Handicap
0-4
Age
65+
Skill
Advanced
Plays
A few times a week

Review Statistics

Average Rating

3.3
3.3
Total 14 Reviews

Rating Breakdown

14 Reviews
5 Stars
2
4 Stars
6
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
4
1 Stars
1
Recommended Courses
9
Not Recommended Courses
5
Helpful Votes Count
4
Not Helpful Votes Count
2
First Review
07/30/2017
Last Review
12/02/2017

Reviews Map

Reviews

3.3
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Course Difficulty
First time playing this course
Recommended
Review has
2.0
Previously Played
Cold weather
Walked

Temper your Expectation

Let me get this straight: Windy Hill is not even close to a four-star golf course. It's in mediocre shape at best, with burnt out sports on tee boxes and greens, uncut fairways, and poorly manicured bunkers. It is not bad enough to be 1 star but do not expect much.
The greens are relatively inconsistently cut. I've putt on some that run at around a 6 or 7 on the stimpmeter and some that run at about a 9 or 10. So every green is a new challenge (to put it nicely). The bunkers are really never in very good shape. They're either really hard without a lot of sand or they very wet with water in them. Not a whole lot of in between.
The layout is nothing special. The opening hole is a downhill par 5 that is reachable in two for almost any decent player. I hit driver, 4 iron and I don't drive the ball longer than 260. The second is a mid-length par three over water. Outside of those two holes and 8 and 9, the course doesn't have a whole lot of character. Holes 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 seem are straightforward. The course is extremely easy. Any good player will pretty much be able to hit iron and wedge in on every par 4 and a driver and middle iron on any of the par 5's.
Look, if you are looking to get in a pretty quick round in between taking cuts in the batting cages (yes, they do have batting cages) and testing your driving skills at go-karts, then this is the place to go. Looking to play a Saturday round with your friends? Windy Hill is not your place.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Easy

Stonehenge Golf & Country Club

Played On 11/04/2017
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Pleasant Challenge

I have gotten the opportunity to play at Stonehenge several times and it rarely disappoints. The conditions are always solid, with greens running close to a 10 on the stimp-meter, thick rough, and nice bunkers. The practice facilities are good and the staff is extremely friendly and helpful. This is a private club, so you will need to play with a member.
The layout doesn't have any particularly special holes, but I do like the opening hole and finishing holes.
The first is a dogleg left, downhill (probably around 40-50 feet or so), par four with out-of-bounds on the left and right and fairway bunkers on the right side. The green is guarded by a moderately deep bunker on the left side. This is the kinda hole where first tee jitters could kick in and someone could end up with an 8, but most of the time, one should be able to safely escape with a par.
The finishing hole is a straightaway, slightly uphill, long par four (440 yards). The fairway is guarded by heavy rough on both sides and a fairway bunker on the right. The green is relatively flat and has bunkers on both sides. Again, nothing super special about the hole, but it does play right into the sun which highlights the natural beauty of the hole.
The tenth hole is also interesting as it plays straight downhill to a small green.
Overall, Stonehenge is a solid private golf course. The conditions are always pretty good and I am looking forward to my next trip out there.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate

