Bristow Manor Golf Club
Bristow Manor Golf Club, opened in 1993 and named one of Golf Digest’s Top 100 Golf Courses to play in the late 90s. It has that colonial charm combined with some of the best course conditioning in Northern Virginia. The Zoysia-grass fairways, bent greens, and the signature 467-yard seventh hole earns it’s No 1 Handicap rating.
Located just outside of Washington D.C. this Par 72 Championship Golf Course tops out at 7,102 yards. There’s a tee for every level of play! Have fun – or bring your gutsy self and work it from the tips!
Bristow Manor is the tale of two nines that are quite different in difficulty. The front 9 is more challenging with water coming into play on 5 of the nine holes. The two par 3’s on the front nine were favorites. The 3rd hole is a 142 yard hole with all carry over water. Number 8 is a long par 3 which was a 212 yarder with a back flag into a breeze.The back 9 is more open and allows the golfer to relax a bit after the front. Very challenging Par 4 18th hole that requires an accurate tee shot and difficult 2 due to water and sand protecting the green. Par is a good score.
What sets this golf course apart was the zoysia fairways. During the heat of the summer while other courses are fighting to keep the fairways green, Bristow Manor is unaffected and remains green and playable. The zoysia fairways clearly enhance the play of the course – especially in hot, dry conditions.
The course has a nice variety of open, tight and shorter, longer holes. There is good use of doglegs and hazards to add to the need for accurate placement of both tee shots and approach shots – especially on the front 9. The #1 rated Par 4, 7th is particularly interesting as the golfer can choose to cut off more or less on the tee shot over water still leaving an approach over hazard area to the elevated green. Several golfers were seen playing right of the water, leaving a shorter approach requiring a high shot over trees to get to the green.
Favorite Holes Noted: Hole 10 – a fun relaxing hole to get started (we started on the back nine!)
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