|
Sensational Kinloch Golf Club
Puts Richmond Golf on the Map
|
|
Most of the back side
holes wrap around the lake and include the short
par 5 11th with another split fairway.
A drive to the right fairway must carry three
bunkers but it leaves a shorter second into the
widest green on the course. From all but a far
right hand pin position, it is best to go down the
left side which is bordered by a stream. A wetland
guards the green in the front. After another
spectacular par 5 from an upland down to a green
right on the lake, the course offers up some
special |
| finishing holes
including the 150-yard 14th which is
anything but a walk in the park. A back left pin
position is all but inaccessible and anything too
far right tends to shoot off the green in back. A
drivable par 4 up the hill featuring a tree
directly in the sight line and steep greenside
bunkers surrounded with gnarly bluegrass is
followed by perhaps the most dramatic hole on the
course, the 465-yard 16th dogleg left
which traverses down around the end of the lake
and back up to an elevated green. The 18th
is a straight-away 415 yarder directly along the
lake. A narrow opening between the lake left and
bunkers and a tree that juts out annoyingly right
presents the biggest challenge on what is a
visually exciting finish. |
Players finishing their matches tied after 18 have the
option to break their ties by playing the 19th
hole, a 172 yarder directly over the lake.
|
Under the outstanding direction of
course superintendent Peter Wendt, Kinloch's absolutely superb grooming attests to a dedication to make this
club second to none.h Wendt came from Robert Trent Jones Golf
Club in Manassas, Va., site of two President's
Cup matches and one of the leading
|
|
|
private
golf clubs in the world. It, too, has bent grass
turf that far surpasses most other courses anywhere.
|
As club member Giff Breed said, referring to
Kinloch's conditioning, "At any given time, the
superintendent may have more of his crew at work on the
course than there are golfers." And what a course they
have to work on. Some 40 acres of fairways were sodded with
L-93 bent and the tees and greens, also L-93, were
established from seed. Remarkably, 120 acres of rough were
completely sodded with blue grass. The contracted sod is
from a plant in Delaware. You will never play a better
maintained course anywhere.
Memberships at Kinloch are by invitation only
and are still available, but those interested in joining this
special club shouldn't delay. For inquiries regarding
invitation, please call Director of Golf Phil Owenby at
804-784-8000. 
Return to All
of The Reviews
|
