Worldgolfer's Golf Course Reviews

Designer: William Flynn (1923), Robert Trent Jones Sr. (1961, Renovation)

Location: Hot Springs, Virginia

History: The Homestead’s rich history began in 1766 when the first lodge was built in Hot Springs.  By the late 19th century, the Homestead Resort was one of the premier luxury resorts in America, hosting numerous U.S. Presidents and celebrities. Golf began at the Resort in 1892 with a 6-hole course that was expanded to 18 holes in 1901 and redesigned by Donald Ross in 1913. This “Old Course” claims to have the oldest first teebox in America. The Cascades Course is considered the premier course at the Resort and was built by William Flynn in 1923. Since then, it has hosted the U.S. Women’s Amateur (1928, 1994), Curtis Cup (1966), U.S. Women’s Open (1967), U.S. Senior Amateur (1980), U.S. Amateur (1988), U.S. Mid-Amateur (2000), and U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur (2009). Aside from some work from Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1961, the course remains virtually untouched. When Jones was there, he built another course named the Lower Cascades Course which closed in 2012.

You can’t discuss the history of the Homestead without mentioning Sam Snead, the colorful golfing legend who lived his entire life in Hot Springs. Snead’s golfing career began as a caddie at the Old Course at age 7 and he soon became the teaching professional there. Throughout his long and successful career, he maintained ties to the Homestead and holds the course record at the Cascades Course, shooting 60 in 1983. He is quoted as saying “If you can play the Cascades, you can play anywhere.” Accolades for the course are numerous and include:

• #102 Best Classic Course in America – Golfweek (2025)
• #42 Best Public Course in America – Golf Digest (2025)
• #35 Best Public Course in America – Golf Magazine (2024)
• #37 Best Public Course in America – Golfweek (2025)
• #31 Best Resort Course in America – Golfweek (2025)
• #6 Best Course in Virginia – Golf Digest (2025)
• #1 Best Course in Virginia – Golf Magazine (2024)
• #3 Best Course in Virginia – Top100golfcourses.com (2024)
• #1 Best Public Course in Virginia – Golfweek (2025)

Conditions: 9/10, The Cascades Course was in great shape on a late Fall day with lush fairways and rough, smooth greens, and well-manicured bunkers.

Value: 4/10, While a great course, the Cascades is not cheap at $349 with decent discounts for twilight ($199) and juniors ($109).

Scorecard:

Tee                           Par         Yardage         Rating          Slope

Blue                         70           6873              72.9                135

White                      70           6256             70.7                130

Gold                         70           5530             67.0                123

Red                          70            4968            69.4                124

Hole Descriptions: Located along the West Virginia border in rural Virginia, The Homestead is tough to get to but well-worth a visit. The terrain here is rugged and mountainous and William Flynn deserves a ton of credit for routing the Cascades Course after numerous architects including A.W. Tillinghast turned down such an ambitious project. To move so much land and build a course like this in 1923 really demonstrates Flynn’s genius and he has become one of my favorite architects after seeing some of his Philadelphia work more recently.

Steeped in history, the Cascades is widely regarded as one of the finest mountain courses in the country. The course is characterized by continuous elevation changes, uneven lies, and natural beauty which was especially prevalent when I played in the Fall. It is famous for its 3-5-5-3 finish and is notable for some really strong and tough par fours. A lot of people have said that the course has lost some of its luster over the last century and I agree that it could benefit from some tree removal, but you get the sense when you are here that you are at a special place. It is clearly one of the best public experiences in golf and is a course I highly recommend.

The Cascades opens with a narrow 438 yard par 4 that plays uphill on the teeshot. This is a difficult start with trees down the left the entire way and a right bunker at 260 yards. This hole narrows even further as you approach a very skinny, two-tiered, back-to-front sloped green lined by bunkers on either side. I’m not sure which tee he was playing from, but Snead apparently drove this green – a remarkable feat.

After crossing Sam Snead Highway, you reach a three-hole stretch on the other side of the road. The 2nd is another lengthy par 4 at 441 yards playing straightaway with a wide fairway lined by thick forest left and a bunker at 205 yards down the right. This fairway slopes steadily left-to-right for the first 300 yards before ending with a patch of rough. The fairway on the other side of this rough is flatter and may actually slope right-to-left, offering a beautiful approach. I found it difficult to read the greens at the Cascades, as the underlying slope of the land often played more of a role than it appears. This is true of the 2nd green, which overall slopes back-to-front but features more left-to-right tilt than you’d imagine.

After two lengthy par fours to start, the Cascades provides a chance to get a shot back with the reachable 294 yard par 4 3rd. A really interesting and fun design, this hole plays uphill to a fairway that narrows as it progresses, with OB left and sporadic trees down the right. While reaching this green is an option for the longest hitters, the more prudent play is a lay-up short of a patch of rough around 210 yards. This back-to-front sloped green is small and sits on a pedestal with a bunker short right.

The 4th is the first par 3 on the course and is a beautiful hole at 221 yards. Besides its length, the most difficult thing about this one-shotter is judging the distance, as it plays steadily downhill. A flatter green surrounded by slopes and a bunker short left sits well-below the teebox.

