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STL to DC - I-64 - Course Recommendations (So IN, KY, WV, VA)


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The last week of March I will be driving to DC (Northern Virginia part) and I am looking for some courses to play along the way. Only conditions are that courses have to be public and pretty close to the interstate. Since it will still be winter-ish conditions I'd like to keep the courses at $75 or less.

 

Leg 1 of the trip (STL to Charleston, WV - all on I-64). This will take me through Evansville IN (a little north), Louisville KY, Lexington KY and end in Charleston, WV. I will have all day to complete this leg which looks to take about 8 hours so I think I will have time to play 2 times along the way. The courses I have found are Sultan's Run in Jasper IN, The Donald Ross course in French Lick IN and then 3 courses in Lexington KY - Griffen Gate, the UK university course and Kearney Hill. Nothing really caught my eye in Louisville but I could have overlooked something.

 

Anyone have any opinions on any of the courses or any other recommendations that I missed? My initial thought is playing the Donald Ross course at FL even though it is a little bit out of the way. Then I am leaning Kearney Hill in Lexington but am open to suggestions.

 

Leg 2 would be Charleston WV to east Prince William County. This looks like I could get there a few different ways so I may let the course recommendations dictate which route I go. If I'm up for it I am looking to play 36 again. One option is continuing on I-64 to Charlottesville then over to I-95. Taking this route I have found the Resort at Glade Springs in Daniels, WV, Keswick and Spring Creek around Charlottesville, Potomac Shores and Laurel Hill outside of DC.

 

The other option would be to take I-79 to Highway 48 over to I-66. Courses I've found on this router are the Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, WV. However, I'm not really seeing much along I-66. Maybe Westfields?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

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You need to play Chariot Run in Southern Indiana outside of Louisville. If you have a connection, Victoria National in Newburgh outside of Evansville is likely the best course in Indiana.

 

Unfortunately no access to any privates. Would you play Chariot Run over the Ross course at French Lick. Probably only going to play one in that area as I’d like to play again further down the road to split the trip up.

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Id say Chariot Run is every bit as nice as the Ross Course in French Lick. Just comes down to preference. The Ross has much more elevation change, but condition wise they are both excellent. Chariot Run will be less expensive and less crowded. Both are about 25-30 minutes off of I-64.

 

Hmm. Looks like I’ll have a decision to make there. Chariot Run looks like it will be $45 where the Ross course is $75. As you said they’re similar distances off I-64. Thanks for the info.

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Not sure if it will still be under $75 in late march but Spring Creek is a tour quality course all year just east of Charlottesville, VA. It's about 5 minutes off of 64 and it would be tough to find a golf course much better in the state

 

From their website it is $75 on Friday’s for their winter rates which end April 1st. I’ll be there a few days before those rates end so it looks like it will be $75. I think I’m pretty much locked in on playing there as my last stop before getting to DC. Everyone has said really good things about it.

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Definitely hit up Potomac Shores and Laurel Hill if you can. Both are just off 95. They are top notch in the DC area. Plus it's easier for you to get to since you'll be on 95 already.

 

If you're on 66, then your best bet would be either Stonewall or Westfields. Those are really good as well.

 

Which one of those two would you prefer if you had to pick? Those are both very close to where I’ll be staying so I may have a chance to sneak in playing one of those while I’m there.

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Not sure if it will still be under $75 in late march but Spring Creek is a tour quality course all year just east of Charlottesville, VA. It's about 5 minutes off of 64 and it would be tough to find a golf course much better in the state

 

From their website it is $75 on Friday’s for their winter rates which end April 1st. I’ll be there a few days before those rates end so it looks like it will be $75. I think I’m pretty much locked in on playing there as my last stop before getting to DC. Everyone has said really good things about it.

Played it a few weeks ago and it was in great shape as always. Just keep in mind it's private on the weekend

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Definitely hit up Potomac Shores and Laurel Hill if you can. Both are just off 95. They are top notch in the DC area. Plus it's easier for you to get to since you'll be on 95 already.

 

If you're on 66, then your best bet would be either Stonewall or Westfields. Those are really good as well.

 

Which one of those two would you prefer if you had to pick? Those are both very close to where I’ll be staying so I may have a chance to sneak in playing one of those while I’m there.

 

I'll address both pairs I mentioned.

 

Between Potomac Shores and Laurel Hill, I'd personally choose Laurel Hill. Both are fantastic courses, just different. PoSho is a Nicklaus design and they just converted their fairways to bermuda grass. Haven't played since they reopened this past fall.

 

Between Stonewall and Westfields, I'd probably lean towards Stonewall. Westfields is in a bit of a marshy area, so they were really soaked a majority of last year and it killed a lot of grass. I'm assuming it'll be back to normal this spring.

