Somerset still
trying to prove
it belongs on
Fredericksburg
golf scene
By Chris Baldwin,
Senior Writer
LOCUST GROVE, Va. (Sept. 27, 2004) - The
neighborhood dog casually sauntered up to the first tee.
It was apparent this black Labrador retriever had been
here before. The guy holding his brand new Callaway driver
looked a little shocked to see the wandering pet for sure.
"Shoo, shoo,'' the golfer commanded.
The dog yawned, scratched himself for good
measure.
"Shoo, shoo." It was more of a plea now and the
dog knew it. The animal settled into the soft grass, right
in front of the tee box.
Welcome to life at the Somerset Golf Club, where the neighbors'
pets become your golf pests. Not that you can blame the labrador.
Everyone's seen golf courses with subdivisions built around them.
Somerset does them one better. It's a course that's literally built
smack in the middle of a subdivision. There's the Smith's house
and then there's Somerset's clubhouse.
"Sure, you can see some strange things on this
course,'' local Leon Jennings said, shrugging.
Jennings wasn't about to be fazed by reports of a
close encounter of the canine kind. He'd just finished
putting out on the 18th green, a much nastier experience
to be sure. Navigating the par-4 18th's twisting uphill
approach and landing on the green offers little respite.
Only Somerset first timers breathe a sigh of satisfaction
then. Veterans like Jennings know better.
"I swear that 18th green is like felt," Jennings
said. "I've seen a guy putt from 55 feet away and watch it
roll all the way past the other way, down the hill.. Then
his putt back rolled all the way past, down the other
hill."
Jennings paused.
"It's a lot of fun."
Somerset is known for producing
feelings of strong ambiguity. This course's symbol should be a sunny
rainy day.
Somerset entered the
Fredericksburg golf scene as a pioneer.
When it opened in 1997, it was heralded as a new face of
the region's golf renaissance. It would bring upscale
golf to the common man, help turn
Fredericksburg into a golf destination.
In some ways it happened. Somerset did help pave the way
for the recent region boom that's brought Cannon
Ridge Golf Club and Mattaponi Springs
Golf Club in the last few years alone. But not
soon after opening, Somerset lost its own way.
The
course became more and more rundown with less and less done to stop
the decline. It got so bad, turned off so many area golfers, that
Somerset found itself out of business. It closed down in the summer
of 2002. Many area golfers were convinced it would never reopen.
Some weren't sure if they ever wanted it to.
"It had a bad rap before the redesign and other
changes,'' local Bob Harmon said. "A real bad rep.''
Lighthouse Golf Group purchased the course and brought in architect Rick Robbins for a redesign
and reopened last September. They would try again on the
land that some locals swear is cursed (this was the site
of a hospital that took in the wounded and soon departed
from some of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War).
Ghost this! That's Roy Westerfield's view. He
isn't buying any talk of a curse.
"It's challenging compared to some of the other courses that claim to be
tough around here,'' said Westerfield, Somerset regular. "The greens
are in good shape. There's not that many other people out here, backing
up the course. What more could you want?
Green grass in the fairways, perhaps? If this is
Somerset post makeover, it is hard to imagine what it was
like before. There are several patches in the fairways
that are overgrown, others that are little more than brown
grass and dirt. The is by far the worst maintained course
seen in a three-day tour of the
Throw in the fact that there weren't enough
people working at the course to notice the wandering dog
and it doesn't exactly scream upscale experience. The new
management's had a year now to turn things around and if
there are noticeable improvements, there's also a ways to
go. Except maybe in the clubhouse.
"Look at the girl behind the bar and tell me
things aren't better here," a golfer who asked not to be
identified challenged. "She's from Austria. Too bad, she
has a boyfriend though.''
The guy's buddy, Tony Woodward, just laughed.
Even that Labrador retriever would have known this guy
didn't have a shot.
Oh well, such is life at Somerset Golf Club, one of the strangest neighbors
you'll ever find.
The verdict
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Somerset Golf Club
35448 Somerset Ridge Road Locust Grove, Va.
Web: somersetgc.com
Tee times: (866) 369-9300 |
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There are challenging, fun holes if you can get over the scene
and some of the conditions. The stretch of four through six will
definitely test your game. Each of these holes has greens guarded
by waste areas that can swallow wayward tee or second shots. Once
you get on the back nine, the neighborhood is at least a few hills
away, providing a chance to get a little caught up in nature. Just
don't go expecting to be wowed. The redesign team made a point of
opening up some of the Rapidan River views (parts of the course
lies along the banks). It's a good theory, but in reality the Rapidan
looks like a dirty pond with its brown water rolling over rocks.
The scenery does succeed on hillier closing
stretch, particularly the 17th with its three little
creeks cutting across a curving fairway and the 18th's
long uphill climb. But perhaps the biggest advantage of
Somerset is its lack of crowds. On this late afternoon,
there is only five or six groups out on the course, making
for a nice, brisk playing pace. You could do
worse than plunk down $25 for one of the Monday through
Friday after 1 p.m. re-introductory tee times.
Of course, four-legged friends get in free. It's only neighborly.
Places to stay
There's a Best Western ( (540) 371-5050) that's
not far from the course. A better bet is take the
15-minute ride into Old Towne Fredericksburg and pick one
of relatively inexpensive Bed & Breakfasts. Chez Soi (
(540) 310-0036) is quirky enough to offer a Belgian
atmosphere in the heart of the historic district. It's
also quirky enough not to accept any credit cards.
Places to eat
La Petite Auberge ( (540) 371-2727) offers big
portions of some surprisingly innovative cuisine in the
midst of the historic district. Spanky's ( (540) 372-9999)
isn't what you might think. It's a shop with the largest
sandwich menu in town.
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.
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