Courtesy of the club
Courtesy of the club
Courtesy of the club
Courtesy of Roger Snyder
Courtesy of Dick Durrance
Scott Schneider
Courtesy of Nicky McIlvaine
Courtesy of Bill McKnight
Courtesy of Ed MacMahon
Robert Trent Jones Golf Club
Gainesville, VA • Private
Robert Trent Jones Golf Club
1 Turtle Point Dr
Gainesville, VA 20155-2803
United States
Overview
Designed by Robert Trent Jones and his long-time associate Roger Rulewich just before they tackled the ambitious and enormous Robert Trent Jones Trail string of courses in Alabama, Robert Trent Jones Golf Club was intended to be the veteran architect’s definitive statement on championship golf. Routed on rolling terrain densely covered with pine and hardwoods, the design reflects the philosophy Trent pioneered—heroic architecture—with well over 100 glistening white sand bunkers and the last 11 holes playing along the shoreline of Lake Manassas, including the par-3 ninth with a peninsula green, the par-3 11th over a lake cove and the par-4 18th over an inlet and up a lakeside bluff. Robert Trent Jones Golf Club has hosted the Presidents Cup matches on four occasions, was a PGA Tour stop in 2015 and hosted the Solheim Cup in 2024.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
Second 100 Greatest: Ranked since 2013.
Previous ranking: 120th.
2025-'26 ranking: 144th.
100 Greatest: Ranked 1997-'98.
Highest ranking: 92nd, 1997-'98.
Best in State: Ranked top 3 since 1993.
2025-'26 ranking (and previous): 3rd.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Championship level Robert Trent Jones course that has held multiple President's Cups and a Solheim Cup. The difficulty level is there to test the best players in the world. Beautiful views of Lake Manasses are evident throughout the round. The staff is very welcoming. If offered the opportunity to test your game here, do not hesitate to accept the challenge."
Read More2025
Review
“Make not mistake about it, Robert Trent Jones Golf Club is a championship quality, beautifully located golf course well suited for professional level, team events such as The President's Cup and Solheim Cup. The conditioning of the golf course is excellent, with the greens consistently fast and firm. Interestingly though, the outstanding conditioning of the course tends to highlight its limitation from a Shot Options standpoint. Virtually every green is protected front left and right by either bunkers or fall off areas, thus creating very narrow run-up areas. With the length of the course, and the fast and firm green conditions, this basically dictates a repeated aerial approach game lofting high irons into the front of the severe, multi-area greens. The clubhouse is immense and feels very much of it's 1990s origins, but in a good way. The property has a number of houses and cottages to stay at that look to make a great golf trip and the practice facilities are world-class."
Read More2025
Review
“The course rolls across a more interesting property than one might expect but use of the lakefront property lacks creativity, as water always plays to the player's left. Effective tree management has produced interesting shot options. Though the holes along Lake Manassass get most of the attention, some of RTJ's best holes are inland. Conditioning is top-tier."
Read More2025
Review
“The course rolls across a more interesting property than one might expect but use of the lakefront property lacks creativity, as water always plays to the player's left. Effective tree management has produced interesting shot options. Though the holes along Lake Manassass get most of the attention, some of RTJ's best holes are inland. Conditioning is top-tier."
Read More2025
Review
“Truly beautiful and in great condition, but there is a redundancy in the golf holes, especially on the front nine."
Read More2024
Review
“Selected as the course for the first President's Cup. And it stood up to the challenge."
Read More2023
Review
“A fantastic course with beautiful views overlooking Lake Manassas, but more importantly some great strategic holes. The fairway bunkering is elite and challenges golfers to take on the bunkers to set up scoring opportunities. The Par-Threes present a wonderful variety of shots, requiring different shot shapes and trajectories to get near pins."
Read More2022
Review
“A spectacular setting along the shores of Lake Manassas. The lake, visible from pretty much all 18 holes, comes into play from hole 9 though the finish with a picturesque and memorable 11th hole, a tribute to Augusta 12."
Read More2022
Review
“The challenge, aesthetic beauty and conditioning excellence of this course place it in the upper echelon on the East Coast. RT Jones Sr. demands draws off tee boxes at #7, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17 and 18 and fades from 1, 3, 5 and 6. And on #13 he punishes a drawn tee ball with a crafted fairway that slopes downhill and to the left towards the water almost forcing the player to lay back a bit on an extremely long and difficult par 4. Shaved down areas transitioning from fairways into bunkers is a tribute to Scottish designs. But the 40 foot false front at #11 sends golf balls arriving even a pace short of the par 3 elevated green trickling backwards to a watery death below. The purity, complexity and speeds of greens makes for the flagship of this uniquely wonderful golf course. Stone walls and walkways at #9, 11 and 14 compliment a visually astounding lakeside wedding venue at #10. Lake Manassas is incorporated into this architectural design with creativity and ingenuity on holes #9-13 and 15-18."
Read More2020
