Mountaintop Masterpiece
Primland Resort: Virginia’s prime hunting, fishing and golf retreat
By David Droschak
Donald Steel. The name doesn’t ring a bell to most golfers in the United States. He’s built just four courses in America. But Steel is about as good as it gets when it comes to golf course design – on par with the likes of Nicklaus, Fazio and Dye.
In addition to building 70 courses in more than 20 countries, St. Andrews regularly picks Steel’s brain, he’s the only person who has advised every course in the United Kingdom that has staged the British Open. This 69-year-old from the same hometown as legendary architect Donald Ross had seen just about everything. Until in 2000 he was given a 14,000-acre tract of land in the mountains of southwest Virginia and asked by the Primwest Group in Switzerland to build a golf course. Steel’s eyes must have been as wide as golf holes.
Primland Resort, founded in 1986 as a hunting and shooting preserve, was looking to upgrade and wanted an upscale summer activity for guests to compliment fishing, horseback riding and ATV tours. A golf course seemed like a perfect fit and Steel agreed to tackle, what for him, was a rare project in America. “We wanted to be a year-round destination,” said Primland general manager Steve Helms. “We also wanted a golf course that was unique and different. And we wanted some of Donald’s following, too.”
But the good idea soon had Steel scratching his head. As he searched the mountainous terrain for some prime land with which to design a course, he found none. “I was beginning to despair a little bit,” Steel said. He was close to declaring the idea a “no go” when it was pointed out that one more piece of land hadn’t been surveyed. It was at the very top of the mountain, some 3,000 feet straight up from the Dan River. Steel remembers rolling his eyes. “I just knew it was going to be ragged, rugged and rocky,” he said. In other words, he thought it was useless for a golf course layout.
Steel agreed to trek up the mountain after Primland officials told him the highest elevation on the property was once farmland. “When I got up there I said, ‘Wow, we’ve got to make this work somehow because the setting of a golf course is something that an architect can’t create but has to take advantage of,” Steel said.
Much to the surprise of Steel, the land was relatively flat for mountain terrain, and it offered spectacular and expansive views of the mighty Blue Ridge Mountain range.
Steel couldn’t wait to get started and turned what once seemed like a hopeless task into one of the best golfing experiences you’ll have east of the Mississippi River. “I’ve always been hugely influenced by the settings and views of golf courses, and with this course nobody looks in on you,” Steel said. “You’re in a cocoon, if you may. It’s at the far end of the property and you can’t go anywhere else but the golf course. You don’t see a lot of dwellings, chimneys or smoke. There is no noise. There aren’t many places in the world where you can escape. Well, this is that special place.”
It’s hard to figure out what’s better at the Highland Course at Primland – the golf course, its pristine condition, the seclusion or the beauty. “There is a feeling of literally being on top of the mountain,” Steel said. “That’s something I’ve never seen anywhere. Normally the higher up the mountain you go the more difficult it becomes and you usually say, ‘Forget it, we’ll find someplace else.’ The beauty of this place is something you don’t see every day,” said John Dell, a 10-handicapper from Winston-Salem, N.C. “One of the things that struck me was how quiet it was. You literally don’t hear anything but the outdoors.”
The first hole gives the golfer an immediate taste of a rare golf experience. The remnants of some major rock blasting appear as outcrops on your first drive, then it’s straight down the hill to one of Steel’s huge, angled greens with a spectacular backdrop. The course’s motto: “Drive well, or perish” is also evident from the start.
Steel’s mountaintop masterpiece is anything but tight off the tee, but it’s not easy either. Make sure you have at least a half dozen balls in your bag, even if you’re a player under the course’s required 18-handicap rule. That rule is relaxed at times, but head pro Jeff Fraim will meet golfers at the first hole to make sure they’re playing the proper tees to suit their game. “If people move up a tee or two they are going to have fun – and they can still enjoy the views,” Fraim said. Steel puts it another way. “If you are a skier and just a beginner you don’t go to the top of the mountain and come off from there,” he said. “It does help if you’re a better player.”
Once word filters out, the Highland Course at Primland is bound to get busy. But for now, you’re not likely to see many other golfers. And at $175 a pop, the price keeps play to a minimum. “It is somewhat expensive, but you’re playing a great golf course and there is certainly a country club feel,” said Fraim. “You may be the only group out there. You’re not pressured. And it’s rare that you see another hole from your hole. There is a feeling of seclusion.”
The greens are another treat at this links-style course. They are huge, maybe the largest collection of greens you will ever play. When asked how large the 13th green is, Steel shot back: “1,000 square yards.” “The idea was to try to instill some Scottish flavor, some home influence with the greens and the big areas around the greens,” said Steel. “The grass around the greens are cut very, very close so if you miss the green you’re not going to suffer and five shots later you get the ball in the hole. You can play those chip shots with any club in the bag.” There are also no forced carries, other than on the par-3, 14th hole. “We knew from the word ‘go’ however we built this course it was going to be tough,” Steel said. “But there is a way of getting around this course. There are no big carries and you’ve got no water except for a mountain stream.”
The intriguing golf course is only the latest addition to Primland, a resort known more for hunting than anything else. The shooting season is in full swing in the state of Virginia and if you’re in to bagging birds this is the place. The resort stocks about 23,000 pheasants a year at about $10 per bird. Hunters can also shoot quail and chukars. A half-day hunt costs $319 per hunter. There is also three-day deer hunting package at $1,600 per hunter (including lodging and meals), wild turkey hunts (two day package, $1,100 a person) and state-of-the art sporting clays.
Why is Primland so popular for hunters who have come from as far away as Japan and Argentina? “For one, we’ve got great terrain,” Helms said. “It’s very pretty scenery and the cover holds very well in this area. There are a lot of thickets for the birds to hide in. And the climate is cool enough, but not too cold. You fight some of the hot weather at some of the quail plantations in places in the South.”
Helms said the resort hosts many corporate outings with overnight guests staying in wonderful mountain homes that rent from $105 to $1,500 a night. The monster rental has 14 beds, including four downstairs bedrooms that are made out of four different types of wood. The views from all of the chateaus are stunning. Three cabins are also being built along the 10th fairway of the golf course and construction of a 27-room lodge and spa will begin soon. That complex is scheduled to open in the spring of 2008. “We are going all out,” Helms said. “We want it to be first-class and five-star.”
If guys have a tough time getting out of the house, there is plenty to do in the area for women. The Blue Ridge Parkway is just 9 miles away and there are several antique and craft shops close by and a winery. “The wives can take off and do their own thing,” Helms said. And the largest deer ever killed on the property was by a female guest.
The resort is located a stone’s throw from Mount Airy, N.C. and is less than a three-hour drive from Raleigh. Atlanta is 350 miles away and Washington, D.C. is 300. Those flying into the area will likely pick Piedmont Triad International Airport, which is about an hour and 15 minutes from the resort.
“Primland sells itself,” Steel said. “You don’t have to say anything, just bring people up here and turn them loose. It’s a lovely place to come and a hard place to leave.”
Primland
2000 Busted Rock Road
Meadows of Dan, VA, 24120
866.960.7746
Originally published in our Premier issue, October 2006