Birdwood Golf Course

They picked the wrong piece of property on which to build a golf course, or the architect wasn’t very creative. The course is in good shape and the greens were reasonably fast and consistent. But the layout of the course and the massive elevation changes on many holes made it less than enjoyable.

The staff was very helpful and friendly, but my playing partner and I wouldn’t play the course again.

Birdwood Golf Course continues to provide the best public golf experience in Charlottesville with exceptional conditions, a great layout, and superb staff.

The day I played there had been a ton of recent rainfall and the course was (I think) cart-path only. Even still, there were only a few truly soggy spots on a couple fairways but overall the course drains very well; the bunkers were in great shape too.

The winter had left its mark a little bit as it has on any Virginia course that uses Bermuda grass and there were a few spots on the course that were under repair. That along with one oddly neglected tee box on hole #8 were the only blemishes on an otherwise stellar conditioning with smooth, freshly cut fairways, perfectly groomed greens and bunkers, and lush rough.

As I’ve mentioned before, the layout here is very good and demands your focus from start to finish. Golfers who enjoy a challenge and strategy won’t soon get bored playing here.

A big shout-out as well to the staff who made our wet round very accomodated. Extra dry towels, free range balls, they were extremely helpful and friendly and made a big difference to me and my buddy who hadn’t played there in a while.

If you are ever in Charlottesville for a visit, don’t pass up the chance to play here, it’s a great course, just ask any of the locals.

*This is an updated review. For more thoughts on this course, see my full review from 9/21/17*

Birdwood continues to be leader in the (Charlottesville area public golf course) clubhouse. A dynamic layout, good course conditions, top-notch facilities, and a generally friendly staff make it worthy of a long drive for me.

Since last playing back in September, I thought I’d update a few things as we near the end of the winter season:

I had mentioned the greens are in great shape year round and rarely show heavy use. The thing is though, being a collegiate golf course, Birdwood gets quite a bit more traffic than similar courses when the grass is dormant. Because of this, and in particular because of the turf on the greens, my last visit this week did show an alarming amount of heavy use.

The bent grass on these putting surfaces is as tough as any I’ve encountered and makes it difficult to properly repair ball marks. Don’t even attempt fixing them with a tee or one of those cheap wire steel divot tools they hand out at some courses. Only a solid steel tool can manipulate the grass back into itself without breaking.

Because of this extra effort and because it’s the offseason (I’m guessing here), repairs happen fair less frequently. On several holes the greens were littered with ball marks and while I’m no greenskeeping expert, I’d be concerned about the playability of the greens once the weather warms and the sand from last fall’s aeration subsides.

As for the rest of the course, the conditions are somewhat better. The dormant fairways are about what you’d expect. There are some holes that have runoff ridges from past heavy rains but those will likely smooth out once the grass grows in again. Bunkers--while not freshly raked--are in good condition.

This course remains a stern challenge year-round, with elevation changes wreaking havoc on your scorecard on the back nine particularly. But overall this remains a very enjoyable course to play. Get in and walk the course for $25 while you still can!

This was a well maintained course in a very hilly setting. Being the home course for UVA, It surely makes one assume that these UVA golf team members must be superb. To start off, it was very windy. Accurate shots that cut through the wind is a must. Almost all the greens are uphill and even the downhill ones seem like they are hard to get the right club for. Greens are undulating and if you are not used to mountain golf, they are very hard to read. Just what's uphill and downhill was tough enough. The starter was kind enough to let me go as a single by myself. Personally I would have liked to have played with someone with course experience. The staff also let my wife ride along for free. The driving range was adequate. Overall, a no frills course that was well maintained. A challenging round but a great day of golf. Pick your tees wisely.

Charlottesville is a hotspot for great public golf courses and Birdwood GC is the best in town with a great, dynamic layout, top-tier conditions, and exceptional amenities.

The odd thing for me about playing Birdwood is that you wouldn’t think that it’s a particularly difficult course, but you’d be wrong. There are very few holes that will make you nervous off the tee.
There's almost no forced carries on any of the par-4’s or par-5’s, few menacing fairway bunkers, and rarely any OB or dense woods.

But once you get near the green, that’s when your scorecard starts to fill up. Fast greens with seen and unseen break, steep bunkers, and pin positions that are rarely kind. That of course is if you make it greenside without getting wet. Three of the four par-3’s have water hazards, including the signature island green par-3 14th. Elevation changes (especially on the back 9) make getting the ball to-but-not-over the green challenging. There are also plenty of unfriendly slopes surrounding the greens that will test your chipping skills something fierce.

You may not mind so much because of the exception conditions here, far exceeding Meadowcreek and better even than Old Trail. Short and smooth Bermuda grass fairways and tee boxes gives the course a high-quality feel. The bunkers are well-groomed and even in the summer heat there’s never any burned-out areas. Birdwood is one of the few courses around with greens that are in great shape year round. They roll smoothly and purely and rarely show heavy use.

Being the home course of the University of Virginia, Birdwood is blessed with outstanding off-course facilities including a large putting green conveniently located between the 1st, 9th, and 10th holes, a separate chipping/pitching green with bunker, and a grass driving range (not free).

The staff is generally friendly but perhaps the only minor downside to this course is the higher-than-average cost with a twilight walking rate of $35 and with a cart go up to nearly $90. Certainly the quality of the course demands a higher-than-average green fee but it’s still a bit steep if you aren’t used to the cost of things in Charlottesville. As mentioned, you can walk this course though many choose to pay for a cart just for the back 9 that is quite hilly. You’ll get a good workout if you stick it out on foot.

Birdwood remains only of my favorite courses in the state, one that I often use to measure the true quality of my game, you should definitely check it out if you haven’t yet.

The greens were firm, fast and pure. Fairways and rough were in great shape as well. 14 of the 18 holes are awesome layouts with really interesting green complexes and tee shots. There are a few holes that I would consider poorly designed with insane elevation change and blind tee shots. Overall it's a very solid course with the best greens in the area. I walked the course in 90 degree heat which I wouldn't advise as the back nine is quite hilly.

I was really excited to play Birdwood. I've played quite a few other college golf courses throughout the country and always enjoy myself. Birdwood was the exception.

The staff was less than friendly. The price is WAY too high for the golf course you get. It's a decent course, but no where near worth what they're charging. The course was in pretty good shape, although the greens were really beat up. The layout is a bit wonky in spots too. The back 9 has a few holes that are just downright bad. #11, #13, #15, & #17 are all bad designs, with #11 & #17 being the worst of the bunch.

If I was going to play golf in the area again, I'd find somewhere else to play.

Very good course in excellent condition. The greens were very fast and the tendency is to slope back to front (you must stay below the hole). The par fives are not as difficult as they look but they do look intimidating if playing the course for the first time. Be prepared to use your hybrids a good bit if you are not a long hitter.