Private Club Corner
California
Andalusia Country Club -- Spanish treasure in the California desert
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall ... LA QUINTA, CA – It’s a question I often ask golf architects, to describe their first impressions of the land that eventually becomes one of their course designs – and their answers are usually telling, if not descriptive.... “Flat,” replied Keith Evans,...
Stone Eagle Golf Club – The Big Island of Hawaii meets the Coast of Scotland
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall (with advice from ‘Mr. 59,’ Al Geiberger)... ... PALM DESERT, CA – For those familiar with golf in the California low desert, it’s all about the houses.... ... Face it, golf is an attractive draw for those living in the desert – it offers a...
The Palms Golf Club -- Feel Like a Pro, Play Like One Too
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeff Janas... LA QUINTA, CA – It’s often been said that no one should be in a hurry to finish a round of golf, but reality in the 21st century sometimes dictates that we squeeze in a game around a multitude of life’s pressing circumstances.... If...
Delaware
DuPont Country Club – Safely Back in Championship Form
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... WILMINGTON, DE – ‘Fore!’ A term we’re used to hearing in golf, an accepted custom of shouting towards players (or anyone else) who might possibly be in the estimated drop-zone of your golf ball.... ... Henceforth, watch them dart for cover.... ... Most of...
The Peninsula Golf & Country Club – Choosing Nicklaus in Delaware
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... MILLSBORO, DE – If there’s an important question in life that you just can’t seem to solve on your own, it’s always a good idea to ask Mom for her opinion.... ... Such was the case with Larry Goldstein, developer of The Peninsula Golf...
Florida
Grey Oaks Country Club in Naples, Florida – Understated Elegance
By Charles Hancock, Special Contributor to GolfTheMidAtlantic.com; Images Courtesy of Grey Oaks Country Club... ... NAPLES, FL -- Choices. Whether choosing the blue or the gray suit before going off to work, or having beef or fish for dinner, we all make such choices on a daily basis. ... ... Unfortunately, when it comes...
PGA Tour Professional John Cook -- Moving With The Times
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Larry Lambrecht... ... ORLANDO, FL -- Who says you can't improve with age? You'd like to think time and the aging process benefits only fine wine, but in the right circumstances, the principle also applies to professional golfers. Though there's certainly been a youth movement on...
Maryland
Congressional Country Club's Gold Course -- Suspending Passage of Time
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas and Jeffrey A. Rendall... Note: This is the first in a series of reviews on Arthur Hills' contributions to golf in the Washington, DC region.... BETHESDA, MD -- Time standing still. Albert Einstein proved that it's not possible, yet some places still seem to...
Congressional Country Club’s Blue Course and the Booz Allen Classic – Back to the Future in Washington
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos By Kevin Gaydosh and Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... BETHESDA, MD – The Washington area’s Booz Allen Classic is on holiday this year. No, it’s not taking a season off, and it’s not going on vacation – to be played at some exotic alternative locale.... ... In a way, it’s...
Tournament Players Club at Avenel -- Culmination of Fine Planning
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall and Jeff Janas... ... POTOMAC, MD -- We all love it when a plan comes together. Maybe it's the work involved in preparation; maybe it's because the end result isn't always certain; or maybe it's because the arduous process makes ultimate success even...
Woodmore CC -- The Country Club at Woodmore – Big Campus Golf With Small Campus Feel
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeff Janas... MITCHELLVILLE, MD – Remember picking a college? You probably thought it was the most important choice you'd ever make, except for maybe choosing a mate.... And if you're like most people, you went through a lengthy selections process, pouring over numerous brochures, talking with...
Works of Art -- Arthur Hills and Private Club Renovation in the Washington DC Area
By Bill Kamenjar, Washington Golf Monthly. Photos By Jeff Janas and Jeffrey A. Rendall ... ... WASHINGTON, DC -- It's the 1990s and throughout the Middle Atlantic private golf courses – many considered classics and a surviving link to golf in the early part of the 20th century - are sagging under...
New Jersey
The Ridge at Back Brook -- Some dreams really do come true
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... RINGOES, NJ – Dreams are mysterious – we all have them, and no one really knows where they come from or why we might dream about a particular subject or person. We can’t shut them off and they rarely come true – but...
