Massanutten Resort near Harrisonburg Virginia is essentially a ski resort that offers enough activities to keep the resort open year round, including an indoor water park, numerous pools, fitness facilities, spas, restaurants, hiking, biking, fishing, horseback riding and a myriad of other activities. And oh yeah, it has a couple of pretty decent golf courses too.
My wife and I had the opportunity to vacation at Massanutten during late October, 2012, utilizing a timeshare trade off. I was aware ahead of time that there were golf courses on site, but in essence we were just going to relax for the week, take a wine tour or two, maybe do some hiking but essentially just unwind. Don’t get me wrong, I had every intention on golfing, but it wasn’t going to be the focus of the trip.
So after checking into the resort on a Sunday afternoon and finding our particular two bedroom unit to be surprisingly more upscale than we had even anticipated (we kind of knew what it was going to be like, but it exceeded expectations), I headed to the closer of the two courses (Woodstone Meadows) to check things out. I found out that it was a full 18 holes, built amongst the condo buildings, but was only a par 65. After the pro read the obvious disappointment on my face, he immediately assured me that while the other course on the resort was an extremely challenging par 72 and I would have no issues “beating myself up” on it, he felt I would be presently surprised by this one. I figured “what the hay”, I’ll give it a go. And boy, was he right!
Woodstone Meadows is an absolute treat. For the last week of October, the course was in phenomenal shape. Other than the leaves that had blown onto the fairways and greens, they were both still green and soft. Later in the week I was informed that the course actually stays open year round, providing there is no snow on it (which apparently melts away relatively quickly). Each hole is well laid out, and has either elevated tees or an elevated green. Nine par 3’s, 7 par 4’s and 2 par 5’s, with an absolutely picturesque par 3, 9th hole, 190 yards from the tips (171 whites) over water the whole way to an elevated, 3 tiered green located in front of the resort’s check in centre. Just to fly the water is a challenge on its own, but then to manoeuvre your way across the green if you happened to end up in the wrong spot…well let’s just say in the words of my dear friend Brian…”This is definitely a snake hole.”
Mounds, pot bunkers, creeks and ponds, as well as the “pressure” put on you by vacationers watching you from their condo balconies makes for a great place to play! And at par 65, it is also a great place for beginners and those who can’t hit all that far to play. My wife (who falls under both of the prior categories) enjoyed the course very much.
The other course on the resort, Mountain Greens, is a challenging par 72. Not overly long at 6400 yards from the tips, but with sloping fairways that rarely give you a flat lie, I found it a true test of one’s ability to use just about every club in the bag. On a number of occasions I found myself hitting a drive more or less down the middle of the fairway, only to find that the ball rolled down the slope of the fairway and found its way into the second cut. There are also a few holes where you end up playing target golf because you are challenged with a multitude of hazards to contend with en route to the green. But on a positive note, it is a wonderful layout with fantastic greens. I ended up playing this course twice during the week, the second time on the last full day of our stay and was paired up with a lovely semi-retired couple from New Mexico who I ended up sharing a couple of beers with after our round. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to a great day on the course.
If you find yourself in the area, make sure you check out Luray Caverns and Crosskeys Vineyards, two absolute must day trips.
