Have you every gotten a mixed message? Some come from a boss, a girlfriend or in our most recent case a "golf course".

Is it possible to have a golfing experience that just doesn't make sense? Have you ever played a round that instilled the feelings of both enjoyment and bafflement all at the same time?

The Golf Club at Brickshire is a three-year-old Curtis Strange signature course not far from Richmond Virginia exuding one of the finest overall designs anywhere in the Mid-Atlantic.

On design alone, the course offers scenic elevation changes, wide approachable fairways and a host of perfectly manicured greens. A nice twist added to the design are the inclusion of four replica holes from St. Andrews, Augusta National, Pinehurst #2, and Riviera Country Club.

The Golf Club at Brickshire has its own distinct style and should be on everyone's must play list.

But for our round we encountered fairways and rough conditions that were "strange" to say the least. To say the two course elements were just dry would be an understatement.

The bermuda fairways, still in a semi-dormant state were crunchy dry. The grass crackled beneath your feet and a plum of dust was expelled from the fairways every time a tee shot struck the surface. It was a surreal experience making for some extremely long drives, which is always nice but deterred from making good approach shots and diminished the overall beauty of the course.

We spoke with Head Golf Professional Scott Turner after our round and he stated it was all part of the spring conditioning effort getting the fairways ready for the upcoming season. He said the aerated fairways needed to "dry out" so that the plugs from the recent aeration could be gathered up. Once that step is completed the revitalization begins with the second step of fertilizer and plenty of water to bring the fairways and rough back to life.

Mr. Turner was even nice enough to invite us back in a month to see the finished product. He said it was just bad timing for the scheduled review. We might just have to take him up on his offer because the mixed message the course left us with created a desire to see the course in the necessary conditions to compliment this outstanding design.

Amigos Favorite Hole:  The hole we liked best at the Brickshire Golf Club was the 244-yard Par 3 number 15.

At the tee this long Par 3 is one menacing target. All uphill, the narrow green is nestled atop a mound with two strategically placed bunkers one on at the front of the green and one at the back.

Be sure to select the proper club with your approach shot, anything over the green will make for a very delicate chip that is all down hill. If you're lucky enough put your tee shot on the green and below the hole you should have a good attempt at a birdie with and uphill putt with slight break.