North Carolina
Forest Creek Golf Club (North Course) -- Golf at its best, down on The Farm
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... PINEHURST, NC – It’s often said that going first is never easy, but then again, going second is no picnic either – especially when the first bite at the apple turns out to be a smashing success.... That was the task Tom Fazio and...
Forest Creek Golf Club (South Course) – Golf at its best, down on The Farm
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... PINEHURST, NC – “They originally wanted to call it The Farm,” said Chuck Cordell, Director of Marketing at Forest Creek Golf Club, speaking of the minds behind one of the country’s premier private clubs. Located on rolling terrain in the golf mecca that...
South Carolina
Haig Point Club -- Love at First Glance
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos by David Vier... DAUFUSKIE ISLAND, SC – Haig Point Club is one of those “know it when you see it” types of places.... Sometimes you just know something’s going to be great from a first glance. You see Disneyland? You know it’s going to be fun. You...
The Golf Club at Briar’s Creek – Privately Perfect
By Chuck Hancock; Photos Courtesy of Briar’s Creek Club... ... JOHN’S ISLAND, SC -- Exclusive. Acclaimed. Elite. Preeminent.... ... Pick one of these prior four words to describe The Golf Club at Briar’s Creek, located on Johns Island, South Carolina, and, guess what? You’d be right. And, if you are lucky enough to play...
Virginia
Ballyhack Golf Club - It was meant to be
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Mike Tanner... ROANOKE, VA – “This one was just meant to be,” said Lester George in prefacing his remarks on the building of Ballyhack Golf Club, the latest of his mid-Atlantic golf architectural masterpieces in the southwestern part of Virginia.... That’s what all the golf architects...
Bayville Golf Club -- Golf's Private Oasis In a Sea of Humanity
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... VIRGINIA BEACH, VA -- Wide-open spaces; they're becoming a rare breed in our heavily populated 21st century world. Though most city slickers live in densely inhabited areas by choice, they certainly crave chances to get away from it all from time to time.... If...
Beacon Hill Golf Club Wins For 'Best Visual Presentation'
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Aaron Frey... ... LEESBURG, VA -- Some people say art reflects life. That's probably why art takes many forms -- paintings, sculpture, photographs, etchings, motion pictures -- you name it, and there's a medium for it. If life is diverse, then so is the art reflecting...
Belle Haven Country Club – Palimpsest Defined In Hills of Green
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... ALEXANDRIA, VA – What recently occurred with the golf course renovation at Belle Haven Country Club was more than just a case of out with the old, in with the new. Appropriately put, it was palimpsest at its finest.... ... Palimpsest?... ... Sounds like your nightmare word...
Belmont Country Club, Where The Past Meets The Present
By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ASHBURN, VA -- There's a certain timeless quality to examining historical sites. Maybe it's because they're old; maybe it's because they're rare. Or maybe it's because of who was there and what they did. History's more than just land, buildings and space -- it's heritage.... At the same...
Creighton Farms -- Golf's positive impact in its purest form
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos by Jeff Smith... ALDIE, VA – Golf legend Jack Nicklaus says his goal in developing golf courses is simple: to do something positive on a particular piece of property – to make it look good, make it a place where people want to come and spend time,...
Dominion Valley -- Dreams to Greens -- Golf Course Construction at Dominion Valley Country Club
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... HAYMARKET, VA -- Standing on the first tee of most golf courses, you can't help but admire what you see. It might be a boldly shaped seaside landscape reminiscent of the old country; or a tightly contoured parkland fairway bordered by yawning...
Dominion Valley Golf Club -- Mature As It Needs To Be
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall and Bob Kubler... ... HAYMARKET, VA -- Just look around, and the young are forced to grow up fast these days. They’re bombarded with adult level images in the popular media, tied down with lots more homework than we were stuck with at...
Fawn Lake Golf Club -- Improving On Golf's Ecosystem
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Aaron Frey... SPOTSYLVANIA, VA – Ecosystems, and golf.... Usually, when you're talking about the latter and the former together, you've got people talking about how one destroys the other. Environmental preservationists often see the reformation of previously undeveloped land as permanently harmful to any particular ecosystem;...
