The Homestead, Virginia

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The Homestead is a luxury resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, in the middle of the Allegheny Mountains. The area has the largest hot springs in the state, and the resort is also known for its championship golf courses, which have hosted several national tournaments.

In 1766, Thomas Bullitt built a lodge on the site, which is considered the founding of The Homestead. It has hosted vacationers ever since, including several U.S. presidents. The modern resort dates from 1888-1892, when a group of investors headed by J. P. Morgan bought the business and started rebuilding it from the ground up. The original hotel buildings burned down in 1901, and the main Homestead hotel was constructed afterwards.

In 1993, The Homestead was purchased by Club Resorts, the same company which now owns the Pinehurst Resort. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991.

[edit] Golf

Cascades Course logo

The Homestead features three golf courses. The club is sometimes referred to as Virginia Hot Springs Golf & Tennis Club.

The Old Course started as a six-hole layout in 1892, and the first tee is the oldest in continuous use in the United States. It was expanded to 18 holes by 1901, and Donald Ross redesigned it in 1913. The course has been modified at various times since, and the current course has six par 5s and six par 3s, a somewhat unusual layout.

The Cascades Course is the most famous of the three, and is usually ranked among the top 100 U.S. courses by both Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine. The Cascades is the course used when hosting national tournaments, including seven United States Golf Association championships. It was designed by William S. Flynn (who was also a main architect for Shinnecock Hills), and opened in 1923.

The Lower Cascades was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1963. It has hosted qualifying rounds for the U.S. Amateur tournament.