1757 Golf Club opens this weekend in Dulles
The most prestigious golf course in Washington is Congressional. So when ground broke in Dulles on a facility called The Presidential, there was little doubt about its ambitions. Billed as a one-of-a-kind private club for the corporate community, The Presidential would eclipse nearby Landsdowne and take its place among the elites in the D.C. area.
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But last fall, when its manicured bentgrass fairways went to seed before The Presidential was even opened, it was a sign of the woeful economic times, and the struggling golf industry.
Eight months later, the course has been revived. Recast as a public facility, the 1757 Golf Club has a more modest mission than its predecessor.
“It’s a daily fee, premium course at price points slightly below market,” says Rich Katz of Billy Casper Golf, which has a long-term agreement to lease the property and operate the course.
Range and practice facilities opened Friday. Nine-hole play begins this weekend. Billy Casper hopes to open the second nine in the spring of 2010. The course was left incomplete — four holes short of 18 — when builders of The Presidential were evicted last September.
Judging from the crowded range, many are anxious to play the course, designed by David Heatwole, under the direction of Jack Nicklaus. Built on marshland in the Dulles flight line and located next to Redskins Park, wetland is the dominant theme of 1757. Blue herons and other waterfowl are plentiful.
On 13 of 14 holes, water is in play. Much earth was moved in building the course and many Nicklaus design touches are apparent — bunkers bordered by thick rough, wide, bowl-shaped swaths of fringe, and generous landing areas that look tighter from the tee.
Another Nicklaus touch: Each hole is distinctive. Some of the better ones in the current nine-hole setup are No. 7, a 477-yard par-five, reachable from the elevated tee, with water all the way up the right side, and No. 9, a 401-yard dogleg right, around water.
One thing will be obvious to those who play 1757 — the course is a work in progress. And it will be that way for a while. After all, this is a mid-range daily fee public course with lavish infrastructure (16,000-foot clubhouse with locker room, workout, dining, conference and ballroom). It also has sprawling, opulent range and practice facilities built to support the 27-hole championship course envisioned by creators of The Presidential.
But players will be attracted by the course, named for the year (1757) Loudoun County was founded.
“We’re thrilled to breathe life into the course,” said Katz.
And many Washington-area public golfers are thrilled they’ll get a chance to play it.