Sycamore Creek Golf Course

Played On 09/30/2017
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

One of the better public courses in the area

I have always liked Sycamore. it is maintained decently well year round and it is a good challenge from the back tees. There are a few pros and cons that I would like to go over in this review.
PROS
Unique design: Sycamore's design is really interesting especially on the back nine, although the front has its moments. The fifth hole is one of the tougher driving holes on the course. It is very narrow and the fairway is guarded by a hazard on the left side and OB and a fairway bunker on the right. In addition, the fairway runs out at about 300 yards. The green is large and gives the superintendent options for tough pin placements. The back nine features one of the better finishes in Richmond. The fourteenth hole is a long par five (550 yards) that is straight uphill. The fairway is guarded by four bunkers and several trees on the left that could effect errant drives. The approach to the green could be semi-blind, depending on where you are and it is elevated and guarded by a bunker or two. The fifteenth is a short (150 yards) and severely downhill (30 feet give or take a few) par three.The green is shallow and is guarded by a false front and several bunkers in the back. The sixteenth hole might be the toughest on the course. It has a semi-blind tee shot and then an approach shot that is straight downhill to an extremely shallow green guarded by trees, a bunker, and a water hazard. The seventeenth is a tough hole if you play from the back tees which are elevated. From the blue tees, it's about 175 yards to a green that is elevated and guarded by hazards on all sides. It is one of the toughest shots on the course. The eighteenth is par five and a funky finishing hole. It seems reachable at first, but it is a sharp dogleg right with a green guarded by water and several bunkers. The tee shot is to an elevated surface with a minor carry over wetlands. Anything on the right side of the fairway will require a strange slicing iron just to put yourself in position for your third shot. (I know this was a very long section, but it is a very interesting course).
Good Conditioning: The course is always in good condition year round. The bunkers are decent with ample sand and the fairways are always nice and crisp. The rough can be hit or miss sometimes, but it has gotten better over the years. The greens are starting to show some wear and tear with more and more ballmarks, but it is really not that bad. The greens are excruciatingly slow as many reviews will say, so hit your putts very firm.
CONS
A tad pricey: This is not a 53 dollar golf course (weekend, summer pricing), more like a 35-40 dollar course. The greens, as mentioned above aren't in nearly good enough shape for a course to be charging 50 dollars.
Practice Facilities: It has a half decent driving range with all grass tees (which is a plus), but a mediocre putting green that is riddled with ball marks lowers its value.
Customer Service: This is where the course takes a huge hit. There are some guys in there who are nice and know their prices, but several others who have no clue what their selling. One guy tried to charge me the weekend riding 18 hole rate when I was only walking nine. I had to show him the prices on the website and then he had to go get a manager because he didn't believe me, or was embarrassed.
OVERALL
Good course, that tends to be very busy on the weekends. Would recommend it if you are in town, enjoy the layout, but play it during the week when it tends to be less busy and cheaper.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

The Golf Club at The Highlands

Played On 09/28/2017
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Walked

Pick your Spots

Wow is this a course that has a lot of character. It was recently opened up for public play, so a few of my friends and I decided to check it out.
The course was in decent condition overall. Since it is opened to the public, the greens have gone downhill, but the fairways and bunkers are in solid shape. Tee boxes are mowed to a good height and the rough is relatively thin.
Now, this might be one of the most interesting designs that I have ever played.
The first two holes are nice little holes that offer little resistance and are fairly birdie-able.
The fun really begins on the third hole. It is a mid-length par 5 (525 yards) that has a semi-blind tee shot. Now what you do not notice from the teeing area, is that the left side of the fairway completely falls off. Anything hit on the left side is almost certainly gone. Once you get to the end of the fairway, you see the hole about 100 feet below. That's right the hole drops about 100 feet. So if you hit a good drive down the middle, there is a chance that you are staring at a 7 iron into the green. You have to carry your approach over a hazard and onto an elevated green. Once you walk off the hole you will think that it could not get crazier...that's until you walk onto the fourth tee box.
The fourth hole is a semi-short par 4 (375 yards) that has a split fairway. At the bottom of the hill is a creek and about 60 feet above is a green complex that slopes as much as any on the course. Behind the green is out of bounds and in front is a ravine so your approach shot better find the putting surface.
The fifth is a long (200 yards) uphill par 3 guarded by a deep hazard on three sides. The green is tri leveled and will send any shot missed left or long into the hazard.
The sixth and seventh holes are birdie holes, as six is a driveable par 4 and seven is a reachable par 5. The course gets more traditional in design with a few interesting holes, but the ones mentioned above are certainly the highlights of this track.
I would say this is a must-play although it isn't the cheapest course out there and it is way out in deep, deep Chesterfield.
Definitely, recommend this course to you, but you owe it to yourself to play with someone who has already played it.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate

