Virginia Golf: Homestead, Primland and the Commonwealth's Best Courses
Virginia is a consistently underrated golf destination that offers mountain resort golf of exceptional quality at the Homestead and Primland, a strong private club culture in Richmond and Northern Virginia, and a coastal resort sector around Williamsburg and Virginia Beach that provides accessible year-round golf for the Washington DC corridor. The state produced Sam Snead — the man with 82 PGA Tour wins — and continues to produce golf experiences worthy of a dedicated trip.
The Homestead Resort: Where Sam Snead Learned to Golf
The Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, is one of the most historically significant resort golf destinations in America. Sam Snead grew up in the nearby town of Ashwood, caddied at the Homestead as a boy, and learned to play golf on its courses before becoming the holder of golf's all-time PGA Tour wins record. The resort's Old Course dating to 1892 is claimed to be the oldest first tee in continuous use in the United States.
The Cascades Course, designed by William Flynn and opened in 1924, is the resort's crown jewel and one of the best designs in the Southeast. The course plays through Allegheny Mountain terrain with dramatic elevation changes, mature hardwood forests, and a design philosophy that rewards careful placement over raw power. Flynn's work at the Cascades, the Shinnecock Hills redesign, and Philadelphia Cricket Club demonstrates his mastery of terrain-sensitive design that the Homestead displays at its best.
Primland Resort: The New Highland Standard
Primland Resort on the Dan River in Patrick County opened its Highland Course in 2009 on terrain of extraordinary natural quality. The Blue Ridge escarpment location provides views stretching 50 miles on clear days, with native meadow grasses framing fairways that play through a landscape resembling Scottish moorland more than conventional Virginia terrain. Donald Steel's design is the most critically acclaimed new Virginia course of the past 20 years and a genuine bucket-list destination for golfers who prize scenery alongside design quality.
Primland extends the golf experience with fly fishing, hunting, falconry, and other activities that make it one of the few American resorts where the broader program matches the golf in quality. Accommodation in the Estate House suites provides luxury appropriate to the course's ambitions.
Kinloch Golf Club: Richmond's Private Standard
Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot west of Richmond is consistently rated the best private golf course in Virginia. The Lester George and Vinny Giles design uses James River bottomland terrain with a naturalness that recalls Golden Age principles — the course looks found rather than built, with natural green positions and fairways that follow existing contours rather than being imposed on the landscape. Membership or member invitation required.
Kingsmill Resort: Williamsburg's Tour Venue
Kingsmill Resort on the James River in Williamsburg hosts the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in recent years and operates the Pete Dye-designed River Course alongside the Plantation and Woods courses. The River Course's combination of Dye design sensibility with the James River setting and Williamsburg's colonial historical surroundings makes it Virginia's most accessible championship golf experience for visitors without private club connections.
Northern Virginia: The Capital Corridor
Northern Virginia's golf scene serves Washington DC's population with several high-profile facilities. Congressional Country Club in Bethesda (technically Maryland, but the regional anchor) has hosted multiple U.S. Opens. Army Navy Country Club and Westwood Country Club serve the government and military communities. Trump National Golf Club in Sterling provides the most accessible quality experience in the corridor with a Potomac River setting of genuine natural appeal.
FAQs About Virginia Golf
What is the best golf course in Virginia? Kinloch Golf Club for private design quality; Homestead Cascades Course for resort access; Primland Highland Course for scenic drama.
What golf resort is most worth visiting in Virginia? Primland for design quality and scenery; Homestead for historical significance and breadth of courses; Kingsmill for Williamsburg accessibility and Tour pedigree.
When is the best time to golf in Virginia? April through October for mountain courses. Year-round for coastal and Tidewater courses, though summers are humid.