Lost Balls in Virginia

They call it New Dominion, but most of us know it as Northern Virginia. The area touching on Washington, D.C., borders the western bank of the Potomac River and is within shouting distance of Dulles International Airport.

For the most part, if you leave out the high-techie havens of Alexandria, Reston and Vienna, the landscape is of tidy two-story Georgian brick houses, horse farms and oodles of history dating to the Civil War. The decisive battle of the American Revolution was fought here, including the Bull Run conflict.

The section called Prince William County, shares a bountiful array of lush, well-manicured eighteens that offer a host of challenges across rolling hills. Most have zoysia grass fairways and bentgrass greens with old oaks, lakes, streams and flowers providing a natural golf experience.

PWC is also full of places to stay. We chose a Best Western hotel situated near the exit to Highway 234 and I-95 for fast access to daily-fee clubs and famous battlegrounds. A must-stop is the Manassas National Battlefield and Museum. This monument to the legacy of the Civil War is spread across 11,000 acres of rolling meadows. Visitors can take a drive-yourself guided tour of the park and see close up all important battle sites. You may wish to check the USGA rule book regarding a ball resting in a Civil War grave site or against a landmark stone wall.

First stop, Old Town Manassas to play their 6,551-yard monster of skinny fairways, lots of oak, beech and poplar trees lining the mostly uphill layout. We played our hearts out and lost 10 balls (each) with no excuses. The main reason is that Manassas has no tolerance for slices or hooks and the deep jungle-like rough consisting of heavy ferns and prickly vines, makes finding a strayed ball a rarity. In any case, we enjoyed a speedy round despite the difficulty encountered.

In strong contrast to the Manassas links, a round at Forest Greens G. C. in Triangle is like a walk in the park. Tucked among the rolling woodlands near the Potomac River, the 6,500-yard layout offers a serene resort environment. Everything has been carefully tended to, even the handmade melt-in-your-mouth lemon squares served in the grill. Architect Clyde Johnson did an enviable job of blending the fairways and holes into the hills and valleys which offers a variety of shots. Fees range $43-$58.

After Forest Greens, we motored over to Virginia Oaks Golf Course in Gainesville, Virginia. With its beautiful Lake Manassas and fairways molded by P. B. Dye in 1996, it is truly a golfer's paradise. Because Gainesville is located more inland, this spread is a bit less rugged and its fairways allow a modest slice. The challenge, if I recall correctly, is trying to keep out of the lake, but the greens are huge and the course provides a lot of fun.

Our foursome at Virginia Oaks included residents Vern Park and Dale Shawn, who couldn't have been more helpful guiding us around the popular layout. bringing certain features to our attention. In the middle of the back nine Vern's wife trooped out of their fairway-side home with a welcome tray of icy margaritas. True hospitality, Virginia style. We expect they knew we were golf writers. Green fees are $39-$65.

Down the road from Gainesville is Bristow Manor Golf Club, which began the upscale trend towards modern course design in Northern Virginia. It is a very playable 6,770-yard layout designed by Ken Killian of Kemper Lakes fame in 1992. With twelve waterside holes the par-72 course will challenge all levels of players and the elegant colonial manor clubhouse adds a definite southern feel. Kettle Run Creek runs through the front nine and lends it character. We adored the back nine at Bristow for its likeness to British-style heathland contoured courses. Bristow fees range $45-$69.

Best time to play is past mid-August when temperatures are cooler and the leaves begin to take on their autumn hues. Prince William County will again be the site of the PGA Tour President's Cup in 2005. Premier public courses also in the area are Bull Run, Cannon Ridge and Stonewall ($80-$140).

PWC Visitors Bureau presents a total of nine public layouts and several practice facilities in a free pamphlet listing attributes of each club (800-432-1792) or access http://www.visitpwc.com/fv/golf.html.