the pride
of Primland
From Donald Steel's
architectural genius of
The Highland Course, to its
72,000-square-foot lodge,
Primland is the pride of the
Blue Ridge Mountains.
By Josh Wolfe
Brighton Beach Din
beach culture, vintage ca
roll. Brighton Beach is a
Theclassical
distraction
Timothy Oulton
of a world-weary
mind on the
putting green in
the warm evening
light transfers over
into Primland’s
comfortable,
luxurious interior.
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Perched atop the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, Primland
Resort offers an abundance of outdoor and recreational
activities from golf and tennis to hunting and fly fishing.
T
he dawn of a new day and we’re on the road
to Meadows of Dan, Virginia, to play the
renowned golf course at Primland Resort –
The Highland Course. In fact, it’s the dawn of
a new chapter in my life. New opportunities.
New obstacles. Challenges and triumphs ahead
that will rise from the deepest bunkers and the
highest greens when I least expect them to show.
And so it was on that midday when a
turkey’s gobble sounded deep down in the
live oaks and resonated to my ear as I fidgeted
with my putts on the practice green, warming
up before moving on to the driving range,
warming up before meeting the legendary
Donald Steel, and Primland’s pro since The
Highland Course opened in 2006, Brian Alley,
on the first tee box. Before Primland, Alley was
the professional at Everglades Club in Palm
Beach, Florida, and Yeamans Hall Club in
Charleston, South Carolina. His resume goes on.
When the idea of The Golf Sport came
to my attention just a few short months ago, I
wrote it off as a half-ass attempt I would give
to a tough, seemingly impossible challenge.
When Creator-In-Chief, Ryan Stalvey, and
I pulled up to the 72,000-square-foot lodge
at Primland, the demure notion that all
this was for naught quickly left my head.
“Y’all must be pretty important to be
playing with Mr. Steel,” said the bellhop as he
unloaded our clubs from the trunk of the car.
Important, no. Extremely fortunate, definitely.
I walked through the lodge with a bit of
apprehension, much like a known sinner
wandering into the Vatican. Recycled, local
stone and wood made up the structure and
beautiful art work adorned the walls. Through
the main hall and around the corner, passing
the bar area, we stepped into the pro shop
where we met Steel and Alley and president of
The Gardiner Consultancy, Sandy Gardiner.
Let me back up a bit, for some of us
know about Primland Resort and certainly
understand the imminence of a one Donald
Steel. Today, Steel is probably the most wellknown and well-respected golf course architect
in the world. Let me repeat, In the world. Let
it also be clear that for me, the night sweats
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Breathe in the clean mountain
air as you lounge outside your
room, or relax in the indoor,
temperature-controlled pool
and hot tub.
began the instant we were invited to play
with Alley and him months ago. Don’t get
me wrong, I’ve played some fine courses in
my day, but not with company such as this.
Steel is the only golf course architect to have
advised all the clubs or courses on which The
Open Championship has been played. He’s also
the only architectural mastermind for the past 70
years to have given advice to the Home of Golf
(Scotland) and provided the master plan for the
modern St. Andrews. He again stands alone as
the only writer or architect to have played in The
Open as an amateur. He was the president of the
British Association of Golf Course Architects
from 1986-89, president of the Association of
Golf Writers from 1993-98 and president of the
English Golf Union in 2006. Let’s see, what else?
Author, co-author or editor of ten books on golf.
Remember what I said about the night sweats?
The views along the Blue Ridge plateau that
is the home of Primland are absolutely jaw
dropping. Whoever thought up the name “Blue
Ridge” for these incredibly beautiful mountains
hit the nail right on the head, or the ball dead
solid perfect down the fairway of the par five
first. Regardless, it doesn’t get much better
than this – a round of golf with two pro-level
players in the warm, dry air of Appalachia and
a good friend by my side to enliven my downtrodden when I shank my drive off of the first tee.
And I’m jumping ahead, but just stay with
me now. You finish your round with luxury
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accommodations rarely seen elsewhere. The
lodge, featuring 26 guest rooms and suites,
each with a distinctive floor plan, offers its
guests a refined experience. Just a couple of
other amenities to add would be the Great Hall
with twin fireplaces, a two-story wine room,
spa, fitness center, private theater, private
observatory dome (because, you know, it sit
on the top of a mountain), book and DVD
library, and a game room with everything a
magazine editor like myself could ever hope
for, including an Xbox 360 Wii, a ping pong
and a pool table. They also offer ATV tours,
fly fishing, fitness, horseback riding, hunting
(their wingshooting is Orvis endorsed),
mountain biking, nature walks, sporting clays
(the course is rated top ten in the country
with 14 stations that simulate pheasant,
quail, grouse, duck and rabbit), stargazing,
swimming, tennis and tree climbing.
Situated along the 10th and 18th
fairways are the quaint, comfortable cabins
for added privacy. The amenities there
as well are nothing short of spectacular.
Primland’s staff of nearly 150 employees is
almost entirely comprised of local residents
Primland
who wear the southern hospitality and down
home folksiness known throughout much
of Appalachia. All of the food is local fare that
comes from in and around the resort –
fruit, vegetables, lamb, trout and beef that
originate in Virginia and North Carolina.
The lodge itself is a product of the very
mountains with its recycled pine floors and
native stone. Included in the 72,000 square
feet besides the aforementioned 26 luxurious
suites with nine different floor plans, are an
indoor pool, spa and fitness center, recreation
area and ballroom, the golf shop, locker
room and a board room along with many
other long corridors and mystery doors.
Y
et I have digressed. Back to the
game at hand I suppose. And
perhaps I’m doing this on
purpose for your sake, dear
reader, as my nerves took several holes to
settle, and keep my ball on the mountain and
in the fairway… most of the time. In between
kicking the bushes for balls and daydreaming
off into the wild blue yonder, I was given
ample advice from both Steel and Alley.
“Keep your head down. Shoulder tucked
in. Don’t throw your hips open too much or
so quickly. Let the club head release, but
not too fast. And not too slow!” I must say,
more than anything, they just encouraged
us to have fun and enjoy ourselves.
When it was all said and done, we had made
some new friends and great contacts in the
golfing world. We hurried back to our cabins
on the 10th fairway to change and freshen
up before meeting Primland’s director of
marketing and sales, Ann Walker, for dinner.
The temperature dropped steadily and stymied
the heat as we relished the moments of my
favorite time of day. Fire-streaked clouds hung
like smoky silhouettes in the western sky as we
gathered ourselves and slowly moved inside
for dinner, me lingering, trying to catch one
more glimpse and capture the beauty and
aura of Primland in my mind’s eye until
I get invited back, should that ever happen.
As evening draws around Primland’s uniquely built lodge and
observatory, guests can gaze at the stars on a clear Appalachian
night. Retire to the dining room, and you’ll be treated to local fare
and a two-story wine room that offers quite a selection.
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