Westfields Golf Club
 On
a muggy, hot July Saturday with thunderclouds looming the GolfinAmigos set out to review and play the Westfields Golf Club.
Located in Clifton VA just 15 miles from the Dulles Airport, this
Fred Couples design is a treasure among golf venues in the Northern
Virginia area.
In
an area hurting for rain the greenskeeper of this course definitely
deservers a raise. The lush beautiful tree lined fairways with
varying depths of rough make for an outstanding round of golf.
With
a mixture of long Par 5's, two water surrounded Par 3s and
bunker
filled Par 4's this course will test every club and keep you begging
for more time and again.
 The
greens of the Westfields Golf Club are superb in both design and
feel. From narrow undulating greens to large subtle rises, your
ability to read a line will certainly be tested. Pin placement on
some greens is unique in that the hole is placed very near the edge
of the green.
Your ability to notice pin placement is a must because aiming for
the marked yardages on the sprinkler head may not be enough for this
"true test" of course management.
Amigos
favorite Hole:
With so many unique holes it was a difficult task to choose
just one hole as favorite at Westfields. The one that stands out the
most is the 384-yard Par 4 number 16. With a water hazard
that steadily widens as you approach the green and a small fairway
that narrows at both start and end a precision tee shot is key to a
decent score on this unique hole.
 Your
second shot to the green is still another challenge because the
water hazard that borders the right of the fairway and ends in a
small pond that protects the front side of the green. Your second
shot is best played a club more. The back of the green is protected
by a small hill dense with thick rough making for a complicated
downhill lie chip.
On this
day all three Amigos hit decent tee shots but the second shot was
the one that inflicted the most pain. One Amigo was short and in the
water and the other two went to far making for a demanding down hill
lie chip to the green.
Both
ended up short with their chip because the threat of over hitting
the ball into a deep bunker across the green was too much for our
game to handle. With two bogeys and one double we licked our wounds
and limped to the 17th tee.
Review Date:
07/27/2002
Course review ratings are conducted on a five point scale. ( 1 = Double Bogey 3 = Par 5 = Eagle)
Tees:
In outstanding condition. Even though the rain hit hard during our round there was little to no standing water on any tee. The large tee boxes give ample room keeping a divot free area to hit from and were wonderfully maintained.
Fairways:
Immaculate! With over 45 minutes of heavy rain there was little to no standing water in the fairways. The beauty and lush feel of the fairways were a joy to hit from, that's when we were lucky enough to play a tee shot from the fairway of course.
Rough:
The rough was in very good shape and definitely penalizing. Describable from the fairway with varying degrees of thickness at different locations. Very thick around the greens making for difficult chips onto the green. Precision shots are needed to stay away from this definite score killer.
Traps:
In good shape but due to the rain some had standing water within and made for more difficult escapes. The layout and position of the bunkers are a perfect complement to this challenging but fair design.
Greens:
First rate; some of if not the best greens in Northern Virginia. Very comparable to the greens at Stonewall but without the hardness and more forgiving to iron shots. Even with our rain delay, drainage was outstanding and the speed is medium to fast. Pin placement is very unique here with some pins being placed near the edge of some greens. It's a good idea to ride up and check out the pin placement first hand if you can.
Amenities:
Outstanding clubhouse! The full service bar and grill have anything and everything needed and wanted from the 19th hole. All you can hit range balls are included in your greens fees and a large putting green is perfect for working on your putting stroke. Extra niceties include free wooden tees , complementary divot tool and towel on your golf cart.
Staff Services:
All staff members were extremely helpful. A true test to any clubhouse and staff services is severe weather. A large thunderstorm hit the course during our round and during the rain delay the staff was very accommodating and amicable during our wait and had enough staff on had to accommodate the evacuation of the course.
Pace of Play:
Our round was a bit slow. There was a rain delay that threw the pace off a bit but was not the entire reason for the slow round. We only saw a course Marshal once on the front nine and never on the back. The groups were playing slow on the day we visited. A three ball mark is a bit generous but the rain delay and restart of play was bound to a contributing factor.
Overall Average:
4.6, Birdie Course
Outstanding Course, must play recommendation
The GolfinAmigos would like to thank Mr. Jason Paul the Manger of the Westfields Golf Club for allowing us to visit and review the course.
CLICK HERE for additional course information...
Location:
13940 Balmoral Greens Avenue, Clifton VA 20124
Tee Time Phone:
703-631-3300
Course Type:
Public
*The opinions expressed in this course review are those of the individual reviewer(s) and do not reflect the editorial opinion of
www.GolfinAmigos.com
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