The Dominion Club

Played On 09/21/2017
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Walked

Starting to regain it''s form

About a couple years ago, this course was an absolute mess. The greens were like sandtraps and the fairway was dried out. Ever since TDC got a new superintendent, the course is starting to regain its championship form from several years ago. Now, the greens are in really good condition. They run at a moderate pace, but hold shots beautifully. The fairways are nice and I feel like players get a little extra roll off of them.
The layout is pretty standard with a few doglegs, and several water holes. A few of the notable holes are 4, 9, 11, 15, and 18.
The fourth is a long par five (560 yards) that requires three good swings. The hole is somewhat narrow and has a tree that blocks off almost any attempts towards the greens. The large green complex is guarded by two of the deepest bunkers on the course. Anything long over the green is flirting with heavy rough.
The ninth is a picturesque par three that plays over the Wyndham Lake. The 9th and 18th greens are combined, which makes the green complex odd and somewhat difficult to hit.
The eleventh is a short par three played over water. Nothing crazy special about the hole, but it is very birdie-able, as most players will be hitting a short iron.
The fifteenth is a great risk/reward par five. It is very short (probably about 280-300 yards) and is played over water. It is gettable for a long hitter, in fact, my playing partner knocked it on the fringe. The hole requires around a 250-260 yard carry to clear the water. The hole is a dogleg right and if one decides not to go for it they have to lay up and avoid the several fairway bunkers that block the fairway.
The eighteenth is an ideal finishing hole. It is a reachable par five (530 yards) and it winds around the Wyndham Lake, fully exposing it again. Players must carry the lake on their second shot, whether they are laying up or going for the green. Like I said earlier, the 18th and 9th greens are combined which creates an extremely large and odd shaped putting surface.
The practice facilities at TDC are very good. They have a putting green, two chipping greens (one next to the putting green, and one next to the driving range), and a driving range that is big enough to accommodate all players.
Highly recommend trying Dominion if you get the chance. It is located near Short Pump Town Center and it is in a nice neighborhood.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate

Hunting Hawk Golf Club

Played On 09/14/2017
2.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

What a Shame

This course was once the premier public golf course in the Richmond area. Now that it is aware that it is closing in the near future, the owners are hardly putting any money into the course. The greens are in poor condition, with ball marks abound, the fairway is either dried out or really wet, and the bunkers are almost always completely washed out.
It's really a shame because this course used to always be in great condition and it is a good and challenging layout. The layout features several environmentally sensitive area, mixed in with heavy rough, and deep bunkers. The fairways tend to be generous, but there are some tight landing areas such as the par four 13th and par five 16th.
I do not recommend this course, especially for the steep green fees that they charge, which top out at around 65 dollars. If they lowered them down to 30 or so, they would have my attention.

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
2.0
First Time Playing
Wet weather
Walked

Ehh

This was my first time playing Mill Quarter, and I was not impressed. Before my round, I was talking to one of the employees and he hyped this place up like it was Augusta National. This is a direct quote of what he said to me before the round, "These greens are fast, probably a 12 on the stimp-meter, and the rough, boy is it brutal. This is probably one of the closest things to a US Open that you will play in the Richmond area." I went to the putting green and quickly realized that this guy was so wrong it wasn't even funny. Honestly, I would say the greens ran no faster than a four. They were some of the slowest greens that I have ever putted on. Then, the rough, that he claimed was US Open esque? This stuff was some of the thinnest stuff that I have played on. It was like the first cut at most places. The fact that he even mentioned US Open in the same breath as Mill Quarter Plantation is a disgrace.
The course conditions at best are 2 stars. Some of the fairways are inconsistently cut, the bunkers are in poor shape, and on many of the holes are areas where several trees have been cut down, and play as a hazard (I guess).
The layout isn't really special. The front nine is pretty plain Jane, and the back doesn't have more than a couple of quality holes.
The course is wide open, and although I did enjoy the par three 13th, par five 15th, and par five 17th, it wasn't enough to make up for the lack of exciting holes on the front.
The practice facilities are subpar, to say the least. There is a driving range with big signs signaling the yardage, but that's it. It's pretty much a large field with signs (and the yardages aren't even measured correctly). There is a putting green, but no chipping green, and the putting green is slow with ball marks all over it (from people chipping).
I do not recommend Mill Quarter and even though I know it is relatively inexpensive, it is out in the middle of nowhere, far from central Richmond. This isn't on the verge of a one-star course, but it isn't far from it.

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Fair
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Fairly Easy

Glenwood Golf Club

Played On 08/28/2017
2.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Walked

50,000 would go a long way

This is a course that is simply ruined by its horrendous location. It's located in a poor part of town and it does not attract a lot of business. There is no driving range or chipping green. The fairways aren't cut and play more like rough than more fairway. Believe it or not, though, the greens aren't in awful shape and run at reasonable speeds. It is an extremely interesting design. Tight tee shots, drivable par 4s, and narrow par 3s set you up for an enjoyable day. It is a very easy course to walk as well. It is an extremely inexpensive course so if you do not mind the subpar condition, for its price it isn't bad. I think if they put money into the course and could maintain shape all year round it would attract more customers.