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Not sure if it will still be under $75 in late march but Spring Creek is a tour quality course all year just east of Charlottesville, VA. It's about 5 minutes off of 64 and it would be tough to find a golf course much better in the state

 

From their website it is $75 on Friday’s for their winter rates which end April 1st. I’ll be there a few days before those rates end so it looks like it will be $75. I think I’m pretty much locked in on playing there as my last stop before getting to DC. Everyone has said really good things about it.

Played it a few weeks ago and it was in great shape as always. Just keep in mind it's private on the weekend

 

Perfect thanks. I would be playing it on a Friday so should be good to go.

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Definitely hit up Potomac Shores and Laurel Hill if you can. Both are just off 95. They are top notch in the DC area. Plus it's easier for you to get to since you'll be on 95 already.

 

If you're on 66, then your best bet would be either Stonewall or Westfields. Those are really good as well.

 

Which one of those two would you prefer if you had to pick? Those are both very close to where I’ll be staying so I may have a chance to sneak in playing one of those while I’m there.

 

I'll address both pairs I mentioned.

 

Between Potomac Shores and Laurel Hill, I'd personally choose Laurel Hill. Both are fantastic courses, just different. PoSho is a Nicklaus design and they just converted their fairways to bermuda grass. Haven't played since they reopened this past fall.

 

Between Stonewall and Westfields, I'd probably lean towards Stonewall. Westfields is in a bit of a marshy area, so they were really soaked a majority of last year and it killed a lot of grass. I'm assuming it'll be back to normal this spring.

 

Sorry my reply was a little vague as you mentioned 4 courses. The ones that will be close are Laurel Hill and Potomac Shores. Potomac Shores looks like they are currently redoing their bunkers so if I end up playing one I’ll probably go with Laurel Hill.

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Sorry my reply was a little vague as you mentioned 4 courses. The ones that will be close are Laurel Hill and Potomac Shores. Potomac Shores looks like they are currently redoing their bunkers so if I end up playing one I’ll probably go with Laurel Hill.

 

That's a great choice! It's my favorite public in NOVA. Usually has some lightning fast greens too.

 

edit: I'm going to be playing the Dye course in Radford in April. Heard lots of good about this one.

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I dont think you can go wrong with Kearney Hill. Its about as good as muni golf can get. Definitely recommend. Great track.

 

Kearney Hill or UK Big Blue course?

 

Also how walkable is Kearney? Looks like their winter green fee is super cheap at $14. Depending on how easy a walk and how I feel after playing round 1 and driving 5 hours. Maybe overly ambitious and worth it to just pay the extra $16 for a cart.

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Sorry my reply was a little vague as you mentioned 4 courses. The ones that will be close are Laurel Hill and Potomac Shores. Potomac Shores looks like they are currently redoing their bunkers so if I end up playing one I’ll probably go with Laurel Hill.

 

That's a great choice! It's my favorite public in NOVA. Usually has some lightning fast greens too.

 

edit: I'm going to be playing the Dye course in Radford in April. Heard lots of good about this one.

 

Nice! If I end up playing there I’ll give you a conditions report.

 

Still isn’t too clear if the courses at Glade Springs are private of public. They have the prices listed but I’m not seeing a way to book a tee time online. So it’s between there and the Dye River course. Either way it should be a great day pairing either of those up with Spring Creek which sounds like it’s a great course.

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A couple of things to keep in mind on the VA front:

 

1. The weather can greatly vary from Blacksburg to Charlottesville to NOVA; it would not be uncommon for Blacksburg to be 10 degrees or more cooler than Nova in late March with Cville somewhere inbetween (Cville is also generally windy). Not many people realize this but VA is one of the longest states with tip to tip with everything from mountains to ocean.

 

2. Radford is a hike from I64 down I81 and one of the most dangerous sections of interstate the the country. The River course is fun to play but will likely be very wet that time of year.

 

3. Spring Creek is one of the best public courses in the state (most of the top courses in VA are private) but is Private on the weekends (so keep that in mind when planning).

 

4. Some other good/fun courses on I64 include Old Trail in Crozet, VA and the Pete Dye full cry course at Keswick Hall (technically private but open to resort guests) and is just west of Cville and not far from Spring Creek.

 

5. Depending on your route, you could play at Mattaponi Springs - another great public course off of I95 in between I64 and NoVa.

 

Feel free to PM with any questions.

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I don’t think you can go wrong with Kearney Hill. It’s about as good as muni golf can get. Definitely recommend. Great track.

 

Kearney Hill or UK Big Blue course?

 

Also how walkable is Kearney? Looks like their winter green fee is super cheap at $14. Depending on how easy a walk and how I feel after playing round 1 and driving 5 hours. Maybe overly ambitious and worth it to just pay the extra $16 for a cart.

