News And Notes

The Trickiest Track of All

It happens every June. A player, usually someone who missed the cut, complains that the USGA tricked up the U.S. Open course. You want tricked up? Head 65 miles south on 1-95 and take a gander at the 28-hole—yes, 28-hole—Meadows Farms Golf Course in Locust Grove, Va. Those holes include:

•The mulligan hole, which is a par-4 warmup that precedes the 1st tee and doesn't count on the scorecard.

•The par-6 841-yard 12th, the longest hole in the U.S., featuring two carries over ponds as well as a clover-shaped bunker the size of Dennis Rodman's ego. "It's 39 yards shy of a half mile," says course owner "Farmer" Bill Meadows. "I still regret I didn't make it that long."

•The baseball hole, which is a 160-yard par-3 played over a lush green diamond. The tee is located behind home plate. The green, set against the backdrop of an outfield fence dotted with advertising, a warning track, a scoreboard and a flagpole, is in deep centerfield.

•The waterfall hole, another par-3. After you hit your tee shot, you drive your cart behind the falling water and under the green, where there's a concession stand. You park near a run-down house that was once a Civil War hospital and then cross a swinging wooden bridge to reach the green.

No, Meadows Farms is not your typical course. Excluding the mulligan hole, it is divided into three nine-hole segments. Golfers choose one of three 18-hole combinations, ranging from 6,058 to 7,005 yards. "I want gimmicky," says Meadows. "I want the golfer to go to the office on Monday and have something to talk about."

Meadows, age 62, took up golf five years ago but felt he was getting poor service at most public facilities. Eventually he decided to take 250 acres of idyllic countryside that he owned west of Fredericksburg, Va., and convert it into a course. Meadows bought $2,000 worth of golf books and gave pictures of the holes that he found interesting to designer Bill Ward.

Despite the novel layout, Meadows runs a lean operation. One double trailer serves as the golf shop, a second trailer houses the snack bar. A weekday round at Meadows Farms, cart included, costs only $24, which explains why the course books 60,000 rounds a year. "Guys wind up spending $7 million on building a course," says Meadows, who spent $2.5 million on Meadows Farms. "Then they have to get $100 for greens fees to keep it going. Their clubhouses cost $2 million. For that I'd rather have another 18 holes."

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