Ford's Colony -- Pinehurst Meets Williamsburg At Ford's Colony's Blue Heron Course
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... WILLIAMSBURG, VA -- Pinehurst. There's something about the place that draws golfers to it like Christians to the Holy Land. That may be a bit of a stretched reference, because no piece of golfing ground could ever truly be considered holy --...
Ford's Colony -- Weigh Anchor On The Blackheath Course At Ford's Colony
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... WILLIAMSBURG, VA -- Water, water, everywhere. Most of the time, having water surrounding you isn't a bad thing. After all, folks pay large sums to live near the ocean, sail on a cruise ship or kayak down a raging whitewater river --...
Kinloch Golf Club -- Nourishment for Future Comparisons
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh and Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... MANAKIN-SABOT, VA -- Kinloch Golf Club's been called the 'Augusta National' of Virginia.... ... Most folks, when talking about golf courses, categorize layouts in different ways. But somehow, it usually comes down to comparing them (at least the 'great' ones) to...
Lansdowne Resort's Norman Course -- Outside the Box Mindset Required
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... LEESBURG, VA – We’re all entrenched in the mindset we take to golf courses, especially the ones we’ve never played before. Pick a set of tees, keep it in play, look over the yardage guide for the hole layouts and try to...
Lowes Island Club's River Course -- Hills On The Potomac River
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... POTOMAC FALLS, VA -- Hills on the Potomac River. For those familiar with the mighty Potomac, the thought of hills or cliffs along the banks would come as no surprise -- for much of its length above Washington DC, there's nary a flat...
Lowes Island Club’s Island Course – No Rules Is Just Right
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... POTOMAC FALLS, VA – When talking about variety in golf design, Tom Fazio says there aren’t any rules – and his work at Lowes Island Club’s Island Course proves it.... ... Upon seeing the course, you’ll notice the layout has a couple distinct personalities. Set...
Piedmont Club -- Doing A Double Take At Piedmont Club
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... HAYMARKET, VA -- The double take -- Webster's Dictionary defines it: a delayed reaction to some remark, situation, etc., in which there is at first unthinking acceptance, then startled surprise or a second glance as the real meaning or actual situation becomes clear.... ... It's...
River Creek Club -- Providing a Sense of Permanence
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... LEESBURG, VA -- The Potomac, a storied river. Perhaps the only river in the United States more famous is the Mississippi. Along the banks of the legendary Potomac, George Washington lived; the Union and Confederacy fought; and the Nation's Capital resides.... The Mason-Dixon...
Stoneleigh Golf Club -- Where Stone Walls Are Battle Tested
By Jeffrey A. Rendall ... Manassas National Battlefield has an equestrian statue of Stonewall Jackson placed near the spot where he reportedly was standing when he received his famous nickname during the First Battle of Manassas/Bull Run. Near the statue itself is a granite monument marking the piece of ground where...
The Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course – Restoring Heritage and Tradition
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. RendallRICHMOND, VA – “The course was renovated in 1992, but we restored it in 2003-04,” claimed Golf Architect Lester George, speaking of the Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course.There are those who might think the two terms are birds of a...
Two Rivers Country Club -- Great Golf, No Bones About It
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... WILLIAMSBURG, VA -- The words Williamsburg, Jamestown, James River and history are synonymous. If there was a club for meaningful words, they'd be members. If consequential words formed a family, they'd be siblings. They belong together like peas in a pod.... But with...
West Virginia
Greenbrier Sporting Club’s ‘The Snead’ – Legend For Many Hearts
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV – In the history of golf, there’s never been a celebrity so revered as Sam Snead. Perhaps because of it, the lasting ‘ownership’ of his legend has never been more in dispute -- amongst the many people and places...
Pete Dye Golf Club -- Turning Gob To Golf
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... BRIDGEPORT, WV -- "If someone asked me if there was anything unusual about the Pete Dye Golf Club project, I'd say it was dealing with all the gob," remarked the club's namesake, Pete Dye, when questioned on the layout's soft spot in his...
