Lake Ridge Golf Course (Woodbridge, VA on 07/04/18)

If you’ve followed my blog over the years then you’ll know that it is hard for me to pass up a holiday without some golf! Unfortunately, at least from a travel perspective, the Fourth of July fell in the middle of the week. Still, it was a day off! I decided to sleep in, then head up to Northern Virginia for some afternoon golf.

I booked a time at Old Hickory Golf Club, which was a course that I’ve been wanting to check out. I saw that Lake Ridge Golf Course, a nine hole par-3 course, was right around the corner and made my first stop of the day there. I found a discounted tee time for less than $6, which turned out to be stealing!

Lake Ridge is part of a park and marina so there are all sorts of things to do besides golf. The course is owned by Prince William County but managed by Billy Casper Golf. That sort of setup seems to becoming more and more common these days! I saw a few families barbecuing when I pulled into the parking lot but the parking stalls closer to the small proshop were mostly open. Apparently I was just one of a few crazies out to play in the heat!

In fact, I saw just two other groups. One group appeared to be a father and a son who were way ahead of me. The other group looked to be some friends and they were two holes back. And, that is what the Lake Ridge is all about! It is a place where families and friends can enjoy themselves and try out the game. On such a quiet day it took me only an hour to walk. The course is laid out in the trees and on a small hill. There is some minor up and down, yet it turned out to be an easy walk even with the heat index around 100 degrees! I wasn’t exactly trying to hurry either! I’m sure on a busier day this is the type of course where you can get your golf fix without having to spend five hours away from your family.

I put the scorecard in my bag so it wouldn’t get drenched in sweat and was only looking at the yardages on my GPS while playing each hole. It took me three holes to realize that Lake Ridge is a shorter par-3 course. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd holes were all wedges for me and topped out at 115 yards. All in all I hit a lob wedge or sand wedge on six holes. Those six holes play between 61 and 115 yards so you’ll get some short iron practice here. And, if you hit your wedges like I did, then you’ll get some chipping practice too!

The three remaining holes play 173, 172 and 136 yards. Because the ball was flying the longest club I hit was a 7 iron. My ideal par-3 course mixes the yardages more than what you’ll find here but that shouldn’t take away from the enjoyment you are bound to find at Lake Ridge!

The most interesting hole is probably the 87 yard 2nd hole. The green makes it interesting because a small section on the left is tucked behind a bunker, making that portion tougher to access, even with a wedge. Generally speaking, the greens are flatter and larger, with some small tongues for the Sunday flags.

The conditions are what made Lake Ridge shine. I wasn’t expecting much for the price but everything was impressive! The tees had a healthy amount of grass considering the beating that they take. The greens were full and a beautiful, green color. They looked even sharper rocking those American flags! The greens were slower to putt, but that isn’t uncommon this time of year. Everything else was softer, however there were very few bare spots.

If you are looking for a quick and cheap way to try the game or want to golf with your non-golfing friends, this would be the spot. Or if you need to hit some short irons, then this is the place. Lake Ridge turned out to be a good find and I wish Charlottesville had something like it!

#1 (115 yard par 3):