Virginia Golf - Outside Washington, DC

The quantity and quality of the 11 public tracks in Prince William County in Northern Virginia, about a half hour (without traffic) from Washington D.C is impressive. Here pines and oaks grow tall and the terrain climbs up and down some formidable hills, a perfect canvas for courses like Forest Greens, Old Hickory, Stonewall and General's Ridge.

Forest Greens Golf Club, in Triangle, designed by Clyde Johnston (1996), is a fair course without a whole lot of hidden treachery. With big welcoming fairways and modestly fast greens, this is a course you can enjoy again and again. Here golfers enjoy perks like on-course beverage services and a large practice area.

Old Hickory Golf Club, a semi-private club with a sense of the well-heeled features Remington-style bronze sculptures throughout the gracious turn-of-the-century clubhouse and enormous moose and elk heads hanging on the wall and further contributing to the clubby ambiance. Located near the Occoquan Reservoir, Old Hickory is one of the prettiest semi-private parkland-style tracks in the region. The course is affiliated with the Raspberry Golf Academy with state-of-the-art indoor teaching facilities and equipment.

Classy Stonewall Golf Club, set against a backdrop of the Bull Run Mountains and Lake Manassas which is visible from 15 holes, marches across a rolling terrain which includes the famed "Carolina Trail, " a route once used to shift troops during the Civil War. While Stonewall is one of the most expensive daily fee courses in the county, golfers buying into their Patriot Club get reduced green fees, free golf December through January and pro shop discounts.

General's Ridge Golf Course at 6,651 yards may be relatively short, but playing here is more like a romp on the wild side. The course careens up and down hills, across ravines and ponds, through woods and onto slippery greens like the diabolical #16 arguably the toughest hole in Northern Virginia. It's a course where you don't get to think where you want to go but where you don't want to go.

There are several chain hotels in the area including the Hampton Inn, Courtyard by Marriott and the convenient and comfortable Comfort Inn Suites Manassas. For a special meal head to Old Town Manassas and stop at Mackey's American Pub or Okra's Louisiana Bistro known for southern fare like shrimp and grits.

Off course browse the outlets at Potomac Mills and sample wines at The Winery at LaGrange. History buffs can explore the Manassas National Battlefield Park and the Museum of the Marine Corps.