Conditions Fair
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Fairly Easy

Kiskiack Golf Club

Played On 08/10/2017
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Walked

Hope it stays public

Wow. I had heard really good things about this course, but I was still surprised to see the kind of condition it was in for a daily-fee golf course. It is very challenging even for a low handicapper. The greens are large and are shaped into very strange looking structures. This just makes the course all the more exciting. Holes 6-11 was some of the best stretches of holes that I have ever played. 9, an uphill par 4 is relatively short, but beware because there is almost no room for error on the left side; for it is guarded by water. The green is surrounded by several bunkers. Then the 11th, a lengthy par 3 over water with a rectangular shaped green challenge the best of players. This course is relatively hilly and isn't necessarily the easiest place to walk, but it's not as bad as I have seen. Also, is walking a few extra yards really all that bad when you are playing a terrific golf course?

Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

Providence Golf Club

Played On 08/06/2017
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Walked

Good Design

I like this course. It is in decent shape for a daily-fee track and it maintains a good pace of play all around. It is not a very easy course to walk, but it is a fun and challenging course. My favorite hole, the 18th is a 515-yard par 5 that features an absolute beautiful bunker on your left. It covers nearly 30 yards and is the true definition of a hazard. It is reachable in two, but you must carry wetlands in order to reach the putting surface. Now, this course is not cheap. For 18 holes it is over $60 and it is not quite on the level of Independence rather closer to Hunting Hawk.

Conditions Good
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Fairly Easy
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Walked

Solid Private Course

I got out to play the Huguenot course, and it did not disappoint. It's a bit easier than the Buckingham in my opinion and it's a really fun design. The course conditions are pretty good, the fairways are lush, rough is somewhat thick, and the bunkers are nice and fluffy. The greens run at around an 8 on the stimpmeter and hold shots really well, so you can be aggressive when you have a short iron or wedge.
The layout on the Huguenot is really enjoyable. Water comes into play on a handful of the holes, and there is an interesting mix of par four's ranging from 315-450 yards. So, there are plenty of opportunities to pick up birdies, but also plenty of opportunities to give up a few shots. The most notable hole is probably the par five, 3rd which snakes around a large lake. The green is shallow and requires a carry over the lake.
Overall, I would definitely recommend the course to anyone who gets the chance to play. It is not 5-star quality, but it is a pretty solid track.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Fairly Easy

Manakin at Hermitage Country Club

Played On 08/01/2017
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Walked

Bring lots of Balls

This is an extremely challenging design depending on what tees you play from. I played from the blues which measures about 6,600 yards and it was still very difficult. There is water on 8 out of the first 9 holes. The back is slightly longer and is an extremely difficult design. The Sabot stresses course management and forces the player to conservatively place the ball on the green rather than going for sucker pins. Nonetheless, it is a very fun course and is not impossible if you know where to hit the ball on some holes.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging

The Federal Club

Played On 06/15/2017
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Walked

Absolutely Beautiful

One should know that when you are playing an Arnold Palmer designed track that it should be top notch. But nothing can really prepare one for the amount of thought that went into the Federal Club. Expertly placed bunkers, smooth undulating greens, and lush second cut rough is only the beginning. Every single hole at this course has a sense of difficulty while yielding itself to a potential birdie opportunity. The finishing hole, a 430 yard downhill par four is an excellent example of giving players options. It has several fairway bunkers that divide up a large fairway into several parts. To ensure that one is safe in the fairway an iron is a correct play. But even playing iron has its downside. It leaves you with a long iron shot into a green protected by water. Another play would be to hit driver, bringing several of the fairway bunkers into play. These are the types of decision that a golfer is faced with on every single shot at this course. The practice facility is one of the best in the area with a chipping green, putting green, driving range, and a short game area where one can work on their game from inside 100 yards. I would highly recommend this course, it is in fantastic condition year round and is a pleasure to play.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On 06/13/2017
1.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Walked

4 Stars?

I don't see how this course has a 4-star rating on Golf Advisor. First off, Belmont does not have any practice facilities. No driving range, no chipping green, just a bland putting green next to the first hole. The course is in mediocre shape at best. The bunkers are a big problem for this course. Do not be surprised to find club-head sized rocks in the bunkers. I have seen them many times. The greens are bumpy and do not run true. The overall layout of the course is nothing to write home about. It's relatively flat and straight forward. Finally, the service at this course. I finished the 9th hole and walked up to their "halfway house". There was no one working it. So, I had to wait another couple of hours to get food and when I walked into the "clubhouse" their only employee was smoking a cigarette right outside of her establishment. I don't know about you, but I don;t want someone who just smoked a Cigarette making my food. I exited the door, probably for the last time.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Fair
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Fairly Easy
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