Very walkable. Links style course. Rolling hills but only one hole is a severe elevation change and it’s downhill. Very walkable. For the price I would definitely choose Kearney over Big Blue.
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A couple of things to keep in mind on the VA front:

 

1. The weather can greatly vary from Blacksburg to Charlottesville to NOVA; it would not be uncommon for Blacksburg to be 10 degrees or more cooler than Nova in late March with Cville somewhere inbetween (Cville is also generally windy). Not many people realize this but VA is one of the longest states with tip to tip with everything from mountains to ocean.

 

2. Radford is a hike from I64 down I81 and one of the most dangerous sections of interstate the the country. The River course is fun to play but will likely be very wet that time of year.

 

3. Spring Creek is one of the best public courses in the state (most of the top courses in VA are private) but is Private on the weekends (so keep that in mind when planning).

 

4. Some other good/fun courses on I64 include Old Trail in Crozet, VA and the Pete Dye full cry course at Keswick Hall (technically private but open to resort guests) and is just west of Cville and not far from Spring Creek.

 

5. Depending on your route, you could play at Mattaponi Springs - another great public course off of I95 in between I64 and NoVa.

 

Feel free to PM with any questions.

 

I checked the average temps for that time and it was around 60 so I’m hoping to get lucky with the weather. If it’s above 50 and not raining I’ll be happy.

 

There is a different route that is roughly the same time that takes I-70 through Indianapolis and Columbus, OH so I am probably going to research courses along that route and have a fall back plan in case weather is bad on the other route. Worst case scenario is the weather would suck on both routes which unfortunately is possible in late March.

 

Appreciate all the info.

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Mattaponi- in between Fredricksburg and Richmond right off I95. It's one of the best courses in VA. They had some conditioning issues and I haven't played it in a couple of years, but am told that it has been resolved. An outstanding track. IMO, just as good as anything around DC not named Congressional or Columbia. Just up the road is a PB Dye (name escapes me) (the Gauntlet) public course I've played a couple of times. It's ok and a Deane Beamon design that closed and I think reopened. I played that one time and thought it was a pretty nice track. Both are just off I95 in Stafford.

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I’ll add that I shouldn’t have softened my favoritism by referencing price. If Chariot had higher fees than Ross FL, I would still pick Chariot.

 

Man this is a tough decision. I'm trying to find a way to play both. I wasn't planning on stopping to play on the way home and just driving the whole way but it may be nice to break up the drive.

 

Now on the way I'm thinking stop and play the Ross course first, then stop and play Chariot Run before heading to the hotel in Charleston, WV. This would have me skipping Kearney Hill in Lexington, KY on the way there, but then adding it as the only course I'd play on the drive home.

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Definitely hit up Potomac Shores and Laurel Hill if you can. Both are just off 95. They are top notch in the DC area. Plus it's easier for you to get to since you'll be on 95 already.

 

If you're on 66, then your best bet would be either Stonewall or Westfields. Those are really good as well.

 

Which one of those two would you prefer if you had to pick? Those are both very close to where I’ll be staying so I may have a chance to sneak in playing one of those while I’m there.

 

Laurel Hill and Potomac Shores are both really nice. You can’t go wrong with either, but If you can only play one, I’d go with Laurel Hill.

 

Off of I66, Westfields and Stonewall are both good choices. Stonewall is more expensive, but it holds up better in wet conditions. I played there two years ago in a deluge, and they let us take carts on the fairway that day. It drained so well, the carts didn’t leave a mark.

 

Unless it dries out a lot between now and the end of the month, Westfields will almost definitely be cart path only. It has some spots that take a while to dry out. They usually err on the side of caution when it’s wet.

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Man I'm really looking forward to this. I've came up with three different routes/plans based on what the weather forecast looks like. Late March will definitely be dicey but hopefully I can get lucky. So far the plan is:

 

Plan A (Middle route - I-64)

 

Day 1:

Donald Ross Course - French Lick, IN

Chariot Run - Laconia, IN

 

Day 2:

Resort at Glade Springs - Daniels, WV

Spring Creek Golf Club - Gordonsville, VA

 

Plan B (Southern route - I-24, I-81)

 

Day 1:

The Course at Sewanee - Sewanee, TN

Sweetens Cove - South Pittsburgh, TN

 

Day 2:

Pete Dye River Course at Virginia Tech - Radford, VA

Spring Creek Golf Club - Gordonsville, VA

 

Plan C (Northern route - I-70)

 

Day 1:

Brickyard Crossing - Indianapolis, IN

Virtues Golf Club - Nashport, OH

 

Day 2:

Eaglesticks Golf Club - Zanesville, OH

Whiskey Creek or Musket Ridge (need help can't decide) - MD

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