceed $100.

Spring Creek remains one of my top-rated courses and it’s always nice to see a course that takes so much pride in its presentation. I’ll keep coming back until they don’t let me.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Used cart

Beautiful course

We were on a two day golf outing playing mountain courses. Not as picturesque as Primland, but this course was beautiful. Greens were in great shape as was the fairways. Sand traps must have been in repair. Many were nearly unplayable. Sand was piled in many of the the sand traps. No mention of this as we signed in, but I can' t image this being the norm. Our only negative on the entire day.

There were lots and lots of sand traps. If your going to score here, you will have to keep it in the fairway.
Any ball outside the cut grass, don't even bother to look for it. But, understand the course was fair and playable.

Staff was excellent, everyone we came in contact with was friendly and accommodating. Food after the round was GREAT and the prices were very reasonable.

You will be seeing us again, great course!

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 335
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Golf Advisor
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Big-ballpark golf

Having heard a lot about Spring Creek ever since it opened a dozen years ago, I was glad to finally play it. It's golf on quite a large scale, owing to the size of the broad, amoeba-shaped bunkers and the expansive greens. The course was a bit soggy and played very long, but was nonetheless enjoyable.

The par threes stood out as a strength of the course, with multi-section greens that demand different shots one day to the next. There was an awesome back-left sucker-pin on the 13th, for example. I've heard mixed statements on whether the course is going fully private, but just to be safe, if you've been thinking about playing Spring Creek, give it a go.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 52
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Virginia Advisor
Top 1000 Contributor
First Time Playing
Windy weather
Used cart

Absolute Gem

Let me start by saying that Spring Creek is not completely private yet. That being said if you are thinking of playing here just do it and do not wait any longer. Despite the greens being punched a week earlier the course was still awesome. I understand that courses have to do maintenance. Plus they let us know when we made the tee time so no harm, no foul. The layout is amazing and the conditions are pristine. This course has some of the most well maintained bunkers I have ever seen. The Bent grass fairways are always a joy to play off of, much better than Bermuda. With 5 sets of tee boxes there is a distance and difficulty to fit your game. I am really looking forward to going back in a few weeks when the greens heal up because you can tell that the greens roll true and the slopes are consistent throughout the course. The entire staff at Spring Creek is top notch. The starter John was an absolute pleasure to chat with before we headed out. Kevin Haney the pro is a top notch professional. We talked about the course and golf for a good 15 minutes before I went to the range. After I was done he took time to talk with me about the round and to make sure I will be back when the greens heal up. In today's fast paced world it is hard to find customer service like that anywhere. The maintenance staff on the course was courteous and friendly. This may sound funny but the carts were some of the most comfortable I have ever ridden in. They have GPS on them to help out throughout the round. They have a full practice facility with separate putting and chipping greens. They have grass as well as multiple types of artificial turf to hit off of on the range. The Tavern on the Green is a great 19th hole and spot to get a bite at the turn. I have played what is considered some of the best public courses in America from privately to publicly owned. From Kapalua Plantation, King Kamehameha Country Club, Pinehurst, Circling Raven, Coeur d'Alene Resort, to Gold Mountain both Cascade and Olympic courses in my "hometown" of Bremerton, WA and Spring Creek ranks easily with those courses all the way around. I highly recommend calling Kevin and his staff to get out and play here.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 37
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Wet weather
Walked

Best golf course in Virginia

Let's be honest!! This is the second time I have play this magnificent track. Conditions were very wet but very playable, even though it was cart path only. The layout is fantastic!! No two holes the same. The greens were in great shape. If you do not like this golf course, there is something wrong with you. My son, a former college golfer, indicated he would play there any time he is in the 100 mile radius. I would also like to mention that there was a rumor from the member we played with that within a year, it will private, so if you have any chance of playing the #4 rated course in Virginia by Golf Digest.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 222
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 25 Contributor
Virginia Advisor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

One Of The Best Again

Spring Creek Golf Club remains among the best in the nation in course conditions and my latest guest experience was much improved over last year, making it one of my favorite courses. It isn’t likely to stay open to the public much longer so if you have not yet played Spring Creek, I strongly recommend putting it at the top of your list if you live within 100 miles.

Any number of factors in rating a golf course are sometimes subject to very individualized experiences, especially when it comes to staff friendliness. Meet one rude marshall or starter and they can ruin your good opinion of every employee. Likewise, a kind word or gesture from one person can create a great reputation of the whole staff.

My most recent experience with the staff at Spring Creek was noticeably improved over last year’s uneasy interaction with the marshall there. This time around, everyone I encountered was very warm and friendly. The pro shop attendant Hannah even informed me of a walking rate not posted on the course’s website. Not only did I not know you could walk this course, but like nearby Birdwood, you can pay a smaller cart fee for using it just on the hillier back nine (sidenote: while the $26-per-18-holes cart fee is high, they have recently outfitted brand new carts with SUPER comfy seats, so it might actually be worth it to many golfers).

