Golf

"The game has such a hold on golfers because they compete not only against an opponent, but also against the course, against par, and most surely- against themselves." -Arnold Palmer

Your opening tee shot finds the fairway on the Manakin; your reward is a ball sitting up perfectly. But as you approach your shot, you must negotiate a gaping bunker on either side. Do you dare fly it all the way to the hole? Run it up the gap? The choice is yours.

Or perhaps your foursome is on the Sabot where your booming tee shot is also rewarded, this time with an important decision: go for this beautiful par-five in two and risk hitting it in the lake? Play for position, but still be faced with a challenging short-iron approach? Decisions, decisions!

Challenge. Playability. Diverse golf experiences.

You will work your way through 40-foot pines and hit over streams, ponds and lakes. Use every club in your bag. Find dog-legs left, dog-legs right, reachable par-5's, picturesque par-3's and par-4's that require a range from short-iron to rescue club depending on the winds that day.

Only a handful of clubs throughout the Mid-Atlantic can boast 36 holes at this peak level of golf experience. Both courses show the unmistakable thumbprints of two of the most prestigious course designers in the modern era. Arthur Hills renovated the Sabot in 2000; originally designed by Ed Ault in 1973. The Manakin was redesigned by Keith Foster in 2005. Hermitage provides two championship courses that require strategic shot and decision making, whether you are a scratch golfer or a high handicapper.

• Hosted the 1949 PGA Championship won by Sam Snead
• Site of the PGA Senior Tour Crestar Classic—1983 through 1990
• (site of Arnold Palmer's last PGA Tour victory in 1988)
• Host of the annual Tommy Galloway Father-Son Tournament
• Site of the 1990 Virginias-Carolinas Team Matches
• Site of the 2000 VSGA Amateur Championship