Golfing in Leesburg

[jleclair10]

Coming to Leesburg for the weekend looking to play some golf. What is the best public course and what is the best private course? I know of Creighton Farms and Four Streams which one is better? What do you think is the best public course within 40 mins?

[umassgolfer]

Haven't played it this year so can't speak for conditions, but when Bull Run is right it is a really fun round. Landsdowne Resort is close by as well with two pretty nice courses. A couple minutes outside your range depending on where you are in Leesburg and the day's traffic gets you to Stonewall (upscale public) and RTJ (Private - PGA TOUR and President's Cup host). The Trump courses are pre

 

Whatever you do don't get fooled into going to 1757.

[jjmurry]

If you're willing to go a little north, check out musket ridge, it's a nice public course that's about 30 minutes from leesburg in maryland. I played it the other day and it was nice as can be around here. In the NOVA area though, raspberry falls is alright when the conditions are good (not sure how they are as I haven't played there in months). Same with Bull Run.

[Miker20890]

Rock harbor in Winchester always gets good reviews.

[DCLefty]

I'd probably go Raspberry Falls (assuming conditions are good) for your public round, then Bull Run or Stonewall. Played Bull Run last week - it's in good, not amazing shape. Fairways were OK. Greens, tee boxes were solid. Enjoy!

[thechief16]

> @umassgolfer said:

> Haven't played it this year so can't speak for conditions, but when Bull Run is right it is a really fun round. Landsdowne Resort is close by as well with two pretty nice courses. A couple minutes outside your range depending on where you are in Leesburg and the day's traffic gets you to Stonewall (upscale public) and RTJ (Private - PGA TOUR and President's Cup host). The Trump courses are pre

>

> Whatever you do don't get fooled into going to 1757.

 

No offense to DCL, but those BR tee boxes are trash. They've got 1/2 to 3/4 long cut, so you need a 3+ inch tee just to get the ball teed up decently. Greens are good enough (though don't judge by the practice green, which is super-slow). Fairways, you probably need to roll the ball and the rough is terrible. A ton of bare spots both off the fairway and around the green. I've been playing there regularly for a decade and it's as bad as I can remember.

[DonatelloNobodie]

Raspberry Falls is the only choice if you need to stay near Leesburg. Over-priced, but a good routing. Conditions can vary a lot.

Westpark is a goat track, soon to be housing (an improvement). Goose Creek is gone, I think. Another good move.

A bit further away, Brambleton and Algonkian are N. Virginia park courses, and in the best condition I've seen after a change in superintendents a few years ago. Decent choices.

Bull Run is overpriced and in terrible condition this year. Pace of play can be awful.

Within 30 miles, Worthington Manor in MD is excellent. Pleasant Valley and South Riding are acceptable choices, with improved conditioning. Herndon is also a nice, shorter, course.

1757 in Dulles is overpriced and has a cramped, odd, routing. A good practice area, if you like hitting off of mats.

[tanker44]

Worst area for golf in the entire country... worst part is everyone in the area thats a 5 handicap thinks they are ready for the tour

Can't wait to move out of Northern Virginia

[jwellefson1]

Leesburg is slim for good golf. Raspberry Falls is an option but personally i think its overpriced. I'd drive up to Frederick. Whiskey Creek, PB Dye, Musket Ridge, Worthington Manor, and MD National are all good from what I've heard.

[jjmurry]

> @tanker44 said:

> Worst area for golf in the entire country... worst part is everyone in the area thats a 5 handicap thinks they are ready for the tour

> Can't wait to move out of Northern Virginia

 

I agree with this wholeheartedly. The courses are overrun, run by management companies trying to make a quick buck, and aren't anything to brag about. It's a shame really because some of the courses around here could be quite fun but the 6 hour rounds drive away people. The private courses appear to be pretty decent in the area, but nothing competitive to those privates just north in Maryland. I wish i knew the answer for this area, but it's just too commercialized.

[davep043]

> @tanker44 said:

> Worst area for golf in the entire country... worst part is everyone in the area thats a 5 handicap thinks they are ready for the tour

> Can't wait to move out of Northern Virginia

 

Overstatement, just a little? After all, you could move to the middle of West Virginia, and have to drive an hour to find ANY golf course. Or Northern Michigan, where the season is over, and won't start again until May. If you look at a radius of maybe 45 minutes drive, you have a number of decent options, around Frederick, around Winchester, and south towards Gainesville. I'm definitely happy to be a member at a private club, I know the public courses are crowded, and probably pretty expensive compared to other places, but I have a feeling that "worst in the entire country" is a bit over the top.

