Welcome to Swannanoa Country Club

- Fairways and Greens
Throughout my life I’ve lived in or near Cleveland, Columbus, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta. For the past nine years I’ve lived in Charlottesville and Waynesboro.
In comparison to those larger cities, central Virginia, and particularly the Shenandoah Valley, is the most sparse area I’ve ever lived in when it comes to golf courses, public or private. I realize, of course, that the population of the Valley doesn’t compare with the populations of those larger towns, but one of the first things I noticed when I came to this area was that there weren’t that many golf courses around. I remember reading, soon after I moved here, an article in one of the major golf magazines that noted that Virginia was one of “the most golf poor areas in the country.” Meaning, not enough courses.
Some of that has changed, but nine years ago Charlottesville’s public offering were limited to nine-hole Pen Park, and that nine-hole, sand-green trip back in time, McIntire Park. One needed a university contact -- or a fairly sizable green fee -- to play Birdwood, and the right social contacts -- and a fairly fat wallet - to join (let’s all come to an appropriate reverential hush now please) Farmington Country Club. Oh, there was also Lake Monticello, but that was a twenty-dollar cab ride from town, and you had to talk your way past some guard at the gate. Neither of which was my idea of playing golf. Folks also made mention of some mysterious place called Swannanoa and spoke, also in a reverential hush, about a golf course “up there”.
By contrast, when I lived in Philadelphia, our regular Thursday afternoon foursome had literally dozens of courses from which to choose. And we would usually choose one of them as we were putting the clubs in the trunk -- no need for a tee time a week in advance, and certainly no gates and guards. In fact, we would often get in rather heated discussions (arguments) about where we ought to play that afternoon. We had plenty of courses, easy access, and very reasonable green fees. (why did I move?)
I have since discovered that there are golf courses in Central Virginia, and even some in the Valley. What follows in this recurring article is a listing, with some comments, of various golf courses in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The courses we all play if we live in, or near, Harrisonburg, Staunton, and Waynesboro.
First up, that mysterious place called Swannanoa.
Golf courses are like movies. We usually hear about them by word-of-mouth before we lay our eyes on them. And boy, nine years ago did I ever hear about Swannanoa. Guys told me, “You’ve never seen anything like it in your life.” I heard about weeds on the greens, and fairways so long and gnarly that you could hit it down the middle and never see the ball again. I was warned not to veer into the woods -- folks reported sightings of rattle snakes. And I was told to keep my eyes open for some of the best mountain views in the State. Well, most all of that turned out to be true. I didn’t lose a ball in the middle of a fairway, but I did pick up a dandelion on the second green. I kept clear of the rattle snakes, and soaked up the best things about Swannanoa: a wonderfully laid-back atmosphere, some charmingly natural holes, and some truly spectacular vistas.
I remember reading that Sam Snead, upon playing the Old Course at St. Andrews for the first time declared, “ Worst golf course I’ve even seen.” Well, I’ve heard folks make that same comment about Swannanoa, but Sam and those folks are missing the point. Both Swannanoa and the Old Course are as much about the setting and the ambiance as they are about the golf course itself. Before the prices went up dramatically, the Old Course used to be an affordable meeting place for the common folk. A meeting place for anyone and everyone who loved the game. A place as much for socializing as for playing golf.
Located on Route 610, just up the road from the Afton Inn, near the Rockfish Gap confluence of I-64, Route 250, the Skyline Drive, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, Swannanoa is the Old Course before the price increase. Playing anywhere from 4500 to 5500 yards with a par 70, and located directly on the ridge of the Blue Ridge itself, with views East back toward Charlottesville, West into the Shenandoah Valley, North to the old Swannanoa mansion (the reason for the creation of most of the holes on the front nine), and South into Heaven itself, Swannanoa is a perfect place to sitback, relax, check out the views, work on a tan, knock down a few cool ones, and Oh yes, by the way, play a little golf. Swannanoa is, after all, about getting mellow.
