I took Thursday off to golf with a friend in Northern Virginia. Our plan was to play Laurel Hill in the morning and then one the courses at his club in the afternoon, depending on the weather.

We met at a park and ride off I-66 and headed into the madness that is D.C. traffic! We took advantage of the carpool lane and made it out to the course a few minutes early for some range balls. I had snagged us a super cheap tee time here for $45 per person, which apparently included free range balls.

Considering what we paid it was a great value as Laurel Hill normally goes for $75 to $100 on a weekend! Plus, playing during the week meant a sub five hour round which is always nice up this way. It still took us just over four hours to play because the foursome in front of us wasn’t moving very quickly.

Laurel Hill is a course that I’ve been meaning to get to since I moved to Virginia in 2012. The course always gets ranked among the best public courses in the commonwealth and has some interesting history to go along with the solid ranking!

The course was built in 2005 by Bill Love on ground where the Lorton Correctional Complex (think fancy name for a prison) previously stood. The prison was closed in 2001 and the land has been turned into the course and some homes. There is a school and a park nearby so you’d hardly know about the tough crowd that used to be housed here!

However, if you know where to look here you’ll still be reminded of the prison that stood here years ago. There is a guard tower near the 12th tee! The guard tower is actually located in the adjacent apartment complex but if you look through the vegetation it shouldn’t be hard to spot! Also, the course’s logo is a guard tower which is pretty cool.

There are a couple other things about Laurel Hill that are worth mentioning. First, the course is run by the Fairfax County Park Authority so technically Laurel Hill is a “muni”! Second, the course hosted the U.S. Amateur Public Links back in 2013 – so all things considered the course is more interesting than most.

The setting and design are also more interesting than most public courses up this way, at least from what I’ve played. Laurel Hill occupies terrain with some elevation change and most importantly, very few houses in view! The only homes visible are the new apartments behind the 11th hole.

Like you’ll find on most Virginia courses many holes here are tree-lined, but the landing areas are generous and inviting. Occasionally, you’ll have to be aware of a fairway running out or pinching because of a small creek that flows through the property. No doubt that Laurel Hill is more open than most Virginia courses, though.

We played the white tees which are 71.4/139/6386 (par-71) and the main challenges are going to be the distance, uneven lies and some forced carries. I didn’t feel the high slope, but I did notice some of the longer par-4’s, even from the white tees! You also have to think because the angles can change quite a bit depending on where you tee off or hit it.

I don’t know that there is a signature hole at Laurel Hill, but the closing stretch is pretty good, highlighted by the par-3 16th. The 16th is 174 yards and plays slightly downhill to a green complex guarded by water on the left. The 16th is one of the course’s five nice par-3’s. The 17th is a tough par-4 while the 18th has more water in play.

The conditions were good with my only grumble coming from the recently aerated fairways. My ball always seemed to nestle down into an aeration hole! Once that heals up the course will be looking good heading into summer. The turf was full besides the divots from plenty of play. The greens rolled well and were a medium-fast pace.

I’m glad I finally made it up to Laurel Hill! The design is similar to some other Bill Love courses that I’ve played, except the greens seemed tamer. Some local knowledge would help, but I could say the same thing about almost everywhere! The course is convenient to the beltway and if you can find a deal it is worth checking out.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):