VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Finding a golf course in the rapidly growing Hampton Roads area with no surrounding homes isn't easy. But Stumpy Lake Golf Course in Virginia Beach fits the description, and then some.
Situated on a lake in a wooded, swampy wildlife preserve, Stumpy Lake is a secluded oasis amid the bustle of Virginia Beach. The only way in and out is a foreboding two-lane causeway off Indian River Road, perched mere feet above the lake.
Once there, players find a traditional, flat course with tree-lined fairways and small, push-up greens. No. 13 opens a beautiful stretch of holes that run along the lake, culminating with no. 18, which plays toward the clubhouse.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1953, Stumpy Lake is the oldest of the seven municipal courses under the umbrella of Hampton Roads Golf. With solid conditions, a pedigreed design, rates that top out at $43, and Stumpy Lake's ever-present solitude, this course is perhaps the top bargain in Virginia Beach golf.
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No. 13 opens a stretch of pretty holes at Stumpy Lake Golf Course which run alongside Stumpy Lake in Virginia Beach. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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Delicate bushes, this one at no. 4, mark the edges of water hazards, which might otherwise go unnoticed on flat Stumpy Lake Golf Course. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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Another of the tiny greens at Stumpy Lake Golf Course, this one at no. 7, a 196-yard par 3. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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The front nine at Stumpy Lake Golf Course closes with a straightaway par 5. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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A hazard on the left side of the fairway dictates strategy on the dramatic ninth hole at Stumpy Lake Golf Course in Virginia Beach, Va. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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Another of the tiny greens at Stumpy Lake Golf Course, this one on the 210-yard 12th hole. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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A fairway hazard on the par-5 13th at Stumpy Lake Golf Course in Virginia Beach. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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Players tee off lakeside at no. 14 at Stumpy Lake Golf Course in Virginia Beach. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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The green at no. 14 at Stumpy Lake Golf Course with the lake in the backdrop. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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The greens at Stumpy Lake Golf Course in Virginia Beach, this one at no. 15, are flat, true, and easy to read. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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The only hint of elevation change at Stumpy Lake Golf Course is at some greenside bunkers, this one at the par-3 16th. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
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The closing hole at Stumpy Lake Golf Course plays along the water and toward the clubhouse. Kevin Dunleavy/GolfAdvisor
