Burke Lake Golf Center (Fairfax Station, VA on 04/14/18)

I had booked an afternoon time at Prince William Golf Course and debated if I wanted to golf somewhere else, prior to that round. I didn’t want to get up super early so that had me looking for a nine hole course to play in the morning.

I saw an online deal for Burke Lake and read that it was an 18 hole par 3 course. I figured that I could play eighteen here in about the same time as nine anywhere else and gave it a shot. Plus, I have been anxious to try out my new wedges and this seemed like the perfect place. For the cost of a take out dinner ($12.80), it wouldn’t be a big loss if it turned out to be a dirt track!

I got there a few minutes early and walked around the complex. The complex is run by the Fairfax County Park Authority and there is a lot to make you smile! There is the 18 hole par 3 course (that I played) but there is also a great looking practice facility. There is a driving range with two decks, lights, and heated stalls. The facilities are all new too, including the clubhouse and a soon to be installed putting green. Pretty much everything about Burke Lake is good for the game, including the friendly staff! And, it will likely be a three hour walk around the course, which is less of a time commitment than your usual round.

The course itself makes two mini loops, with the front nine looping to the left while the back nine is off to the right, closer to the lake and a recreation area. From a playability standpoint both nines are very similar. Both are about the same distance, have some uphill and downhill holes and a mix of wooded and open holes.

I played the blue tees which are 2,811 yards. I don’t see the rating or slope on the scorecard so I don’t have those figures to include. There isn’t much lost ball trouble, just one lake that could come into play on the 11th and 16th holes. I counted around ten bunkers total, so that is nice as those new to the game won’t have to spend all day in the sand! What impressed me most about the course was how much the yardages varied! The holes range from 108 to 202 yards and I hit nine different clubs in my bag, all the way from hybrid to lob wedge.

The biggest challenges at Burke Lake are going to be four long par 3’s and large greens with plenty of contour. You get some overhanging trees too which can deflect shots. I made bogey on six holes and half of my bogeys came on the longest holes! For more of a beginner’s course, the big breaks on the greens surprised me. The greens were more “championship” than I would have guessed.

The conditions were good and would be worth the normal $27 rate. In the open areas, everything was growing well. However, the tees and grass struggled in the wooded areas. The 15th tee was actually an old mat, to help the grass grow back. The greens were recently aerated so I had my share of putts bump around. Once those plugs heal up the greens should be good! The surfaces looked healthy and full under the coating of sand.

Should you drive hours to play Burke Lake? Of course not, unless you are a goofball like me! But, if you are in the area and want to golf with the family or try to learn the game then Burke Lake serves those needs. I saw families out playing and having a good time. Plus, I think there is enough to the course to keep a single digit handicap interested. To me, Burke Lake offers an intangible “happiness factor” that golf seems to be missing so badly.

#1 (132 yard par 3):