■ Special Report: GOLF IN VIRGINIA
Top of the leader board F
Panel’s picks remain consistent on the second round of rankings by Kevin Brafford
or the second consecutive year, the Virginia Golf Ratings Panel show- cases its rankings of the common-
wealth’s top 50 golf courses. And for the second consecutive year, the Cascades course — William Flynn’s classic design masterpiece that opened in 1923 — at The Omni Homestead is No. 1. There was subtle movement in the
top 10 courses in the ranking, most notably the Full Cry course at Keswick Hall & Golf Club improving from 10th to sixth. Panelists wer e impressed by the maturity of what was originally an Arnold Palmer design. The course was completely redone by Pete Dye in 2014. The only new addition to this year’s
rankings is Draper Valley Golf Club, near Radford, which debuts at No. 50. The mission of the Virginia Golf
Ratings Panel is to provide rankings that a broad spectrum of golfers can appreciate and to promote what panel members believe is a great game. The panel currently includes 46 men and women who, while their playing ability varies, share a passion for the game and an appreciation for course design. Each also maintains his or her primary residence in Virginia. In voting for the top 50, panelists
were asked to consider a number of factors — variety in design, routing,
Photo courtesy Omni Hotels & Resorts
strategy, fairness, shot values, memorability and aesthetics — in determining their individual rankings. They could vote only for courses they’ve played (and there are more than 300 courses in the commonwealth). From their ballots, the top
50 was determined by a blended scoring system that, first, averaged a course’s ranking per number of panelists who had played it and, second, rewarded total points received (the higher the ranking the greater the number of total points).
Kevin Brafford is executive director of the Virginia Golf Ratings Panel,
virginiagolfratings.com.
www.VirginiaBusiness.com VIRGINIA BUSINESS 49
The Cascades course at The Omni Homestead remained the top course in the Virginia Golf Ratings Panel for the second straight year.
Weekend getaways
Virginia Golf Ratings Panel members were asked where they would go for the best daily-fee experience on a weekend getaway. Here are their five favorites:
• Golden Horseshoe (Gold), Golden Horseshoe (Green) and Kingsmill (River)
• The Homestead (Cascades and Old Course)
• Ford’s Colony (Marsh Hawk, Blackheath and Blue Heron)
• Bay Creek Resort and Club in Cape Charles (Nicklaus and Palmer)
• Keswick Hall (Full Cry) and Wintergreen Resort (Stoney Creek and Devil’s Knob)
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