Westfields Golf Club (Clifton, VA on 06/07/18)

My main course for the day was Westfields Golf Club. I grabbed some lunch and got to the course about 45 minutes before my tee time. As the crow flies, Westfields cannot be more than a mile or two from General’s Ridge. In fact, Westfields is just on the other side of Bull Run. However, in order to get there from General’s Ridge the quickest way is to go into Manassas Park and cross Bull Run that way. It took maybe 15 to 20 minutes, so it wasn’t too bad. At least by Northern Virginia traffic standards!

I found my group, a husband and a wife, and the starter kept us close to the clubhouse for a few extra minutes. That way the group in front of us could get to the green. Seemingly all too often these days courses rush you off and cram you in to maximize revenue. Nothing wrong with that if the price is right but it was nice to see a club go the extra mile with their customer service! We never bothered the group in front and no one pushed us either. All in all, it took 4 hours for our round. Plus, I had plenty of time to get some good pictures.

If you roll any putts on the putting green before your round then one thing you may notice is the parkland look of the nearby holes. As you get into the round the parkland style becomes evident and that turned out to be one of my favorite things about Westfields. The course has a great look to it, all while not being your typical Virginia course with bowling alley style fairways. While trees separate the holes, much of the undergrowth was cleared out. At times you have to watch out for errant drives from other holes, but you end up getting that classic Mid-Atlantic look without the pain of losing ball after ball in the woods! I drove it terribly but was able to find my ball on numerous occasions and pitch it back in play, giving myself a chance to make par the hard way.

Besides the parkland design adding to the looks of Westfields, the elaborate bunkers make the fairways and green complexes pop! Fred Couples designed the course and he seems to like intricate bunkers. The bunkers here are large and somewhat deep. It wasn’t uncommon to see three to five tongues per bunker! Generally speaking, I’m not a bunker fan and one of my reasons is that many courses don’t have the budget to maintain them. But, since Westfields is a higher-end course they should be in a position to keep the bunkers looking good. I wasn’t in any of them but they all looked nice.

The other parts of the course were in good shape too. The fairways were full and didn’t have too many divots, except in the low areas. They allowed for some roll which was nice! The rough was lush and if you went a foot off the fairway you needed a search party to find the ball. Some lies in the rough were better than others, so if you tried to force the ball out then it was a guess which way it was going. The greens had a fine layer of sand and looked aerated within the last few weeks. I called earlier in the week and asked about the aeration schedule, so you think someone would have mentioned this to me! I was a bit unimpressed with that part of my experience, but in all actuality the greens rolled pretty true and had some speed. For $50, I’d say it was a decent deal.

I played from the blue tees which are 71.6/137/6496. Overall, I found the course fairly friendly to play. Well, besides the deep rough! The land is flat, hazards can be avoided with average shots and the distance won’t overwhelm you. Plus, the fairways give you some hope to hit them. I wouldn’t call the fairways wide, but they certainly aren’t narrow. The biggest difficultly will probably be controlling the flight of the ball from the undulation in the fairways or escaping from one of the bunkers. When it comes to individual holes, I don’t think Westfields has any that you’ll remember too long after you play here. Nonetheless, I don’t think there is one bad out there!

On the front nine, the 197 yard 3rd could be considered the most risky hole on the course! This par-3 is the first of four good ones at Westfields and features one of the course’s few water hazards. The green curls around a hazard from front right to back left and forces you to pick the proper club, hit it solid and match up the line! If you chicken out then there is a large bunker short and right of the green, which wouldn’t be a bad spot if your other option is the water.

The 14th is a driveable par-4 for even an average length hitter, as it is only 264 yards from the blues. It is as easy a driveable par-4 as you’ll find anywhere, almost too easy! The only trouble is a bunker to the right and some mounds left of the green. I normally hit my drives around 240 yards so I was hoping to get one up near the green. Of course, I sliced my drive out by the fence lie and scrambled for a bogey. Still, the 14th is the best birdie chance you’ll find at Westfields.

The 16th is another par-4 to note on the back nine. It is shorter as well, playing 354 yards. The green is straight ahead, however you need to go over or around a creek that snakes its way along the left side. It is a hole where I wanted to hit my 210 yard club, but I opted for more club as I wasn’t quite sure how far I needed to carry the ball, since the carry distance is dependent on the line.

It turned out to be a day of contrasts with my course picks! I found Westfields a very comfortable and enjoyable course to play, and ended up liking it a lot. Out of the Virginia courses that I’ve played I’d put Westfields somewhere among my personal favorites. If you haven’t played this one I’d suggest checking it out.

#1 (388 yard par 4):