Route 635 buttonhooks up hills and down, running east to the Potomac River, connecting aging ramblers in Prince William County. A gravel driveway is marked Dale Jarrett Blvd., an ode to the famed NASCAR driver. At the end of the road, the Potomac stretches wide, gray, and undisturbed.
Cherry Hills Peninsula is the unlikely site of golf legend Jack Nicklaus’ first Washington-area course. Harbor Station Golf Club will be the centerpiece of an ambitious resort and upscale housing development that aims to transform an unremarkable piece of property into gold.
At the heart of the development, which will include a town center and yacht club, is Harbor Station, due for completion in October and currently creating a Washington golf community buzz.
The 7,156-yard course is carved through tall hardwoods with dramatic elevation changes and picturesque views of Powell’s Creek and the Potomac. Think the Havre de Grace classic Bulle Rock with more trees.
“This is a beautiful area of the country that provides natural terrain rich in wildlife, mature trees and native vegetation,” said Nicklaus. “The course will offer challenging play for golfers of all skill levels and a memorable experience for everyone.”
And it will be a course anyone can play, but for a limited time only. According to Ken Kasten, development officer at ClubCorp, which will manage the course, plans call for it to eventually go private.
“We are working on the pricing structure right now,” said Kasten. “We need to be competitive with other courses in the area that are on the same level.”
There may be few of those. Among the 255 courses Nicklaus has designed, 50 have been ranked among the top 100 in the United States or the world by Golf Magazine, Golfweek or Golf Digest. By the end of the year, 79 Nicklaus designs will have hosted more than 500 professional tournaments or national-level amateur events.
“Nicklaus has been here a number of times,” said Kasten. “And he’s pretty pleased.”
