Golf Course Review: Stonehouse Golf Club, Toano, Virginia

 STONEHOUSE GOLF CLUB

Toano, Virginia

November 23, 2022

OVERVIEW

FACILITY TYPE: Semi-Private

YEAR OPENED: 1996 / 2019

ARCHITECT: Mike Strantz

PAR: 72

LENGTH: 4,135 - 7,013 yards 

USGA RATING: 61.3 - 73.6

USGA SLOPE: 115 - 143

TEE OPTIONS: 6

WEBSITE: https://stonehousegolfclub.com/

PHONE: (757) 250-3399

 

This was my second round at Stonehouse Golf Club. My first was July 4th, 2020, on the 1 year anniversary of the course being reopened. During that round two years ago, the greens were in poor condition, yet the course layout was so amazing that I went back anyway, and boy am I glad I did!

The course was originally designed by legendary golf course architect, Mike Strantz. Opened in 1996, the course received high praise and accolades. This excerpt directly from Stonehouse’s website does a great job summarizing the history of the facility…

When the course opened in 1996, Stonehouse was named “Best New Upscale Public Course in the Nation” by Golf Digest and “Top 10 New Courses You Can Play” by Golf Magazine. In 2000, Stonehouse Golf Course was awarded as one of the “Top 100 Public Access Courses” by Golf Magazine. In 2005, Golfweek Magazine awarded Stonehouse Golf Club as “The Best Public Access Golf Course in Virginia”.

 

With the drop in the market in 2008, the former owners – Tradition Property Group – experienced a sharp drop in membership and had a hard time of staying open. By 2017, Stonehouse Golf Club was just a shell of its former self and had lost all of its prestige. The golf course had lost all of its greens, tee boxes were bare and the fairways over grown with weeds. The course was officially closed in November of that year.

In December 2018, J. Sanders Construction bought the property with the idea of bringing it back to its former glory. Stonehouse Golf Club held their grand re-open July 4th, 2019 and is now open for business!

*https://stonehousegolfclub.com/golf-courses-in-virginia/history/

COURSE CONDITIONS RATINGS

FAIRWAYS: 4

GREENS: 4

BUNKERS: 3.5

SCENERY: 4

LAYOUT: 4.75

This time around, the greens were in much better condition than when I played back in 2020. In fact, every aspect of the course had improved. The greens were better, the fairways were better, the bunkers were better, and the layout was unchanged which to me is one of the best features of the course.

Stonehouse is quite possibly one of my Top 10 favorite layouts on the East Coast of the United States. There are few properties like it. With its massive undulating fairways, unbelievably large greens, quirky blind shots off the tee, and rolling terrain, Strantz didn’t design the course so much as he placed tees, fairways, and greens, in alignment with what nature already had laid out.

ACCESSIBILITY

COURSE DIFFICULTY: 3

WALKABILITY: 0

The key to having a great time at Stonehouse is choosing the appropriate tees to play from. Many holes have forced carries either off the tee, into the green, or both, so choosing the right tees to play from can make or break your round.

It’s not a walking-friendly course by any means. In fact, I rated it as a 0 because I’m not sure it is walkable. There are many long drives between holes, with the stretch between 9 green and 10 tee spanning nearly a mile. And once on a hole, there may be a long drive from tee to fairway, and again from fairway to green. This is because of the nature of how the course is designed, hitting from spot to spot with nothing but tall grasses, slopes, and thick woodlands in between you and where you’re going.

Despite sounding difficult, if you choose the right tees, it’s not an overly hard course. The fairways are some of the biggest you can play, as are the greens. Be sure to spend some time on the putting green before the round as you’re going to want your speed control dialed in. It’s not uncommon to have 50+ foot putts on any given hole.

AMENITIES

GOLF SHOP: 3.5

PRACTICE FACILITIES: 3

COMFORT STATIONS: 3

FOOD & BEV: 4

Upon arrival, you’ll drop your bag off and check in at the newly renovated golf shop which is fully stocked with anything you may need for your round as well as a great selection of souvenirs, and two restrooms.

The driving range the day I played was closed for construction. They are currently working on the irrigation system which will likely make the practice facility better than it already is.

The driving range includes a large grass teeing area and adjacent is a large, severely sloped putting green with plenty of hole locations to help you get adjusted to the course before heading out.

Once on the course, you’ll encounter two outhouse-style comfort stations, one on the front nine and one on the back nine and you’ll come back to the clubhouse at the turn giving you 3 opportunities to use a restroom once you’ve teed off.

Be sure to stop by the Virginia Grill where you can get some great food before, during, or after your round. While the grill is mainly set up for dining in, if you order your food ahead of time or get something simple like snacks or a hotdog, you’ll be able to get food during the round which is important because I have not seen a snack cart during the two rounds I’ve played there which if I had to guess is because of the relative complexity of the course layout.

SUMMARY

OVERALL RATING: 4.05

Overall I think Stonehouse Golf Club is a course everyone in the Mid-Atlantic should seek out to play and anyone traveling through the Richmond/Williamsburg area should make accommodations to go play.

Because of their history, there may be some bad reviews out there on the interwebs but with everything they’ve done over the last 3 years to get it back up and running, it’s a very special place and an unforgettable round you’ll talk about for years.

It’s fun, it’s quirky, it’s challenging, yet it’s fair. It’s accessible for many people, it’s affordable, and a great value.

There’s no doubt I’ll be back to play Stonehouse many more times. I just can’t seem to wipe the smile off my face on every shot (ok maybe not the 100-foot putts 🤣). 

The only way you’ll really understand this property and the uniqueness of the layout is to play it yourself. Remember to get adjusted to the speed of the greens and choose the correct tees for your game. And of course, have fun!

MOVE BETTER - PLAY BETTER

COACH BLAINE ⛳🏌️‍♂️

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