[cristphoto]

Frederick County, Md has several excellent golf courses and not that far from Leesburg. My personal favorites are Worthington Manor and Musket Ridge. Maryland National and PB Dye are very good too. All four are reliable for good conditioning.

[jwellefson1]

> @jjmurry said:

> > @tanker44 said:

> > Worst area for golf in the entire country... worst part is everyone in the area thats a 5 handicap thinks they are ready for the tour

> > Can't wait to move out of Northern Virginia

>

> I agree with this wholeheartedly. The courses are overrun, run by management companies trying to make a quick buck, and aren't anything to brag about. It's a shame really because some of the courses around here could be quite fun but the 6 hour rounds drive away people. The private courses appear to be pretty decent in the area, but nothing competitive to those privates just north in Maryland. I wish i knew the answer for this area, but it's just too commercialized.

 

I agree with a lot of what you said, but I think the "worst area for golf" moniker is a little overstated. Like Dave said, at least we have accessible options here, and we've got a nice long season. I agree that Billy Casper and the Raspberry Golf Trail are sort of a plague in Northern VA, where they care only about profits not the consumer. Almost every Billy Casper course takes 5 hours on the good days to play because they pump so many groups out. The price point of the courses suck, because unless you plan on playing a mediocre (at best) municipal you're paying $75+ dollars to sit around and wait. And some folks really are annoying about their skill level, one dude told me he was a scratch golfer but I saw his handicap was a 3 for a after work golf league. Another guy was a 5 Cap and acts like he plays on tour when it's an after work golf league. The private courses are alright, but also you're right they don't have the pedigree (or quality) of the Maryland courses. But at least we've got golf courses and multiple options. Laurel Hill even hosted the USGA Public Links in 2013. Is it the best area in the country for golf? Far from it, but at least we've got options and can play golf for most of the year.

[davep043]

> @jwellefson1 said:

 

>The private courses are alright, but also you're right they don't have the pedigree (or quality) of the Maryland courses.

I'm not sure that private clubs in Frederick County are any better than those in Loudoun. Now when you go in to Montgomery County, with Congressional, Columbia, Burning Tree, and others, there's definitely a prestige and quality factor, but then you'd also need to bring Fairfax and Arlington County into the discussion too. Army-Navy and Washington Golf have significant history too, and Trump has at least a bit of prestige.

 

[tanker44]

> @davep043 said:

> > @tanker44 said:

> > Worst area for golf in the entire country... worst part is everyone in the area thats a 5 handicap thinks they are ready for the tour

> > Can't wait to move out of Northern Virginia

>

> Overstatement, just a little? After all, you could move to the middle of West Virginia, and have to drive an hour to find ANY golf course. Or Northern Michigan, where the season is over, and won't start again until May. If you look at a radius of maybe 45 minutes drive, you have a number of decent options, around Frederick, around Winchester, and south towards Gainesville. I'm definitely happy to be a member at a private club, I know the public courses are crowded, and probably pretty expensive compared to other places, but I have a feeling that "worst in the entire country" is a bit over the top.

 

Not really. First, there are maybe 3 public courses within an hour drive of Leesburg that aren't worth $30. Second, a 45 minute drive in this area for 5.5 hour 18 holes is not sustainable. That is literally an entire Saturday. I'd rather start exercising.

 

I'm also at a private club in the area and get by even thou the egos and talent levels in the area are laughable. I've played in a scratch games in the rural south w/ day labor guys that could destroy any of the vanity single digit divas in the NOVA private clubs. All I know is NOVA golf is a joke. Nothing personal its just a fact. In 5 years all that will be left in NW NOVA will be 6 clupcorp courses and Lansdowne. If you live in this area you have virtually zero options unless Raspberry drops prices in half and marshalls start using lethal force for slow play.

