Virginia Beach Golf Association's Top Holes
There are over 198 holes of golf in Virginia Beach, each with their own distinct personality. We got with the local experts at the Virginia Beach Golf Association and asked them for their best of the best. They also provide helpful hints on making par or better on each one. Here's what they had to say:
Hole #14, Red Wing
Par 5, 539 yards
Aim your tee shot right of the foul weather shelter and left of the 150-yard marker. For the average golfer, lay up on your second shot so you have a full wedge shot into the green; for the long hitter, who wants to go for the green, your second shot is all carry to the green, which is guarded by water.
Hole #5, Niklaus Course at Bay Creek- "Old Plantation Light"
Par 4, 459 yards
Favor the left side of the fairway on your tee shot to have a good view of this green.The Chesapeake Bay and the remains of the original Old Plantation Light guard the entire right side. The green is extremely small, and slopes away from the front.There is a bailout area short and left of the green.
Hole #3, Palmer Course at Bay Creek, "Allegood Pond"
Par 4, 460 yards
An ancient tidal basin called Allegood Pond fronts the stone-walled green on this absolutely stunning golf hole. A successful tee shot will finish just left of the fairway bunkers. Be sure to take enough club for the deceptively long approach –and take a moment to enjoy possibly the most beautiful golf hole on the EastCoast.
Hole #8, Palmer Course at Signature at West Neck "Vicki's Choice"
Par 4, 409 yards
The favorite of Palmer Design Company's Vicki Martz, this beautiful par 4 is framed on the left by dense woods and on the right by huge mounds. Although the landing area for the tee shot is generous, flagstick is best attacked from the left side of the fairway.
Hole #9 Heron Ridge
Par 5, 409 yards
Long hitters can drive the ball down the left side of the fairway and shorten this monster to a reachable par 5. This, however, brings into playa large lake that players will be dealing with for this entire hole. Large bunkers guard the fairway from 20 yards short of the green all the way back to 160 yards. Placement of the layup shot is crucial to escaping this hole with a respectable score.
Hole #17, Honey Bee Golf Club
Par 4, 399 yards. Dog-leg left
A canal cuts across the fairway approximately 100 to 150 yards in front of the tee boxes. On the left side of the fairway, the canal turns and meanders along the fairway and beyond the green. Several trees on the left and two huge sand bunkers on the right protect the fairway. The perfect shot is a 200 to 250-yard drive to the center of the fairway leaving a mid to short iron to a back to front sloping green which is protected by sand traps on the left and front right.
Hole #13, Hell's Point Golf Club
Par 4, 399 yards
Do not take the second shortest par 4 hole on this course lightly. Accuracy, not distance is paramount even though this hole usually plays into the wind. There are lateral water hazards on both sides of this hole. The smart play is to use a three wood or long iron from the tee to a generously wide landing area that narrows at about 240 yards from the tee. A tee shot placed to the right side of the fairway will leave an approach shot of about 130 yards to the green, which is bunkered on the right and has water looming close to the left side. The green slopes from back to front and left to right, and most putts break towards the water.