The Mountain Greens course at Massanutten Resort is the best golf within one hour of Charlottesville this year. And I'm talking courses where the public can play without paying an arm and a leg. The course was immaculate today, and I was happy to meet the Superintendent (Paul Marshall) out on the course to tell him so. It has been a long hot summer, and some of my favorites are lagging, but not "The Nut". Tee boxes and beautiful bent grass fairways are lush, and the greens are presently in the best shape I've seen them in five years playing here. The scenery alone makes the course worth a look.
It is the most difficult course I play, and if you want to introduce a visitor to Virginia mountain golf, this would be a good place if they are not heavy slicers. With few exceptions, every fairway is sloped left to right, with uncleared "wild" forest awaiting on either side of fairways; typically a steep drop down on the right side. And these fairways....some of them seem narrow enough to spit across. You need to be able to hit draws to get the most out of your driver, and there are a couple (#1 and #9 come to mind) where you really do need a hook. I mean....nothing like a sharp dogleg left with the fairway sloping away from you to the right. Right?!? No matter what you think you are reading on the greens, you need to know where the mountain is because your putt is going to roll away from it. Really, the first four holes are an endurance test - get through them and you know at least that you are past the worst. This is a resort, and the clientele includes people who have never seen a golf course and mistake the cart paths for walking trails.
So....that does not seem like fun? Well, if you're worried about your handicap, the course is rated appropriately. If you feel like you need a low score that day, maybe try somewhere else. But if you want to be challenged by an excellent course, this is the best. A wide VSGA window makes this a bargain even on weekends at $35 with cart. Without the card, $69 on weekends for guests is tough to argue with. Grant yourself some mulligans, and have fun with it! read more