We couldn’t help but think of almost any Interstate highway we’d rather be than the stretch between Richmond and NOVA…especially on January 4, 2022! If you happen to travel this section of highway frequently, or occasionally, it can be literally a 100 mile parking lot depending on the time of day or day of the week.
There is a 3 hour alternative to this madness if you must pass through Richmond on I-95 and if you have your clubs in the trunk. That is pulling off just north of downtown Richmond to experience a classic of golf course architecture restored to nearly its original design, the Belmont Golf Course.
Belmont is a historic layout built in 1917 which held the 1949 PGA Championship won by Sam Snead as well as the Richmond Invitational won by Ben Hogan. It was designed by A. W. Tillinghast(Bethpage? among others) with follow-on consultant work by Donald Ross, and redesigned by Davis Love III in 2020. It’s a hybrid facility where 12 conventional holes from the original #7-#18 holes and a 6-hole short course form the balance. It’s a classic, parkland layout over rolling terrain with a significant amount of fingered sand bunkering defending the fairway landing zones and undulating green complexes with a lake and a creek adding further to the challenge.
A worthy stop on your travels through central Virginia, but also check out the other golf courses and resorts open to public play in our guide here.