In our current series on fall golf in Central Virginia, this week’s destination is Old Trail, at the very foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Crozet.
Old Trail has had some ups and downs in the 15 or so years it has been around. When it first opened, it was awfully difficult. The course designer wanted almost a links course, with lots of high grass and grown up areas. Problem was, with all the hills, golfers couldn’t see where their errant drives went and couldn’t find their balls. Play was at a snail’s pace and many golfers never returned. Old Trail finally fixed that problem, then struggled with the Great Recession, but now the course seems firmly established.
What is definitely established are the world-class views of the mountains. It’s almost as if they were part of your gallery. You can see miles and miles of mountains to the west. It is a spectacular sight.
My main gripe with Old Trail is that, more often than not, your group ends up behind awfully slow players. That can be frustrating and takes away from the enjoyment of the round.
It would be interesting if every golf cart had an electronic device that timed your round. If you took longer than the allotted time per hole, a beeper would warn of slow play. If it happened twice, you would be forced to skip a hole. That would speed up play, increase enjoyment and actually be more profitable to the golf courses.
Maybe some day?
In the meantime, slow play or not, now is a beautiful time to tee it up at Old Trail.