The mellowest guy I ever met, I met playing golf at Swannanoa. Long hair, full beard, deep tan, at first I thought it was Jesus out for a quick nine. It turned out to be a fellow named Ray. He had a golf club in one hand and a walking cane in the other. The club was there to help him battle the course, the cane to help him in with his battle of Multiple Sclerosis. The coolness of the high elevation of the course (2900 feet above sea level) helped him endure Virginia’s humid summers. Golf was one of the things that helped him endure his struggles. He said he loved Swannanoa because it was the perfect place for what he called “Zen golf.” He even played with Slazenger golf balls because, he said, “They have ‘Zen’ in the middle.” Ray defined “Zen Golf” as golf immediate with the moment, golf one with the moment. And what a better place to be one with the moment than Swannanoa. If, for example, when your feet hit the tenth green and you look East toward the range of mountains that separate you from Charlottesville, and South down the Blue Ridge Mountains themselves as they travel all the way to the North Carolina, if you don’t gasp inwardly -- or outwardly -- and say, “Wow, what a view!” then buddy you’re dead. Not only are you not one with the moment, you’re totally missing the moment. You’re missing the point altogether. You’re certainly missing what Swannanoa is all about. Swannanoa is not about a well-designed golf in PGA Tour condition being played by all the right people. It’s about being one with your surroundings, one with the moment, one with the game. It’s about democratic golf, accessible to all, with no guards, no gates, and certainly no membership committee checking to see if you’re “one of us.” It’s about providing an hospitable place for those who like to play. For any and all who like to play.
Some of Swannanoa’s golf holes holes are even worth noting:
Number 3 - “Rockfish Gap” (Just like the Old Course, The Swan’s holes have names) - Par 3 - 143 Yards -- A tough green to hit. If the putting surface was cut the length of those at Augusta (or even those at your local club) everyone would fourputt this puppy.
Number 7 - “Bucks Knob” - Par 4 - 328 Yards -- Drive is a slight draw. Second shot is played from a hanging lie to a tiny two-tier green that slopes down to the left. Hit a six-foot area on the right side of the green and maybe you can make your three or four. Miss it and you can easily make six or seven, and get bitten by a rattle in the process of looking for your ball.
Number 11 - “Humpback” - Par 3 - 143 Yards -- Save the air fare, you’re in the British Open. Play this (as is often the case) with a howling left-to-right cross-wind, aiming the ball at some distant mountain top, and you’ll be lucky to keep it on the planet, let alone the green.
Number 13 - “Shenandoah” - Par 4 - 367 Yards -- Not a great hole, but a good memory, and a dare. To the left of this tee is a water tower. On the right side of the water tower, about eight inches away from the tower itself, is a pipe that runs down the length of the tower. While playing with Ray one day I saw a bit of Zen golf. Ray hit his tee shot -- admittedly not according to his game plan -- through the eight-inch space between the tower and the pipe. He hit it clean, no tower, no pipe, just air, and he went on to make a scrambling par. It was the epitome of “Zen Golf,” and proof that strange things happen “up there” on the mountain. The dare? Duplicate Ray’s Zen golf shot. Hit one between the pipe and the tower. Hit it clean, just air. Become one with the moment. And just in case you don’t, wear a hard hat.
Number 14 - “Old Stoney Ridge” - Par 4 - 252 Yards - A mysterious “where is the green?” hole that plays over a gorge that I’m sure is the final resting place for a billion golf balls, three or four golf carts, and probably one or two golfers. The green is to the left, just over the hill. Draw your tee shot and you’ll be on, over, or around the green. Just make sure the folks in front of you have moved on, or in addition to your wedge, you’ll need your lawyer.
Number 15 - “Pine Ridge Bluff” -- Par 3 - 157 Yards - The best par-three on the course. The bunkers long left have a British feel to them, and the falls and hummocks on the green let you know that, like the Old Course, The Swan “knows no architect but nature.”
Number 17 - “Piedmont Plateau” - Par 4 - 258 Yards - I’d like a dollar for every ball that has found its way into the gorse on the right of this drivable par-four (just about every par-four here is drivable). This is a classic “pay your money and take your choice” hole. Blast it on the green and run the risk of losing it right. Lay up and run the risk of leaving your pitch short. Bail out left and leave yourself an odd angle to a green that falls away to yet even deeper gorse. Have fun with this one.
Finally, there is one more reason to play Swannanoa. You need to experience The Swan’s Head Pro, Pete Lang. For those of you who have worked your way through Michael Murphy’s book, Golf in the Kingdom, Pete Lang is Shivas Irons, with a little P.T. Barnum thrown in. Swannanoa is Pete’s baby. From designing the back nine, to mowing the fairways and greens, to giving lessons, to repairing carts and clubs, to selling land, to selling hot dogs and beer, Pete literally does it all. With a canine friend or two to lend him a paw, he’ll call you “pro” and make you feel at home. Pete is Swannanoa and Swannanoa is Pete. Enjoy them both as you travel “up there” for a round of “Zen Golf.”