Dogwood Trace Golf Club

Dogwood Trace Golf Club delivers a beautiful layout paired with premium turf conditions at a refreshingly reasonable price point. Owned and operated by the City of Petersburg, this municipal gem provides top-tier playability without the premium-course cost, making it one of the best values in the region.

The course is fully open to the public and offers annual passholder memberships with several options for the price-conscience player, including Thrifty Thursdays. Call the clubhouse for details.

A unique and fun design highlight is found on the front nine, which features three par 3s, three par 4s, and three par 5s. This balanced setup creates additional scoring opportunities—particularly for players confident on par 3s or capable of taking advantage of reachable par 5s.

Overall, Dogwood Trace combines thoughtful design, strong conditions, and outstanding pricing, making it a standout choice for both frequent players and casual rounds alike. Dogwood Trace is perhaps the best municipal golf course in the Richmond/Petersburg area. The driving range might be one of the few areas of improvement we noticed.

Favorite holes: Hole 2 - the bunkers around the green are fabulously designed. The green is slightly elevated from a fairly wide open fairway. Hole 6 is a double dogleg, down and up fairway to an elevated green, bunkered in front. Hole 8 - another really nice, challenging par 5. Just wide open and fun with bunkers well-placed. Hole 13 - tee shot over water to a slight dogleg right fairway. Again, bunkers well placed around the green. Hole 18 is a monster par 5 and a great finishing hole. Makes you want to come back. Just tell them at check in that we sent you.

Independence Golf Club

Virginia Golf Course Reviews experienced a very warm welcome at Independence Golf Club in Midlothian, VA. Among the surprises we experienced this visit: hybrid Lexus cars on the course as ‘beverage cars’, a garden for farm to table vegetables, golf carts equipped with Bluetooth and PXG signage planted in the middle of the fairway to mark the target point of your drive off the tee. Giff Breed’s team of professionals have set the stage for the golf course of the future – the quality of our experience was exceptional. A few things you will experience at Independence include well-maintained golf courses (both the Par 3 course & the Championship Course), the greens will be fast & true, it’s walkable – but long, elevated greens with false fronts, wide fairways speed up play and the food is great. It’ hard to find a more fun-filled golf experience. The music at the practice facilities gets your revved up for a fun round on which ever course you play. When you go to Independence – make sure you tell them we sent you! 

Lakeside Park Club

Lakeside Park Club is a gem of Donald Ross and a crown for the Richmond golf landscape. From Lakeside Park Club’’s website – “Lakeside was the very first course developed in Richmond in 1896. Lewis Ginter, a prominent Richmond businessman, development and hotelier, philanthropist and world-traveler, created Lakeside Park.”

Lewis Ginter invited Donald Ross to create 9 holes on his zoo property; then 9 more holes were added shortly after the course opened to complete the 18 hole format we see today.

Lakeside Park Club (LPC) is a private club. You can get on the course if you play with a member or play a tournament. LPC is actively engaged with the local community – hosting charity events and member involved activities that benefit the broader community.

Unique to this course are the zoo cage for bear and the alligator pit on Hole 4, and ten holes with blind tee shots. The bear logo represents their unique history with the zoo, the lake and golf. This course is designed like a Scottish-style course where you don’t return to the clubhouse after nine holes.

Ross’s creation has five tee box choices ranging from 5132 yards to 6302 yards – some of the more challenging 6300 yards you’ll play!

Our reviewer’s favorite holes: No 5 – short par 4 with two green side bunkers protecting the green; Hole 12, Par 3 – a short, turtle-backed green; and Hole 18, Par 5 – a great closing hole with that narrowing approach to the green, and the possibility of playing it from the No 1 fairway!

Make sure you tell them we sent you when you get on!

