Courtesy of Omni Hotels & Resorts
Courtesy of Omni Hotels & Resorts
The Omni Homestead Resort: Old Course
The Omni Homestead Resort: Old Course
1766 Homestead Dr
Hot Springs, VA 24445-2910
United States
Telephone
Overview
The Old Course opened in 1892 and is home to the nation’s oldest first tee in continuous use. The unique 6,099-yard layout consists of six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s. The first president to play golf during office, William McKinley, did so here in 1899, and many other presidents have done so after him. The Donald Ross original design features forced carries, blind tee shots and contoured fairways.
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Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
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Reviews
Review
“Located in Hot Springs, Virginia, one and a half hours hours north of Roanoke, VA, The Old Course(Donald Ross, 1892) is one of two courses at the Omni Homestead Resort, which is the oldest resort in America, opened in 1766. The other course is the renowned, Cascades Course(William Flynn,1923) 25 US presidents have visit the resort over the past 250 yrs. The course is short , but fun and plays 6099 yrs from the tips, par 72. It has 6 par threes, 6 par fours and 6 par fives (many of which are reachable) and features tree lined generous fairways with lots of elevation changes."
Read More2024
Review
“The Old Course at The Homestead in Hot Springs Virginia is one of the oldest courses in the US and was quite likely a gem when originally built in the late 19th, early 20th century. Reworked twice, first by Donald Ross in 1913, and then by Rees Jones in 1994, The Old Course is a mountain course playing at a par 72 but only 6,099 yards. Sporting an unusual 6 par 3s, 6 par 4s, and 6 par 5s, the course is very short by today's standards and does not have many tools to defend itself from low scores by most adequate players. Fairways are mainly wide and accommodating with minimal bunkers in play off the tee and only some thick but short rough to add some difficulty. There are no forced carries or hazards to punish wayward shots although several greens are well bunkered requiring precise approach shots if chasing the flag. The greens themselves are in excellent condition, firm and quick while rolling true. Unlike many Donald Ross designs, the greens do not have abundant runoff areas other than some false fronts and often funnel missed approaches back towards the flag with an atypical bowl configuration. Fairways were firm, fast and often severely sloped side to side and tee shots frequently ended up 20-30 yards off the original ball flight. Significant elevation changes made the 3 very short front 9 par 5's play slightly longer, but they were still very reachable with two well struck shots. Bunkers were in good condition and consistent but fairly firm below the initial sand layer making it difficult to control distance. The Old Course favors a fade with most holes playing as dogleg rights and only the 7th prompting a draw The 7th and 8th are both very short holes but offer an interesting choice, hit driver to leave relatively simple pitches or a layup to full wedge distance. None of the par 4s are over 380 yards or blessed with narrow landing areas so club selection is dependent upon confidence off the tee and the quality of your wedge game. The par 3s are all pretty holes but suffer from a lack of variety. 4 are downhill while the other 2 are uphill and all but the 199 yard 11th could be played with the same 1 or 2 clubs as yardages are very similar, especially after accounting for the elevation changes. The Old Course was most likely a different animal prior to the recent equipment changes. With 200 yard drives and hard to hit long irons instead of hybrids, the Old Course would have been much more challenging. Today, the real question for a good player is how low you can go. That being said, there is plenty of fun to be had by higher handicaps as good shots are rewarded and very few balls should be lost. Winding through rolling wooded hills in rural Virginia, the Old Course is a look back to what golf was like at the turn of the 20th century, but modern equipment has unfortunately not been kind and the 69.9 rating reflects the Grand Dame's struggle to maintain relevance as anything more than an enjoyable resort course."
Read More2024
Review
“Very nice resort course. Easier of the two courses there at the resort - The Old Course."
Read More2022