Much has been said about the course conditions here but it bears repeating that you will be hard-pressed to find a course with smoother fairways, more even rough (with multiple cuts along the fairways and in front of greens), better tee boxes, better maintained bunkers, or prettier landscaping (black mulch, flowering bushes, etc). The greens are only slightly slower than the fastest greens you’ll ever play and have plenty of break, making it imperative that you land your ball on the right tier of each green or be below the hole.

When I played, the greens had been aerated about 2 weeks before (along with the fairways) and yet play was completely unaffected. That playability is what separates courses like Spring Creek from those that are bumpy for a month or more. It’s also worth noting there wasn’t a single ball mark on any of the greens except my own. Another impressive touch? As I was finishing my round in the approaching darkness, there were two groundskeepers coming along behind me on the 18th fairway filling in divots. When have you seen that on a public course?

Ed Carton’s design of this course rises to the standard set by the course’s conditions. The layout here is fairly inviting off the tee with a sprinkling of fairway bunkers being the biggest challenge to beginners. I like the separation of the tee boxes (the tips are way, WAY back there) that encourage you to hit from the one that matches your skill. The fairways are wide and the rough is fair in its thickness. The greenside bunkers are groomed but a touch firm, making getting out of them easier. With the challenge of the speedy putts, it’s nice that there aren’t any hidden breaks in the greens.

To me, the discovery of a $44 walking twilight rate significantly increases this course’s already good value. The walk isn’t as challenging as at Birdwood and there are chests of bottled water at several points along the way to help. There are some long gaps between several holes if you follow the cart paths so it pays to know where the shortcuts are for those that choose to walk.

In my experience having played here 4-5 times now, the pace of play is very reasonable, especially during the week. I finished in just over 3.5 hours and took my time. The off-course amenities here are fantastic with separate chipping and putting greens, a super fancy clubhouse (and aforementioned fancy carts) and a complementary driving range that not only has you hitting off grass but is laid out with precise targets and landing areas that help you focus as you practice.

As mentioned before, this course will be going fully private once memberships reach a certain point, so don’t wait to play this gem!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 310
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Birmingham Advisor
Top 10 Contributor
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

So underrated

I was blown away after playing this course. Spring Creek is vastly underrated on top 100 American public course rankings. At No. 66 on Golf Digest's rankings, and unranked on Golf Magazine and Golfweek's rankings (embarrassing), it surpassed my expectations and makes me wonder why this course is still relatively unknown among power tracks. The first thing that makes it underrated is the conditioning. Major props to course superintendent Ryan Holbrook. Spring Creek is blessed with Tour-like conditioning. I loved the mowing patterns that really added a visual element. The closely mown (fairway height) areas around greens were beautiful and very challenging. Bent grass is pervasive throughout: greens are stellar and among finest I've encountered in a while. The greens are multi-level, but the contours were not as severe as the RTJ Trail courses I play back home. Speed was good - not too fast, not too slow. The wide fairways are immaculate and swales abound, funneling balls into collection areas. The bentgrass rough is juicy but not dense enough to be overly penal. Definitely get flyer, knuckleballs out of it. I liked that two of the par 5s were short enough to be reachable from the 6,200-yard tees I played. The par-5 18th could be a great risk-reward hole if I had the length to challenge a 250-yard carry over water on the second. The strategy, especially on the par 4s keep your attention. I didn't find any filler holes. The course is in a neighborhood, but I never noticed any houses until the back nine, and they certainly didn't detract from the scenic value of the course. The practice areas were phenomenal and the view from the clubhouse's veranda overlooking the 18th hole is quite the view. Finally, talk about great value. Rack rate currently is $79. After noon, it drops to $65. I played after 3 pm for $50 and finished with plenty of daylight. This course is worth twice that much.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 43
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Virginia Advisor
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

One of the best public in VA

On my personal Top 5 public courses in VA list, Spring Creek is a treat from start to finish. The course conditions are very good and the the course winds it's way through beautiful countryside.

A great variety of holes with ample width for all levels of play. Some forced carries, but the way the holes flow together is really exceptional. Not many, if any, holes that are duds.

Look forward to playing here whenever I go down to the Charlottesville area. Do yourself a favor and check out Spring Creek.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Amazing course

It's probably my fourth time playing here. Having discovered the course on the top 100 Public in Golf Digest, we've made this course a must drive from the Washington DC area. Public play is allowed on most weekdays so our group often takes a day off to drive down to Charlottesville just to visit this course. We love it. Layout lets you hit but the greens are challenging. It can also get long so play the right set of tees. Conditions awesome. Love it!!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 378
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 10 Contributor
First Time Playing
Average weather
Used cart

A real gem in central Virginia

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better-conditioned and more beautiful layout than Spring Creek, and that would include nearby Full Cry at Keswick Golf Club, which I love. This Ed Carton design is very Tom Fazio-like and for good reason: Carton learned his craft under Fazio and learned it well. On every hole, the bunkers are well thought out as are the greens complexes. Play from the back tees at nearly 7,200 yards, and it's a real beast. At 6,500 yards, it's still pretty tough. I particularly liked the finishing hole, a par 5 that works beautifully around a large lake with risk on every shot. And play this course while you can because when they get enough members at semi-private Spring Creek, the plan is to make it totally private.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
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