Magnolia Green Golf Club

This combo Nicholas & Clark design makes a fascinating experience. The driving range, putting and chipping practicing facilities are amazing – top of the line. The greens are challenging, undulating and rarely flat. The fairways were typically wide open, with well placed bunkers scattered throughout. Green side bunkers were large and deep. The condition of the fairway bunkers could be improved – and the management team has a plan to address this. Speaking of management – they have it going! It’s a great team and they have programs to keep 38,000-40,000 visitors per year coming back.

The 18th hole – a mid-length, par-4 with a receptive landing area – is Magnolia Green’s signature hole. A downhill second shot into a well-protected green sloping back to front gets your attention! There are more bunkers than necessary – but this Nicklaus design is a must play – before they take out some of these bunkers. This course is quite friendly to the left to right shot maker. 

Marc Desisto is the detail man, knows the golf business, creates his own rating system and teaches Callaway fitters across the country. His team is amazing. We appreciated hearing about the goals to clean up the bunkers (noted below) and work at continuous improvement on the golfer experience. 

Make sure you tell them we sent you when you get on!

The Golf Club at Mattaponi Springs

The 330-acre estate at Mattaponi Springs is tucked just slightly off the beaten path of I‑95—but the extra few minutes are more than worth it. This stay-and-play golf destination is stunning from the entrance and opening tee shot to the final green, offering a beautiful layout paired with a healthy dose of challenge. 

One standout example of management’s forward momentum is the former pro shop, which has been transformed into a top-of-the-line golf simulator facility, allowing guests to play the course virtually. The club’s embrace of modern technology is generating excitement and clearly resonating with golfers. Management has significantly expanded the club’s digital reach recently. That strategy is paying off, with increased online bookings through GolfNow and a noticeably younger demographic discovering and frequenting the course.

Mattaponi Springs also offers several stay-and-play accommodations, including the historic Manor House and four on-site cottages. Beyond golf lodging, the property features an event space located at the entrance of the club, frequently used for weddings,  rehearsal dinners and other group gatherings—further reinforcing its versatility as a destination venue.

A newer operational enhancement places golf carts directly in the parking lot, allowing players to load up and proceed to the expedited, all-in-one pro shop and bar. This streamlined approach lets golfers check in, settle up, and grab snacks and beverages in a single stop, accelerating the pre-round experience while drawing attention to the food and beverage offerings. The menu focuses on convenient grab-and-go favorites such as hot dogs, subs, burgers, and sandwiches. 

Some of our favorite holes: No 9 & No 18. These risk-reward holes give plenty of opportunity to walk off the course with that feeling of - I must come back to do this again. And, when you do, make sure you tell them we sent you.

The Golf Club at The Highlands

The Golf Club at Highlands sits in the middle of a housing development – but you’d never know it playing the course. The clubhouse and fitness center have everything you want in a golf club – food, exercise equipment and The Bunker – an indoor teaching station to improve your game! 

The owners are growing their own Zoysia for the fairways and will change them out in 2025. They have already changed out the greens to Bermuda, and they play exceptionally well. In addition, improvements will be made to the driving range following the changes to the fairways and greens. The owners also provide all their own bread from their bakery, Buffa Bakery. April, the Manager of The Reserve, was engaging and efficient. Both of us enjoyed the Reuben!  

You will want to play multiple times. We enjoyed the uniqueness of the course – five Par 3s and five Par 5s and the design by Steve Smyers was interesting, challenging and fair. 

This course is accessible on a number counts – through the VSGA VIP card, and their fee structure as a semi-private course. 

The course isn’t that long (6565 yards from the back tees) and has six sets of tees. We would have enjoyed playing from the back, except it was raining when we started the round and decided to play from blue at 6176 yards. Wise choice!

One of our favorites: Hole 9 is the former finishing hole. This dogleg left hole earns its Handicap No 1 rating. The tee shot is a narrow tree-lined shot, but goal one is to hit the fairway. The 2nd shot is quite challenging with fairway bunkers and three bunkers protecting the severely undulating green. Enjoy!