Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech

A bit different Pete Dye design with smaller greens than expected and no penalizing bunkers around the green or along the fairways. The greens rolled about a 9.5 and not much break. Don’t overread them. The White Tees play 6500 and with a North wind the incoming 4 holes play long. Slope at 134 is a good test for the 11 to 15 handicap.
The views of the New River are very relaxing.

Played this course with my son for the first time although I live in the area. Scenic views and great course conditions made for a very enjoyable day. Look forward to returning soon

WOW! From the pro shop to the golf course, a first class operation. The tips from Eddie where truly helpful. Looking forward to my next round.

What a challenging course to play. The conditions for April were great, the greens were hard and fast and didn’t hold, therefore chipping up the hill was a challenge. Play was slower than I would have expected but not horrible. I would like to play this course again when it is in full bloom.

Welcomed by congenial staff. Upscale clubhouse with fine restaurant/bar and outdoor seating overlooking the river.

Course is wide open and links style with plenty of mounds flanking the fairways. Hardly a tree in play. Fairly straightforward. Layout is bland and hardly memorable. Par 3’s are strong and penal if you miss the green. Greens are perched with plenty of drop off from the edges. Unfortunately, greens have little undulation and does not present much of a challenge once you’re on.

Course condition is good but I expected better.
Overall pleasant experience but did not excite me to play it again.

Overall, this course is a nice layout. Definitely above average and very playable.

Not a lot of trouble, not a lot of trees. Doesn't have the same Pete Dye feel that many of his other courses have, no forced carries, no elevation changes, etc. But it's an enjoyable layout on a nice piece of flat property by the river. Views are beautiful

I'm used to playing well manicured Dye courses, this is not one of them. Conditions are OK, but this course would not be considered "manicured." Not to say that it's in poor condition, it's not, but it's not kept at the higher level that one would expect at a course that charges $80 green fees in late October.

Overall, I will go back. I'll complain about the price, it's not an $80 course, but the views are beautiful, and it's a nice layout. I can't think of a bad hole on the course.

Sometimes hype can be a curse to a good golfing experience. But Pete Dye’s River Course lives up to the acclaim and praise, providing a first-class course and atmosphere.

I was surprised to see this course (Virginia Tech’s home course) ranked well above its in-state rival Birdwood (UVA) in a major golf publication. After all, Birdwood garnered a five-star rating in my recent review for its wonderfully diverse layout and top-notch playing conditions.

But the River Course tops even that course with a superb riverfront setting and classic Pete Dye course features that challenge you without frustrating you unnecessarily. The most surprising thing to me upon arrival was the openness of the course’s layout. There’s hardly a tree on the property that comes into play unless to hit towards the river. This combined with no forced carries translates to a surprisingly inviting Dye design (and by design, apparently) that even brand-new golfers can enjoy (as my golfing partner did during our round). But don’t be fooled by the lack of trees, carries, or even elevation changes; this course will test you. From many of the tees, you either can’t see the flag or the distance to it is highly deceptive. Trust your yardages, and don’t hit it long. This is a fairly compact layout, great for walking, but perhaps lacking a sense of variety that you get at places like Birdwood.

The view of the course from the snazzy clubhouse is unlike any other, perched on on the side of steep hill a hundred feet above the the first, ninth, tenth, and eighteenth holes. The river is an all-consuming feature of the course. It may seem a bit imposing at first but you learn to just aim further away from it as the round goes.

Pace of play was great here too and the conditions were fantastic. Just a week removed from aeration, the greens were mostly smooth and showed little signs of wear. The fairways and rough were equally immaculate and the signature Dye green surrounds were cut tightly like you’d want. That said, if you resort to putting off the green, remember to give it plenty of oomph!

I live a little too far away to make this course a regular stop but I highly recommend checking it out if you’re in town. VT students should be honored to have such a nice course!

Stopped here on a drive from DC to Memphis. Always on the lookout to play a Pete Dye course. But I have to say there isn't a whole lot of what I think of as Pete Dye to be found here. I think that might mostly be due to the location and terrain.

The course occupies a narrow tract of land along the banks of the New River. Front nine goes out and back downstream (north) from the clubhouse, back nine goes out and back upstream (south). Almost no elevation changes (#6 tee box is up on a small hill) and the water really doesn't come into play much (just guard against a bad push or hook on the riverfront holes).

Dye is known for his creative green complexes, and while these were not mundane, I wouldn't call them vintage Dye. I missed a lot of greens and had some tricky chip shots, but nothing too severe. No railroad ties or deep bunkers here.

Conditions were good, greens fairly soft but rolled true. Fairways in good shape . Rough was pretty benign. Sand in some bunkers was a little compacted.

All in all it's a good course, but just didn't provide that "wow" kind of experience.

Decided to play this course as a warm-up round before heading to Primland. Picked it because of its' ranking among collegiate golf courses. Excellent practice facility with driving range and putting green on one end and Va Tech's private facility on the other. Clubhouse is expansive with a high-end restaurant. It's a Dye course. There may not be any railroad ties, but his trademark deceptive sight lines off tee boxes is in full effect. I bought a yardage guide and am glad I did. There are two shortish, pedestrian par 3s and two long ones that are hard pars. Tightly mown chipping areas and coffin bunkers around the green can make for tough up-and-downs if you don't hit greens. It had rained for a few days before I came, and the entire course sits in a basin along the New River, so the course was playing a little longer than I suspect it normally does. I rather enjoyed the round, as the holes flowed nicely, but I can't say that there were many that were really memorable. I thought the best hole was the par-4 fourth. This would be an extremely walkable course. Make sure you catch a glimpse of the team that takes golf bags from the bag drop to the cart staging area. Had never seen one of those before.

I loved this course for its ascetic beauty. Played a birthday round here with my brothers this past weekend. The starter was very welcoming and courteous with our bags. The clubhouse staff was not very friendly. However, this was one of the nicest turns I've had in a long time and we even stayed for a couple of cocktails after the round. Abigail was great! The views for this course alone make it worth every penny with the clubhouse elevated so you can see nearly all the back nine butted up against the river. Stunning views. I disagree with the review that you can't see the Pete Dye signature on this course. It's Pete Dye through and through and the course was in excellent shape. I do think it was a touch pricier than warranted, but the clubhouse, views, and course condition made it worth the visit at least once for the experience. Playing along the river in and out was a great birthday experience.

Without the name on the course, it's not that easy to recognize Pete Dye in this layout. Don't get me wrong, the River Course is a good course in a nice setting but it is not a beast if you choose the right set of tees. Played in early April, the course was playing pretty easy even in the wind, thanks to benign rough and moderate greens. I suppose heavy rough and fast green may be the best defense of this course in high season. Still, the river gets into play on some holes so you got to stay alert, especially on the tough par three 17th. The clubhouse is a beauty and the view from the terrace is superb.

A beautiful course that was in excellent shape. Fairways were excellent. Rough was difficult but then it is supposed to be, Greens were very very true an in excellent shape. Staff was extremely cordial in every aspect.
This is a course anyone who is near or driving by Blacksburg along Rt 81 should make the effort to stop and play. Beautiful scenery on every single hole.

Fantastic course - in great condition. Greens are not crazy hard, but have nuances in them. They roll true and are in great condition. Finishing holes are very challenging. Do yourself a favor and tee it forward to the set of tees that won't make your experience a torturous adventure.