You may not know this, but before joining Heather in the real estate world in 2012, I was a PGA of America member and a golf professional for more than 20 years. It’s actually what brought us to Loudoun County, when I became the head pro at the (now defunct) Westpark Golf Club. We’ve written a lot about life on and around golf courses before, but it’s been a little while! I was delighted when out of town clients asked for my help in touring some private clubs in Leesburg and Ashburn. They want to find their golf course home as they are looking for their Loudoun County home, too. Since there are likely others of you who may be curious about the differences between the clubs, I thought I’d share a bit of what we learned.
The Golf Club at Lansdowne
We started our day at Lansdowne, of course, and walking into the clubhouse felt instantly familiar to me. Irony of ironies, as we were touring the facility with the staff there, the Middle Atlantic PGA spring meeting was just letting out. I ran into several old friends from the golf business I had not seen in over 20 years, and got a few wonderful hugs. It was definitely a trip down memory lane!
When we moved to Loudoun in 1999, Lansdowne only had the resort, the Riverbend building at Lansdowne Woods (known as Leisure World at the time), and an 18 hole Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course. Since then, a mere 4,000 homes have been built. And the 27 holes of golf along the Potomac River, designed by Greg Norman, opened in 2005.
The golf is outstanding and the courses are typically in excellent condition. Membership at Lansdowne includes golf, racquet sports, swimming, and the fitness center as well as reciprocal privileges at Troon managed properties throughout the country. One downside relates to access resort guests have to the amenities, with one of the 18 hole courses reserved for resort access each day. Members can still play, they just don’t have free reign of the course due to the resort play and/or outings. On the plus side, 27 holes are open every day, including Mondays, which is unlike most private clubs. Full golf initiation fees are $35,000 with $800 in monthly dues.
Belmont Country Club
Our next stop was Belmont Country Club where Tyler, the membership director, rolled out the red carpet. We sat down in the restaurant, talked about what my clients were looking for in a club, and then proceeded to tour the facilities. Along with seeing the locker room, fitness center, swimming pools and golf shop we got a history lesson about the property. Fun fact: Ludwell Lee, whose father signed the Declaration of Independence, built the manor house there between 1799 and 1802.
My clients were looking for a club with an active social calendar, particularly since they will be new to the area. Belmont answers the bell with monthly events like Bubbles and Bingo, Sizzling Fajitas, and seasonally themed parties. They also have a fantastic new member program with monthly events geared specifically for people who have recently joined the club. The golf course opened in 2001 and is a typical Arnold Palmer design. Arnie was a little wild off the tee, so as an architect he tended to make courses with wider fairways and bigger greens.
One of the things I like about Belmont is the space between the homes and the course, and it creates a feel like you are are all by yourself when playing a round. The practice facility is the biggest in Northern Virginia with an expansive grass driving range, dedicated chipping green, as well as a massive putting green.
An additional perk of belonging to Belmont is access to 5 other country clubs in northern Virginia, and 150 more across the country managed by Invited Club (formerly Club Corp). Full golf membership at Belmont has an initiation fee of $35,000 and month dues of $930. As I write this, there is a small waitlist to join, although you would have limited access to the course while you are waiting.
River Creek Club
The final stop on our tour was River Creek Club, also part of the Invited Club network. Ault-Clark and Associates designed the course back in 1997 and it has one of the best finishing stretches you’ll find anywhere. One of my favorite things about River Creek is how quiet and mature the community is once you pass through the gates. Conditions are normally superb, and if you play the right set of tees you’ll experience all the challenge you could want. To me, the view down the hill to the Potomac River from the clubhouse veranda is better than most in our area (get the Players Championship Gary Koch reference?). The club embraces it, with year round outdoor restaurant seating, lounge chairs during the season, and tons of social events.
I noticed on our tour that some of the amenities were showing their age- especially the pool, clubhouse, and fitness center. It could just be that it was early March and those spaces were not in top form yet. Also, similar to Belmont, River Creek’s social calendar is very active, which makes sense as both courses are managed by the same company. Full golf membership at River Creek currently has an initiation fee of $20,000 with monthly dues of $895.
Other Private Clubs in Loudoun
There are several other private clubs in LoCo: Creighton Farms, Stoneleigh, Beacon Hill (reopening in 2025), Loudoun Golf and Country Club, and 1757. Depending on the type of experience you want from your club, any of those are viable options. (We didn’t visit any of those on this trip, as my clients were only interested in Leesburg.)
The way we see it, all three clubs offer something different. Lansdowne is all about the golf with 45 holes from which to choose, and it’s open every day. Belmont had a bit more of a family atmosphere with lots of activities for kids and grandkids, while River Creek has a little more of the traditional country club feel.
If you are thinking about making a move to a golf course community, give me a shout. I’d love to help make sure you wind up on the correct side of the fairway. I will even throw in a some golf tips if you need them!
Cheers,
Mike
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