Review: Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club (Part 1)

When it comes to scenery in the Mid-Atlantic, it's tough to beat the Blue Ridge Mountains. They're not the tallest mountains in the world, but there's just something about them that stirs the soul. Also, they're nearby, so it's easy for me to play a golf course that's both literally and figuratively in their shadows.

Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club is just north of Front Royal, Virginia, the northern terminus of Skyline Drive and the entryway to Shenandoah National Park. The course was built in 2007 by Tom Clark, a member of Ault Design (you can't go 5 feet in this part of the country without running into an Ault-associated golf course), and was actually recognized by Golf Digest as the sixth best new affordable public golf course that opened that year. Okay, that's not much of an accolade, but it's better than nothing, right? And the course looked fairly interesting on Google Maps (not to mention inexpensive), so on a warm day in early October, I thought I'd go and check the course out. Maybe Blue Ridge Shadows would turn out to be a bit of a hidden gem.

(Note: This course can play over 7,300 yards from the longest set of tees. All distances I mention will be from the blue tees, which are a much more reasonable 6,800 yards.)

The first hole is a mid-length par 4 that, somewhat annoyingly, features the best view on the course, with the northern end of Shenandoah National Park in full view from the tee. It's not the only mountain view you'll see during the round, but it's definitely the most notable. Anyway, the hole bends left between three bunkers – one left and two right – before dropping downhill toward the green. Also, there's an odd finger of fairway extending left until the left-side fairway bunker that I suppose could be used as a decent lay-up spot, as going left gives you a view of the green regardless of distance, whereas you need to hit at least 250 yards to get a solid look at the green from the right side. The green itself is squeezed between water left and a bunker right; there's a section of green near the water that's significantly lower than the rest of the green that will greatly complicate any putt that's not from the same section as the flag.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is a fairly short par 4 at 335 yards, but as it plays dramatically, if steadily, uphill, the hole effectively plays a lot longer. No one's reaching this green in two. The fairway bunker right can be carried pretty easily, but the bunker left is more threatening and best steered clear of. The green is pretty shallow, slightly domed, and pretty small, making it a tough target to hit, especially as it's pretty well hidden behind two more bunkers. It's definitely best to approach the green from the right side, which is fortunately also the more inviting place to be on the drive. Definitely think the hole would be better if the fairway bunker positions were switched and the right-side bunker was the one closer to where drives would land.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is 210 yards but plays shorter, as it heads back down the hill the second just climbed. There aren't any bunkers here, but there is some mounding short right that serves a similar purpose. The green's on the larger side, and while it's not as immediately interesting as the previous two holes, there's plenty of subtler undulations to it.

The third hole. Let's pretend like we can only see the ridge in the distance, not the massive road, the construction, or the Virginia Inland Port (yes, that's a real thing).

The third green.

The fourth hole is 520 yards and plays slightly but constantly uphill down a decidedly narrow fairway squeezed between O.B. and a large bunker left and a ravine right. Obviously, you can use a fairway wood off the tee, but then you'll be laying up with your second shot near two large fairway bunkers about 100 yards, which is also not ideal. And seeing as the fairway doesn't really get any narrower the further you go, I think driver is the play on this tee, unless you're 100% certain you'll hit the fairway with that wood. The green is small and partially obscured by a mound short left, and there's also a bunker right. 

The fourth hole from the fairway, since someone forgot to take a picture from the tee.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a 200-yard par 3, and this hole presents a much more difficult tee shot than the third. There's just one bunker, but it's pretty deep, and since the hole's fairly long, it's difficult to go directly over it. If you want to get close to the hole, you'll definitely want to hit a fade off of the tee. Fortunately, while the green is pretty small, it's also reasonably flat, so if you do hit the green, you stand a decent chance of making birdie.

The fifth hole.

The sixth hole is a fairly long 530 yard par 5, and the most immediate feature on the tee shot are the two large bunkers right of the fairway. There's plenty of space short of them, but if you want to make any real progress on this hole, you'll either need to skirt left of them or attempt to clear them altogether. If you've done that, you'll likely be able to clear the bunker left of the fairway about 100 yards from the green, and your third will be a pretty easy pitch shot to a wide-open green. Of course, if you don't hit the fairway, this hole becomes much more difficult, with both sand and trees threatening the golfer. Accuracy is important here, more so than length.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is a mid-length par 4 that plays downhill initially to a rolling and undulating fairway with trees on both sides. Missing left is okay, since the slope will take you back down to the fairway, but missing the fairway at all right will result in the opposite. Don't miss right is the key takeaway. Of course, the green is more accessible from the right side. It's not an inviting target, the seventh green, as the approach is significantly uphill, there's a bit of a false front, the green slopes significantly from back to front, and there's a deep bunker front left. Also, the green's pretty small and shallow. This is probably my favorite hole at Blue Ridge Shadows, it uses the land well and presents a challenge without being overbearing about it.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is apparently a really tough hole, if my brother and I are anything to go by. It doesn't look tough: Wide fairway, no hazards, and while the hole's not short at 410 yards, it's far from long either. However, the green is a different story. It doesn't look intimidating. There are no bunkers, just a bit of mounding. But the green is small and not very receptive, and subtly slopes from left to right. It's not much, but it was enough to completely bamboozle my brother and I. We both made double bogey here, which was just so completely silly on both our parts. It's not a long or difficult hole, we're just a bit dumb.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a mid-length par 4 playing pretty dramatically downhill. The fairway curves left after passing through a gateway of bunkers, and it does so closer to the tee than you might expect. If you want to hit driver on this hole, you'll need to go straight over the left-side fairway bunker, flirting with the O.B. Otherwise, you'll just go straight through the fairway and down into a ravine. While you have to contend with sand if you lay back with a fairway wood, you will have a level stance for your second shot. Play aggressively, and you'll just have a little wedge down to the green, which is pretty inviting, with the lone bunker back behind the green.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll take a look at the back nine.