Review: Schoolhouse Nine

Two-thirds of the way through 2023 and I'm finally review a golf course that I played in 2023. Incredible. Though today's review is a little interesting, because Schoolhouse Nine isn't just a nine-hole course, it's also a par 3 course. Located in Sperryville, Virginia, along the Blue Ridge just outside Shenandoah National Park, Schoolhouse is in a very scenic spot. It's also an hour and 45 minute drive from home. I've taken some long drives to play golf courses, but over 100 minutes to play a nine-hole par 3 course? That's pretty silly.

Hold on, though, because there's a reason for my madness. Schoolhouse was designed by two former employees of Tom Doak; he's also played the course and reviewed it favorably. In fact, everything I've heard about Schoolhouse Nine has been enthusiastic, so on a warm spring day, I made the drive down to see what the course is like.

The first hole is pretty nondescript from the tee. No bunkers, 150 yards, almost dead-flat terrain. But as you approach, you'll see the green has a noticeable tier running through the middle. It's not a big green either, so you will absolutely have to reckon with that tier at some point as you play the hole. Chips from behind the green are particularly dicey when the flag is on top. Still, this isn't the spiciest hole in the world.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is much more of a standout. It's 140 yards and has two bunkers right and front left. The back portion of the green is on a plateau 2-3 feet above the front portion, similar to a tier but a bit different, practically speaking, since the slope between the two levels takes up a lot of real estate on the green. It's not a difficult green to hit, but you'll need a very precise iron/wedge to set up a decent birdie opportunity. End up at the bottom with the hole cut on top and you'll have to work to ensure a two putt. And let's not even get started on the precision required to get up and down if you miss the green.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is fairly long, playing 165 over level ground. However, this hole does have a Principal's Nose bunker complex about 15 yards short of the green. Obviously, they're not playing the same role as they do on a more traditional par 4, but they do serve a purpose. From the tee, it looks like they're guarding the green, and they make the hole look shorter than it actually is. If you're not paying attention to the scorecard, you could easily end up not taking enough club. The green is the quietest at Schoolhouse nine, playing gently front to back. 

The third hole.

The Principal's Nose bunkers.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 130 yards with a fairly large bunker right. The green is tilted pretty sharply from back left to front right; putts from below the hole are pretty slow. This is one of those holes where the obvious miss (left), is actually the worst place to go. Bailing out to avoid the sand means you'll have a delicate chip to a green sloping away. Meanwhile, the bunker is pretty simple to get out of.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole doesn't look like much, but trust me, you'll learn to respect this hole. It's just 115 yards, and has no bunkers, but what it does have a tiny green angled 45 degrees away and falls away along that axis. There is no chance of getting a ball to stop where you want on this green. So even though the hole is short and you'll want to attack, doing so is a sure-fire way to bounce over the back. I don't know if it's actually the toughest hole on the course, but I do know that I only made one double bogey through two circuits of the place, and it was here.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole isn't quite the shortest hole here at 90 yards, but in my opinion it is the easiest. That doesn't mean it's boring. This is the one hole where you can fairly easily lose a golf ball, with woods and native area just a few feet left of the green. While the green lacks any massive features, what it does have are a series of small, alternating bumps along the edges. Anything that isn't on the center line will have to deal with them. It's also a well-placed breather, as the hole before and after are much more difficult and dramatic.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is the shortest hole at Schoolhouse, playing just 80 yards. Don't let that distance fool you, this is no pushover. For one thing, the tee shot plays 10 feet uphill, and since you'll probably be taking a three-quarter swing, spin is not something you'll be easily achieving. And that's a problem, because the best way I can describe this green is that it's the front two-thirds of a Biarritz. The front portion of the green is level, but then the back portion falls off into a deep swale. If you land the ball hole high, you are going down. And that's a very tough putt coming back up out of the dip. Easy three-putt territory. I'm not sure which is the better play, going high and trying to land just short or a lower shot more into the slope to kill the momentum. And that's a good thing. No obvious play makes this a compelling hole.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is 165 yards, making it twice as long as the previous hole. The bunkers short obviously draw your eye, but neither is the primary obstacle. That would be the large hump in the middle of the green, dividing it into two distinct sections. End up on the wrong half, and you'll have a very tricky putt up and over. There's no avoiding it. Of course, the bunkers can't be ignored either, though they're both a bit further away from the green than you might expect.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

Also the eighth green.

The ninth hole closes things out in classic fashion. I'm not sure it counts as a true Redan copy, but it's close enough. At 170 yards, it's the longest hole at Schoolhouse, and it plays tough. Two large, intimidating bunkers guard the front left portion of the green, which is sloped fiercely from right to left. Seriously, the tilt of this green is something else; putts from below the hole are incredibly slow, putts from above are, shall we say, slippery. A gentle draw aimed at the right side of the green will serve you very well.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

The ninth green from behind. Hopefully the steep slope is more apparent from this angle.

Schoolhouse Nine is an excellent little course. Obviously, being a par 3 course where the longest hole is just 170 yards, it's not a replacement for a full-length golf course. But it's proof you can have compelling and friendly golf on a small scale. This is the sort of golf course we need more of. There's no reason every decently sized town in the country couldn't have a course like this. The footprint of Schoolhouse is tiny. I don't know how many acres the entire course takes up, but I did see that just 1.5 acres of turf are maintained. The rest is left to nature, and it's just fine.

Then there's the quality of the golf. Every hole has something interesting going on. Not every hole hits, but you'll never be bored playing Schoolhouse. The greens aren't especially quick, but they roll true, and aside from the third have lots and lots of interesting slope and undulation. The price is pretty good too: $15 for unlimited golf over the week, and $25 on weekends. And since the routing is compact, if you do run into a slow group, you can absolutely jump around to a different hole. Play until you feel like stopping. 

I suppose the big question is whether or not I'd make the long drive down to play Schoolhouse again. The answer is yes. Not on a whim, but if someone asked me to play it, I would. It's a really fun, interesting course, and I wish I had a place like it closer to home.