All the buzz is warranted. Mattaponi Springs in Ruther Glen, Va, which had been recognized by Golf Digest and Golfweek upon its opening in 2005, is a truly wonderful golf course. As the first of several championship daily fee courses that have opened in central Virginia over the last two years, Mattaponi set the bar high. It offers a unique test of golf.
The first thing one notices upon stepping onto the tee is the grass. Tees and fairways are zoysia, a unique and compelling choice. Zoysia is a tough, wide-blade grass and the ball sets up as though it were on a low tee. Bad lies in the fairways are almost inconceivable. Even now in November when the grass lies dormant it is a pleasure to play from and provides just the right blend of cushion and firmness to allow every club from a fairway wood to a lob wedge to be caught cleanly. The rough grass is a fescue that provides superb definition of fairway and though the fairways are quite generous, finding the fescue greatly complicates approaches to Mattaponi’s difficult greens.
The second thing one notices upon stepping onto the first tee is the change in elevation. The fairway lies some seventy feet below the teeing ground. It is a dramatic view, yet the player must keep his wits about him. The change in elevation brings a water hazard on the right of the fairway, one that is seemingly out of play, into reach. It also sets the tone for your day at Mattaponi. Severe changes in elevation are common and spectacular, making many long holes play much shorter and making club selection something of a guessing game for even an accomplished golfer. The ninth is a perfect example. The tee shot must negotiate a bunker on the right and a large oak on the left. A well struck shot will find a plateau some two hundred yards from the green. However the green lies more than fifty feet below the top of the fairway turning that two hundred yard approach into a shot that plays no more than one hundred seventy-five. If you’ve ever longed to launch two hundred yard six irons like the pros, the ninth hole is the place to do it.
A quick word about the greens. They are firm, fast and undulating. The L93 Bentgrass provides a wonderful surface for putting and it is easy to imagine the greens running at a speed that could make them nearly unputtable. The greens themselves are generally divided into three distinct sections which are often defined by very severe slopes. Getting the ball to the correct level is of paramount importance. Leaving one’s approach shots consistently above the hole will make for a long day.
The only complaint is a mild one. The routing of the course is such that many holes lies close together and crosstalk and noise emanating from other games can be a definite and recurrring destraction. The terrain itself seems to exascerbate this problem. Sound carries well through the canyons and hollows of Mattaponi Springs. Yet at the end of the day the sound you will most likely hear are words of praise for a unique golfing adventure.