Golf can be expensive. Not counting the $4 balls that go sailing into the high grass and the $500 drivers that are sure to get you an extra 10 yards off the tee, there are the fees to play the courses, which can exceed $200 a round. But golf doesn’t have to be expensive, and a golfing retreat for friends, businesses or organizations can be productive, inexpensive and fun – at Cliff View Golf Club near Covington.
The 18-hole course at the Cliff View Golf Club & Inn facility features 5,906 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. The course rating is 68.0 and it has a slope rating of 120. Designed by Frank and Matt Sponaugle, the Cliff View golf course opened in 1996.
Cliff View has a beautiful inn for accommodations. The inn has 9 bedrooms, each with a private bath, a spacious kitchen and dining area for meetings, a reading room a deck with views of the rock cliffs overlooking the Jackson River.
I have been playing the course for about 12 years, and it ranks near the top of my list as an inexpensive but enjoyable way to beat a little white ball up and down the fairways. Cliff View is not a hard course, but it’s no pushover. One of the short par 4 holes is an example.
Number 9 measures 266 from the white tees, so it would be possible for a big hitter to reach the green. It is also possible to draw the ball a hair and splash it in with the trout in the Jackson River. For average golfers, there is a big cedar tree to contend with, about 40 yards from the green. If a straight drive falls short, you can be behind the tree. If you try to sneak it too far right, you’re in the rough and to the left is the river. The green is one of the toughest anywhere. It drops off like a bad joke at a comedy club. Three putts are a constant threat.
So the course is challenging, but very inexpensive – at $25 per round during the week and $30 for the weekends – with carts. The owners, Susan and Frank Sponaugle can arrange a custom golf package with a night or two at the inn, full use of their accommodations and unlimited golf.
The beauty of the surroundings is unparalleled. The jagged cliffs give the property its name and the amazing Jackson River below Gathright Dam twists its way around the course. Fishing privileges for wild brown and rainbow trout to 10 pounds and more can also be arranged.
Whether it’s just a road trip (an hour and a half from Charlottesville) or a weekend retreat, consider Cliff View Golf Club for your next escape. Call 540-962-2200 or 888-849-2200.