Some claim that golf courses are a waste of green space, that they use too many chemicals and too much water. That land, they say,  would be better off in conservation easements with nothing done to the land. Baloney! Conservation easements are simply a way for wealthy people to earn tax advantages from the state – you and me. Whereas no building or improvements take place, they are … [Read more...]

  My golfing buddy, Greg Leffler, and I decided to take advantage of a pleasant Wednesday afternoon and tee it up. But we had to check around first. Two courses that I know of - Lake Monticello and Meadow Creek – are closed for the flu season. We checked with Old Trail and got a tee time with a few stipulations. First, it was cart path only – which had nothing to do with the virus but … [Read more...]

Everything in golf has its place. There are rules, there is proper etiquette and there are many unwritten rules – such as don’t throw your caddy in deep water if he can’t swim. There are also unwritten rules about how to organize a golf bag, unwritten at least until now. So here goes. A golf bag is more than a piece of nylon with holes and pockets to store clubs and equipment. A golf bag is … [Read more...]

Two months and no golf! For a golf nut like me, that’s like solitary confinement for a con.  Every Wednesday (our golfing sabbath), it has been cold, nasty, rainy or all of the above. Finally, an opening. We played Old Trail last week and then Lake Monticello this Wednesday.  It was good to get back on the course. I was pleased Old Trail came to their senses about exorbitant rates. They still … [Read more...]

  All my golf buddies have VSGA cards, which allow us nice discounts on dozens of courses across Virginia. Recently, VSGA opened up The Old Course at The Homestead to card holders and we took advantage. The regular rate for 18 holes is $135, but with our cards, we teed it up for $36 - with a cart. The Homestead has two courses – The Old Course and The Cascades. The Cascades is their … [Read more...]

  I had a chance to play 9 holes of golf with my son Jimmie on our recent jaunt to Atlanta. Jimmie wanted to try the newly re-opened public course, the Bobby Jones Course, not far from his house. The 9-hole layout had been completely renovated “It was an 18-hole course, but they dug up the entire layout and made it a reversible 9-hole course,” Jimmie explained. The city of Atlanta … [Read more...]

  Last week, I was finally able to talk my regular golf buddies into a round at Harrisonburg’s Heritage Oaks. After our round, both Kevin and Greg were left admiring the fun and friendly course and we all shot good rounds, Heritage Oaks, about 65 minutes from Charlottesville, is owned and operated by the City of Harrisonburg. The course is player friendly with wide fairways and large … [Read more...]

I don’t know how many times I’ve played with fellow golfers who said: “You know – I should leave my driver in the bag and just hit my three-wood” -  or maybe it’s a fairway iron or some other club they hit fairly long and usually straight. Recently, I have been leaving my driver in the bag – actually it was at the pro shop, because I had taken my driver in for a new grip and they cut the old … [Read more...]

The Waynesboro golf course nearly bit the dust a couple years back. It was hemorrhaging money - not enough players or members, and it was on the auction block. Many feared the course would be bulldozed and sold off as residential lots, lost to golf forever. But someone stepped in, bought the property, spent some money in renovations and now the course is once again challenging golfers of all … [Read more...]