Good walking courses in NOVA, Fredericksburg and Richmond VA

Looking for good walking courses to play in NOVA, Fredericksburg and Richmond VA

Any ideas of favorites ???

I played Belmont in Richmond a couple years ago. Fairly basic conditions (I think the city may run it) but it is an easy walk. No real estate and just slightly rolling terrain.

Paging @sdandrea

I’ll list the courses that aren’t walker friendly in NOVA....Laurel Hill and Potomac Shores (this one is unwalkable)

For NOVA: Westfields is open and a very nice walk. Penderbrook is also open and walkable but you will have some long green to tee lengths and is hilly. Pleasant Valley is also walkable to name a few. All of the muni's are walkable but closed but there are other privately owned publics that are walkable in the area.

I heard Potomac Shores is in horrible shape

I played it about 3 weeks ago. At that time it was CPO and they were aerating the greens. Fairways were in excellent condition as were bunkers (considering there were no rakes) but some tee boxes were much to be desired. I would think they are better now. I think they had 1 temp green on a par 3 at that time. The course winds through homes and you can have (no joke) close to 1/2 or more miles from green to tee. They are also experimenting w/ routing for some reason. We started on the 3rd hole but all holes were available to play so was strange. Social distancing policy was iffy at that time. They allowed multiple people per cart (not same household), employees showed little regard to being close to guests, had to go inside to pay, etc but had inverted cups and no rakes. Made me not want to play there but things may have changed by now. It is an interesting course, tons of elevation change.

Fredericksburg Country Club is a great walking course. Aren't many others that I'm aware of, lots of long distances from greens to tees around here.

Ive been out there twice over the past 10 days and its not as bad as what it has been. Prior to these rounds I hadn't played it since they put in the new fairways (so almost 2 years), which are great for this time of the year.

Greens were punched (even after punching them back in early March), so I guess they're trying to get ahead of the hot temps in the summer and get them in better shape than what they have been. Temp green on #3, and they've re-sodded a lot of rough areas.

They redid all the bunkers when they redid the fairways and they were great, a lot of good sand in them.

The course routing has changed the original #1/2 holes are now #17/18 which I don't really like and you start now on what was #3, the par 5. With social distancing you did have to go in and pay but all you have to do is insert your card and they do the buttons for you. Everyone had their own cart and its been pretty busy, their tee sheet has been sold out online for any day where its been above 55 degrees

As far as walkable courses in NOVA I can give you some. Herndon Centennial is a great walk, not too hilly but still interesting, also shorter than most courses at 6300 yards. Algonkian is an easy walk, almost completely flat with no long walks between tees, same with Brambleton. Westfields is probably my favorite walk in the area other than Herndon. There's a few courses that are definitely walkable, but hilly and not the best tee to green transitions; Reston National, Twin Lakes, and Pleasant Valley come to mind. Courses to stay away from would be Laurel Hill and Potomac Shores (listed above), Raspberry Falls, Bull Run, Old Hickory, and South Riding. Those would be annoying to walk.

The course routing has changed the original #1/2 holes are now #17/18 which I don't really like and you start now on what was #3, the par 5. 

This sounds awful.

#2 IMO would make a terrible finishing hole. #3 doesnt make a great starting hole either, I feel like we are always sending out a cart to the fairway to make sure its clear to hit because a drive can run so far down the hill. So now you have to drive all the way out to #3 to start - and all the way back from #2 when you are done? Those are not short drives.

Makes me wonder why they would do that - is this temporary for some sort of course maintenence reason? Its not like #18 finishes away from the clubhouse - its right there.

I haven't checked in here in some time - sorry! I am a member at The Gauntlet (Curtis Park, Stafford County). Walkers are welcome and they have a discount coupon for walkers. The terrain is not for the weak (hilly), but most of the greens are pretty close to the next tee box. I walk about 1/3 of my rounds there.

Augustine Golf Club in Stafford is walkable. Lee's Hill is walkable in Fredericksburg. Belmont in Richmond is closed and rennovating to a 12 hole layout and a 6 hole par 3. Glenwood in Richmond is walkable. The Hollows in Montpelier is walkable(Richmond adjacent).

Hunting Hawk just west of Short Pump is easy to walk and has a great layout. Just a heads up, the driving range was close the last time I went out.

Hunting Hawk has the pool noodles in the cups as well. It will be fun to play there again once you can hole putts.

Pleasant Valley

A 12 hole course and a 6 hole par three? What genius thought of this? I used to go down to Richmond from time to time and play Belmont. Mostly for the historic value (the 1949 PGA Championship was played there). Then is was called Hermitage Country Club but years later the city bought it and it went public. This conversion seems like a waste.

Instead of a conversion would you have rather it get sold off to a developer and turned into townhouses? Historical or not, the place had been gushing money. It was never, ever going to make money or survive in its present state. I saw a writeup that the Love Brothers did and honestly thought it was awesome. They would be doing the redesign, it would be run by the First Tee, 12 hole regular course, 6 hole short course, full sized practice and short game area and a putting course. Considering the work the Loves have done on a few courses that I love - i'll take it.

I was bummed at first, but then thought about the holes they are removing. It will be a better use of the space and promote a better pace of play. 1-4 were a tough stretch, and 5 was tge toughest par 4 in Richmond. I like the access to a short game practice area that it will provide. If anything, it will help Henrico foster junior golf in a similar way the first tee short course in Richmond has provided.

1757 Golf Club in Dulles. Solid course, some long walks between holes but pretty flat overall. Nice practice facilities

Will re-up Brambleton as a good walk. Mostly flat, tees close to greens.

And will concur that the reported re-route/order at Potomac Shores sounds like a dud. I guess it makes sense to have #1 (old #3) next to the range, but I lobe having 18 play right to the foot of the clubhouse.