You cross back across the road to reach the 5th and the rest of the course. At 604 yards, the 5th is the longest hole on the course and a true “Marathon” par 5 deserving of its moniker. This monster hole begins with a generous right-to-left sloping fairway that ends around 280 yards. A second slab of fairway is separated by a giant hill down the right and is difficult to reach on the teeshot even for the longest hitters. This slab slopes steadily downhill and may be blind on your second shot. A 60-yard patch of rough separates this green from the fairway and several bunkers surround the green.

The 6th hole is an interesting dogleg right par 4 playing 373 yards. Essentially, this hole plays straight for the first 280 yards to a narrow fairway lined by tall trees. Once finding the fairway, this hole then turns right with an approach over a creek to a back-to-front sloped green defended by a bunker short.

The 7th hole is a beautiful 433 yard par 4 with an exhilarating downhill teeshot to a generous fairway that slopes severely left-to-right. Bunkers are in play down the right at 275 and 320 yards and might catch unsuspecting teeshots with lots of roll. This approach is a difficult one, playing quite uphill to an elevated, flatter green lined by bunkers on either side.

The 8th is the shortest hole at the Cascades as an 157 yard par 3. Playing alongside an old cemetery, this is a pretty hole playing slightly downhill to an undulating infinity green defended by bunkers on either side.

At 453 yards, the 9th hole is another big par 4 with an epic downhill teeshot over 200 yards of ravine. Golfers should be aggressive here, as this fairway is generous and features lots of ripples. This approach continues downhill to a green that contains a left mound and is lined by a bunker left.

The Cascade’s front nine is overall great and contains some fantastic holes, but the back is superior and makes this course special. This is especially true for the stretch from 10-13 which is about as good as it gets. It begins with the 382 yard 10th, a very unique hole that potentially features two blind shots. This teeshot is semi-blind to a left-to-right sloping fairway lined by OB right and a bunker right at 200 yards. The fairway is more generous the further you hit it, but this is not readily apparent on the teebox. Those who lay back off the tee might be left a blind downhill approach to a green down the right on the other side of a creek. This green overall slopes back-to-front and is lined by bunkers on either side.

The 11th hole is an 199 yard par 3 that required a lot of land movement to build but appears perfectly natural with an approach over a hollow to a perched green defended by a bunker short. This green slopes steadily left-to-right with the terrain.

You’d be hard pressed to find a better set of consecutive par fours than the 12th and 13th at the Cascades. The 12th is arguably the best hole on the course as a lengthy 508 yard par 4. This difficult yet beautiful hole begins with a downhill teeshot to a skinny fairway set in a natural hollow. This fairway is quite narrow and turns left around a large tree, with thick forest on either side. Although technically a par 4, many will lay-up here and will have to contend with an attractive pair of bunkers about 90 yards short of the green. This green is lined by bunkers on either side and is narrow, sloping right-to-left with a plateau in the middle.

The 13th hole plays similarly but not quite as difficult as a 446 yard dogleg left. This is another very attractive teeshot to a fairway that bends left with a creek running down the left the entire way. A bunker lines the right at 280 yards and anything to the far right will be blocked out by trees. You must carry several crossbunkers on the way to a right-to-left sloped green lined by bunkers.

The 14th is easily my least favorite hole on the course and one that feels more Jones than Flynn. At 436 yards, this is another lengthy par 4 that plays straightaway and slightly uphill. For whatever reason, this teebox is shrouded in trees and creates an unnecessarily claustrophobic teeshot. It takes a strong approach to carry bunkers in front of this subtle, back-to-front sloped green.

At 235 yards, the 15th is the longest par 3 on the course and another hole that could benefit from tree removal. Already a difficult hole requiring a long iron or wood for most players, this teeshot again plays through a chute of trees that probably shouldn’t be there. This green is skinny and runs back-to-front with slender bunkers on both side.

A feature you don’t see often, the 16th and 17th holes are back-to-back par fives that provide a fun finishing stretch. The 16th is the longer of the two at 529 yards as a big dogleg right. With a creek running down the right the entire way, this fairway is straight for the first 250 yards before turning hard right. A trio of bunkers lines the inside corner of the dogleg but longer hitters can cut the corner here. This fairway narrows as you near the green with bunkers on either side and ends about 40 yards short of the green with a pond. Those that cut the corner successfully face a risky shot over this hazard to a back-to-front sloped green lined by bunkers long.

The 17th is another fun risk/reward par 5 as a 518 yard dogleg left. Somewhat of an intimidating teeshot, this hole features the creek down the right the entire way with a fairway hugging thick forest down the left. Unless you can reach the dogleg about 300 yards out, you’ll be forced to lay-up here. This back-to-front sloped green sits in a beautiful setting with a natural waterfall and pond defending the right and bunkers long and left.

Another unusual feature of the Cascades Course is that it finishes with a par 3, something only a few great courses do (Garden City, Boston Golf Club, Pasatiempo). At 206 yards, this is a pretty and challenging hole with a teeshot over a pond to an elevated back-to-front sloped green lined by deep bunkers on either side.

General Comments: Located a few miles down the street from the main Resort, the Cascades Course features a small clubhouse and no range. As with most mountain golf, the course is not easily walkable.

Verdict: One of the finest public courses in America, William Flynn’s Cascades Course is a mountainous design steeped in history and natural charm. Featuring plenty of uneven lies, elevation changes, and unique holes, this is a course well-worth seeing and deserving of its lofty reputation.