June, 2006 -- Note -- Cliff Boyd is no longer at Virginia National, and the golf course is under new management.  The weblink below is no longer active, but the telephone number is still current.

Text and Captions by Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeff Janas
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BLUEMONT, VA -  There's one quality about golf that's pretty much true no matter where you play -- it offers the opportunity to forget (or postpone) life's problems for a few hours.

Many golf courses use this attribute to their promotional advantage, especially the ones on the outskirts of the metropolis, touting themselves as an 'escape from the city' type experience.  While that's largely true, some offer a higher-level 'away-from-it-all' outing.

Virginia National Golf Club in Bluemont fits nicely in the latter category.  Driving to the course, you'll pass large stretches of rolling hills, some new upscale housing developments, varied shades of green and lots of things natural.

Cliff Boyd, Virginia National's owner and General Manager, says he wasn't the first to discover his property's outstanding natural splendor:  "This land was known as the 'Land of the Stars' by the Indians who inhabited it.  When we were building and shaping the golf course, we found a number of arrowheads, hatchet heads and other artifacts.  We also found bullets and Civil War relics from the Battle of Cool Springs, which was fought here in 1864."

"The history's a big part of what we offer here.  You can come and feel like you got away from the city, play a game of golf -- and even if you're playing bad, the atmosphere and history of the property...  you take that with you.  You feel as though you've really gotten that chance to clear the old cobwebs," Boyd mused.

It's true, and Virginia National offers what could be the best purely natural setting of any golf course in the Washington DC region.  The layout is demanding -- very much of a shot-maker's test, but as Boyd suggested, even a few mis-hits probably won't detract from the overall good time to be found there.

Boyd again puts it best:  "When you stand on our 14th hole (168 yard par three that drops 80 feet from tee to green), you're standing on the Blue Ridge, looking across to the Alleghenies.  And right over the treetops across the Shenandoah River -- that's where Stonewall Jackson came through, then Jubal Early's army fought there.  And just to the left of that tee is where the Battle of Cool Springs was actually fought."

Boyd says the 'peace' will be preserved, in perpetuity: "We purchased the adjoining ground back in that corner, so nobody can build any houses there.  Out here, there're no houses, no cars and no airplanes.  It's pure golf and fishing."

And if you're hitting it straight, it might just be pure paradise.  Here are some of the sights you'll see at Virginia National:

Looking down at the par three 12th hole, you have the Shenandoah River on the left, and the Blue Ridge to the right. Hit straight ahead, and hopefully you'll find the flagstick.

There's a contrast between Virginia National's two nines. The outward set is very flat and placed on a relatively small piece of land, while the back nine is undulating and spread out. Here, the par three 6th hole.

Behind the tee on the 13th hole, you can take a short trail to get a glimpse of the river through the trees. It's not a sight you'll get on too many golf courses.

Dropping 80 feet from tee to green, I wouldn't say the 14th hole offers great golf -- but there are other things about it that make it quite memorable.

The par four 8th hole rests alongside the Shenandoah River. The trees might save your ball from the water, but it's a safer bet to just aim a bit to the right.

Virginia National's 18th hole presents one final challenge to conclude the round. You'll lay-up short of a creek on the tee shot, then have to carry a pond to reach the green.

The green of the par five 15th hole isn't right on the river, but it's close enough to hear the trickling waters nearby. Here, you'll certainly appreciate all that Virginia National has to offer.