[Carolina Golfer 2]

> @davep043 said:

> > @tanker44 said:

> > Worst area for golf in the entire country... worst part is everyone in the area thats a 5 handicap thinks they are ready for the tour

> > Can't wait to move out of Northern Virginia

>

> Overstatement, just a little? After all, you could move to the middle of West Virginia, and have to drive an hour to find ANY golf course. Or Northern Michigan, where the season is over, and won't start again until May. If you look at a radius of maybe 45 minutes drive, you have a number of decent options, around Frederick, around Winchester, and south towards Gainesville. I'm definitely happy to be a member at a private club, I know the public courses are crowded, and probably pretty expensive compared to other places, but I have a feeling that "worst in the entire country" is a bit over the top.

 

Yeah, I'm thinking he got some money taken by a 5 HC at one of the courses, definitely sounds a bit bitter about something.

 

Heck we all know the Frederick area alone probably would rank in the top 25 of cluster of courses in the same area, if there was such a ranking.

[tanker44]

> @"Carolina Golfer 2" said:

> > @davep043 said:

> > > @tanker44 said:

> > > Worst area for golf in the entire country... worst part is everyone in the area thats a 5 handicap thinks they are ready for the tour

> > > Can't wait to move out of Northern Virginia

> >

> > Overstatement, just a little? After all, you could move to the middle of West Virginia, and have to drive an hour to find ANY golf course. Or Northern Michigan, where the season is over, and won't start again until May. If you look at a radius of maybe 45 minutes drive, you have a number of decent options, around Frederick, around Winchester, and south towards Gainesville. I'm definitely happy to be a member at a private club, I know the public courses are crowded, and probably pretty expensive compared to other places, but I have a feeling that "worst in the entire country" is a bit over the top.

>

> Yeah, I'm thinking he got some money taken by a 5 HC at one of the courses, definitely sounds a bit bitter about something.

>

> Heck we all know the Frederick area alone probably would rank in the top 25 of cluster of courses in the same area, if there was such a ranking.

 

I'm never bitter about losing money because I only play heads up. When I lose they've earned it. I didn't grow up playing in the big weekend scratch group where guys were milking strokes off each other. It was everyone for themselves and made for some great weekends. Up here strokes are given out like government contracts.

 

It takes me 25 minutes to get to CVS across 4 miles of Leesburg. Most of my belly aching here is about traffic, volume of courses and pace of play (due to few courses). If I am bitter its because I moved here 4 years ago from the south with year round golf, plenty of quality courses and plenty of talent.

 

This is the DC metro area. The mid-Atlantic is also terrible for golf courses as well because of the damn weather. Warm weather turf does terrible and so does cool weather turf. Bent grass gets destroyed out here in the heat/moisture, Bermuda gets winter kill and zoysia is slop when dormant. There are some good courses within a 100 mile radius and you guys have every right to defend your home turf.

 

It could be worse but barely. And I am bitter. I shouldn't have to drive from Leesburg to Tysons corner to get to a golf shop for some grips. Anyways, at least its the offseason. I'm done ranting. I need to move back to the Carolinas.

 

 

[Carolina Golfer 2]

Yeah no doubt You definitely have a valid point on the traffic. No one can dispute that. Ha

 

Also you hit an interesting point on the climate here in the VA/MD area and the turf conditions. We truly are in the middle of that Bermuda/Bent region.

 

I work at a course in MD that is 36 holes and we have both Bermuda and Bent courses. This year our Bermuda held up fantastically during the hot dry summer, while several courses around us including some Privates suffered dramatically.

 

Last year was 180 degrees different. The Winter Kill carried over well into May and the Bermuda never fully recovered.

 

You mention the Carolina's, as you could probably guess by my user name, I'm no stranger to that area. And yes it has some of the finest golf courses you could ever hope to play. So yeah NOVA can't really compete with most of those.

 

But I still feel we are fortunate in this area as a top quality course is likely no more than 30 to 45 minutes at most away from us. Let's just hope that 30 minutes isn't actually 5 miles ?

[jwellefson1]

> @davep043 said:

> > @jwellefson1 said:

>

> >The private courses are alright, but also you're right they don't have the pedigree (or quality) of the Maryland courses.

> I'm not sure that private clubs in Frederick County are any better than those in Loudoun. Now when you go in to Montgomery County, with Congressional, Columbia, Burning Tree, and others, there's definitely a prestige and quality factor, but then you'd also need to bring Fairfax and Arlington County into the discussion too. Army-Navy and Washington Golf have significant history too, and Trump has at least a bit of prestige.

