Golf in Virginia
Overview
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This page explains golf in Virginia. The sorter handles the local question by city or ZIP.
Golf in Virginia
Virginia's public courses range from the 27-hole Shenandoah Valley Golf Club in Front Royal to county-run facilities in Northern Virginia and the Richmond metro. Shenandoah Valley Golf Club is consistently ranked among the state's top public layouts and hosts a top-rated golf school on site.
Published local price
Weekday 18-hole rate with cart at Providence Golf Club (Richmond area, public); senior 60+ Monday-Thursday $63 with cart; rates vary by season and tee time
Published range: $63 to $85.
Providence Golf Club - Rates · as of 2025-04Where to go
Golf score
13th of 51 states for retirement golf
Golf score blends year-round playability (34%), playable access (16%), affordability (16%), course pedigree (12%), and statewide course density (22%).
Courses
A sample of marquee courses across Virginia, with where to play and how to book.
Mountain course where Sam Snead launched his career · William S. Flynn
A storied mountain course in the Alleghenies that stays friendly to walkers, with a caddie program if you would rather not carry. You play the varied terrain rather than fight it.
Opened 1923 · $$$$ · Slope 137
Par-3 16th plays to one of golf's earliest island greens · Robert Trent Jones Sr.
Robert Trent Jones Sr. called this his finest design, set among rolling hills and pines in Colonial Williamsburg. The par-3s are the stars, including a downhill tee shot to an island green.
Opened 1963
Closing holes circle the James River, 17th on a bluff above water · Pete Dye
An early Pete Dye design that sits quietly on a wooded site overlooking the James River. It once hosted the PGA Tour and now welcomes an LPGA event each year.
Opened 1975 · Slope 136
Eastern Shore holes with wide views of the Chesapeake Bay · Arnold Palmer
An Arnold Palmer design on Virginia's Eastern Shore, where the closing holes open up to the Chesapeake Bay. The rolling topography and water views make for a memorable day.
Slope 143
Sixty-one sculptured bunkers thread through Back Bay pines and water · Rees Jones
A well-regarded public course in southern Virginia Beach, laid out by Rees Jones near the Back Bay refuge. Walking is allowed after 1pm, and the senior and resident rates keep it approachable.
Opened 1982 · $$ · Slope 133
Muscular Tom Fazio layout with varied shot values across five tees · Tom Fazio
Just west of Richmond in Midlothian, this is the only daily-fee course in Virginia that Tom Fazio designed. Five sets of tees mean you can pick a length that fits your game.
Opened 2001 · Slope 139
Reimagined rolling layout with a drivable par-4 late in the round · Davis Love III
A Davis Love III redesign near Charlottesville that reopened in 2020 and serves as UVA's home course. Six sets of tees and open daily play make it easy to plan a round.
$$$
Tree-lined holes along the Potomac with a stream on the back nine · Ed Ault
A popular public course run by NOVA Parks along the Potomac River in Sterling. Mature trees frame the front nine, and pull or power carts are both welcome if you like to walk.
Opened 1962 · $ · Slope 125
We've mapped 14 courses across Virginia so far.
What Virginia costs
Cost of living
101
BEA index, U.S. = 100
State income tax
~4.5% state income-tax planning rate
Social Security
Not taxed
How people start
Most metros list city-run courses with published fee schedules. Those set the affordable floor before any private club enters the picture.
Many courses post a reduced weekday senior rate and a season pass. The difference between pay-per-round and a pass is the number that usually drives the yearly cost.
In warm states the season runs most of the year; in cold ones it is a few months. The yearly cost is rounds-per-year times rate, plus cart and equipment.
Towns in Virginia
Virginia Beach Golf Management operates five publicly accessible courses including Bow Creek Golf Course, Kempsville Greens Municipal Golf Course at 4840 Princess Anne Rd., and Red Wing Lake Golf Course, a classic George Cobb design with bent grass greens and loblolly pine-lined fairways; the portfolio offers multiple tee options and seasonal rates for all skill levels.
Virginia Beach Golf ManagementCommon questions
Virginia's public courses range from the 27-hole Shenandoah Valley Golf Club in Front Royal to county-run facilities in Northern Virginia and the Richmond metro. Shenandoah Valley Golf Club is consistently ranked among the state's top public layouts and hosts a top-rated golf school on site. Towns like Virginia Beach have their own local options.
Virginia has a cost-of-living index near 101 (U.S. = 100), about a 4.5% state income-tax planning rate, and does not tax Social Security. The full state guide breaks down property tax, sales tax, and long-term-care costs, each sourced.
Sources
The life your money is for