NORFOLK, Va. -- Even when you reach Lambert's Point Golf Club, you're not sure you're there. In a sprawling parking lot surrounded by a football stadium, soccer field, tennis courts, and a college athletics building, there are countless people -- mostly young and fit -- coming and going in cars, on bicycles, and on foot.
Then, at one corner of the lot, the modest clubhouse comes into view.
To say that the municipal course -- one of seven under the umbrella of Hampton Roads Golf Clubs -- is in an odd location is an understatement. Not only does Lambert's Point share property with Old Dominion University, it is built on a landfill which juts into the Elizabeth River. Its neighbor to the south is the largest coal exporting operation in the nation, its huge ship-loaders visible from much of the golf course.
Needless to say, Lambert's Point Golf Club is a one-of-a-kind experience. Playing to a par 34 and 2,789-yards, the course might sound suited only for beginners or curiosity-seekers. But its practice facilities are extensive. Its Bermuda fairways and bentgrass greens are finely conditioned. Its views are dramatic. And designed by acclaimed Lester George, it has a unique, windswept Scottish character.
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Views of the Elizabeth River, as well as those of ship-loading cranes, are commonplace at unique Lambert's Point Golf Club. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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How about a 563-yard par 5 which begins with a 7-iron to a tiny fairway? This is the daunting view from the tee on the unusual third hole at Lambert's Point Golf Club in Norfolk, Va. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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No. 3, the signature and longest hole at Lambert's Point Golf Club, is played from the highest point in the city of Norfolk. The course is built on a landfill. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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The bentgrass greens at Lambert's Point Golf Club are conditioned as well as those at many of the Hampton Roads area's top daily-fee golf courses. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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At no. 5, a 319-yard dog-leg par 4, players can drive the green by firing over bunkers to the right of the fairway. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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The green at no. 5, overlooked by the hulking ship-loading equipment of Norfolk Southern's Pier 6, the largest coal exporting operation in the Northern Hemisphere. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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Another water view, this one from the tee at no. 6, which runs parallel to the Elizabeth River at Lambert's Point Golf Club in Norfolk, Virginia. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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From the fairway at no. 6 at Lambert's Point Golf Club, looking down at the green which is fronted by an environmental strip. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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Even on the stillest of days, a crosswind on the par-3 seventh hole at Lambert's Point Golf Club is a constant. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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No. 8 at Lambert's Point Golf Club concludes a four-hole stretch which runs along the Elizabeth River at the course which opened in 2005. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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A sailing class is underway off the eighth green at Lambert's Point Golf Club in Norfolk, Virginia. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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The finishing hole at Lambert's Point Golf Club plays toward the clubhouse and alongside the practice facility. Keeping the net in place is a constant challenge at the windswept course. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