>

 

I meant the Montgomery County privates more than anything. And those NOVA privates are fine and all but if you gave me a choice between Chevy Chase Club and Army-Navy its a no-brainer to me.

[dcmidnight]

> @cristphoto said:

> Frederick County, Md has several excellent golf courses and not that far from Leesburg. My personal favorites are Worthington Manor and Musket Ridge. Maryland National and PB Dye are very good too. All four are reliable for good conditioning.

 

The Frederick area alone has a half dozen courses that are worth playing.

 

I honestly lost track of what the argument even was here. But if its that all golf options in the DMV suck - thats just ludicrous.

[davep043]

> @dcmidnight said:

> > @cristphoto said:

> > Frederick County, Md has several excellent golf courses and not that far from Leesburg. My personal favorites are Worthington Manor and Musket Ridge. Maryland National and PB Dye are very good too. All four are reliable for good conditioning.

>

> The Frederick area alone has a half dozen courses that are worth playing.

>

> I honestly lost track of what the argument even was here. But if its that all golf options in the DMV suck - thats just ludicrous.

 

Well, the OP asked for a suggestion of a course to play while he was here for a few days. A while later, @tanker44 provided the helpful advice that this is the worst area for golf in the entire country. More discussion followed.

[tanker44]

Ehhh. Per the OP we are talking about public golf in Leesburg, VA and not Maryland, West Virginia, DC, Baltimore, New Jersey or any other pocket of the 5 state DC metro area. Outside of DC area including all the major counties clear up to Loudoun its gridlock and hell on earth. Maryland and the more rural areas are probably great. However, the greater Leesburg area is the worst area for golf in the entire galaxy. If you can find a public course still in business the round of golf will be the equivalent of spending 6 consecutive hours wandering Costco.

[wobgon]

Sounds like you will be greatly missed when you leave...…….

[4x4GGG]

I'm just combing some old local threads and found this gem.

I'm going to defend Westpark a little. I have the honor of playing some of the more fun courses in NOVA through out the season. I've been invited onto some amazing courses, my favorite being Stoneleigh. I've played Army Navy, but prefer Country CLub of Fairfax. But can we complain about Fairfax traffic? Basically I've played a lot of private and public courses out here and Westpark had a good thing going.

-$30 Greens fees. Always wide open, fast rounds. Full length. Did have a few challenging holes... 9 and 18 were pseudo island greens. Not because of them but it was 3 miles from my house. All this added up to me being able to just go play on a whim with no concerns. Gotta work at 4? It's 10am... yeah I can get in 18. It was a crap course that served a nitch.

Also... I really enjoy playing the par 3 in Sterling. $20. I've gotten through 36 holes in 2.5 hours on foot.

[cristphoto]

I always enjoyed Bristow Manor and Westfields in that area. Haven't played them in a couple years however.

[tbowles411]

I haven't gotten out there yet obviously, but it's usually in decent shape. It took me years to figure out how to play that course. But it was the course I broke 90 on for the first time. Haven't sniffed it since! LOL

[jwellefson1]

I cannot stand Bristow Manor. That may be the one course I will never play again if given the opportunity. A few holes have unplayable/horribly designed angles, the two par 5's on the front are forced layups, and there were a few fairways that just randomly stop, like my playing partner hit his drive of the day on a hole and straight up ran out of fairway. On a Par 5 nonetheless! Not to mention the six hour round (which I've been told others have experienced) and mediocre (at best) conditioning. Truly my least favorite golf course I've played and its not close. I waited for 45 minutes at the turn, and I can honestly say that was the closest I had been to just straight up leaving on a course.

Westfields rocks though.

[cristphoto]

Wow. I wonder if Bristow Manor has new owners. I was there about 5 years ago on a weekday and it was nice back then.

[lazyjc4]

I've lost count of how many times Bristow has changed ownership/management. Take away the par fives and it's a decent track, but does get very busy and rounds can be long.

[jwellefson1]

Agreed, the Par 5's are the worst part of that course. A couple of the Par 4's annoyed me, especially the "hardest hole in Northern Virginia" according to them, hole 7. If you don't drive it between 240-260, chances are you have no shot to the green or went OB. Not a fan. I feel like they could've done much better with the land.