By Hudson Pace

When people think of the local golf courses in the Richmond area, the first ones that come to mind are often the Country Club of Virginia (CCV), Hermitage Country Club, Kinloch, Richmond Country Club (RCC), and Independence Golf Club. A sometimes overlooked course is Richmond’s Belmont Golf Course, which has a unique history.

In 1917, Belmont was designed by renowned Hall of Fame golf architect A.W. Tillinghast in what is now Richmond’s Lakeside neighborhood, across the street from Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. However, it was initially known as Hermitage Golf Club. Four years after the design, famous golf architect Donald Ross took to upgrading the quality of the course.

Belmont Golf Course. Photo credit: First Tee of Greater Richmond. 

In 1945, Hermitage Golf Club hosted the Richmond Invitational, a PGA tour event won by Ben Hogan. Hogan had an illustrious career, with 64 professional wins, nine major championships, and was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. 

In 1949, Hermitage held the PGA Championship, one of professional golf’s four majors. With winners such as Tiger Woods (four times), Jack Nicklaus (five times), and Walter Hagan (five times), the PGA Championship is one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world. Sam Snead won that year, becoming the first-ever player to win the PGA Championship and Masters in the same year. The PGA Championship at Hermitage Golf Club remains the only major golf event ever held in Virginia. 

The popularity of Hermitage Golf Club grew in the 1960s and 70’s, becoming one of Virginia’s most popular clubs. To accommodate the high demand, Hermitage decided in 1977 to move out to a larger complex in Manakin-Sabot, leaving its old course to the city of Richmond, which was renamed Belmont. Belmont became one of Virginia’s best and most popular public courses, with 55,000 rounds played in 1992.

As years passed, Belmont’s course conditions worsened, and the amount of play decreased. The price per round increased, as well as course maintenance costs. Many of the classic features that Belmont had were lost, and the city of Richmond began to consider alternative uses for the location. 

View of Belmont Golf Course. Photo credit: WineCountry.com.

Razing the course was an option; however, many local golfers and organizations pushed back in favor of preserving the history of Belmont. In early 2020, the golf organization First Tee of Richmond took over the construction and control of Belmont. They decided to turn the 18-hole golf course into a 12-hole course, with many of the same features that Tillinghast had in his original design, along with a six-hole par three course, a short game practice area, and a driving range. 

I asked my varsity golf teammate and future Dartmouth College golfer Tyler Brand (‘23) about the new renovation of Belmont. He said, “Although somewhat underappreciated out of all the courses in Richmond, Belmont is an exciting course to play, with rich history. Although Belmont features a 12-hole golf course as its primary course, it also has a short course, which consists of only 6 par three’s. This short course is my favorite of the two and features undulated greens which demand very accurate wedge shots. For this reason, I find that there’s no better practice in the Richmond area if one is looking to improve their wedge game.”

Belmont Golf Course. Photo credit: Golf Week/USAToday.

My brother Quinn Pace (‘26), also a Collegiate golfer, agrees with Brand about the facilities at Belmont. He says “every time I play Belmont, it challenges me to hit different types of wedge shots into greens, which helps my game. The narrow fairways also put emphasis and make me focus on control with my driver.” 

I have played Belmont Golf Course a few times this year. The layout is certainly very interesting and unlike any other course in the Richmond area. The par three course is my favorite aspect of the complex. The par three course contains many of the same difficulties that the 12-hole course has, making it a true challenge, but also very playable for kids and beginner golfers. 

The First Tee. Photo credit: Governor Jay Inslee via flickr.

I also volunteered and worked at Belmont two summers ago. I was interested in helping beginner golfers pursue a game I love, and I hoped to share my knowledge with many kids enrolled in the First Tee program. I helped give lessons and run camps for children. It’s fascinating to see all the events that Belmont holds for First Tee. 

For many golfers in Richmond, I would recommend heading out to Belmont Golf Course. Whether it’s playing the 12-hole course or just the par three course, the history that Belmont possesses can’t be found anywhere else in Richmond.