Set against a canvas of 12,000 acres of pristine Blue Ridge Mountains vistas and valleys, Primland has always had room to grow.
The expansion of what was a hunting and fly fishing paradise came in the form of a major game changer when the Highland Course opened in 2006, setting in motion a series of accolades and awards that keep coming for the southwestern Virginia resort.
The golf course, set at 3,000 feet atop of a mountain plateau, was designed by Donald Steel, whose majority of distinguished work has been accomplished in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The Highland Course is just one of four layouts the noted golf course architect has in the United States.
“Donald may not be as big as some of the other names in golf course architecture, but there is a uniqueness to it,” longtime Primland vice president Steve Helms says of the mountain course with stunning views. “Donald’s course brought us some of those European characteristics that are a lot different than you’re going to find in this part of the country.”
The Highland Course features massive greens, tall flowing fescue and deep bunkers — and a slope rating of 153.
“We always say there are not automatic two-putts at Primland,” Brian Alley, director of golf and recreation, says. “The greens are huge. If you find the fairway and get it on the green your job is far from done. It fits because it is just a vast, huge property. The large greens don’t look ridiculous or silly because they fit the landscape.”
There are three main components to the Highland Course — great architecture, great views and great playing conditions, Alley says. “You may not have to be the best golfer in the world to appreciate those things. That’s what we’re selling. Golf is a tough game sometimes so when you have our course to look at and play on everybody leaves happy.”
Golf Digest has ranked the Highland Course as the No. 1 public course in Virginia as well as one of America’s 100 greatest public courses, while Golf magazine has ranked it among the top 30 golf resorts in the United States and Canada.
Related: A closer look: Primland Resort
“There is a lot of expectations because golfers are usually referred here by a friend who has had that wonderful experience, so there is a lot of pressure on us to make sure they get that same experience,” says Alley, who helped open the course almost two decades ago. “They are giddy and you can kind of tell the new guys from the old guys. They are asking questions about how many golf balls they are going to lose. There definitely is excitement before they go out on the course.”
Eighteen holes of golf, a cart and lunch costs $315. With only about 7,500 rounds a year, the Highland Course is always in pristine condition.
Located in Meadows of Dan, trees have been removed in various locations since the course opened to provide even better mountain scenery for golfers. The highlight is the Pinnacles of Dan, which feature two mountain peaks that jut out from the Dan River Gorge and are connected by a valley known as the bowl area.
“It’s like the Grand Canyon with trees,” Alley says of the gorge. “When you are standing off of the back of No. 1 green and you look down you just say ‘Wow, how did this form?’ That view off of the back of No. 1 is not something you typically see on the eastern part of the United States with that dramatic dropoff and the riverbed below. So visitors just are in awe of the beauty of the property more than anything.”
The golf course was not an immediate hit with drive-in guests since the resort’s Lodge wasn’t opened until a three-year “soft opening.” There was also another potential issue. With each of the property’s entry gates located a fair distance from the first tee, resort executives wondered if that would be a challenge to attract golfers.
“But now it’s part of the experience,” Helms says. “People really think they are here when they get to the gate but they have another 15-minute ride to get to the lodge and golf. That kind of adds to it.”
In addition to all of its golf awards, Primland, a member of the Auberge Resorts Collection, has been voted the No. 1 resort in the South and No. 9 in America by Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, in part because of its distinctive boutique lodging.
That is a sector of the resort that has seen dramatic strategic growth, including the anticipated October opening of Hawk Eye, a new luxury home that can accommodate up to 16 people. It will cost between $4,000-$6,500 per night depending on the season, says Primland general manager Will Rentschler.
The four-bedroom house will include what the resort calls “world-class amenities” and feature a butler, among other high-end offerings.
“The reason for us building Hawk Eye is we’ve continued to see demand growth for this form of lodging from multi-generational families, and we have the property so it’s great,” Rentschler says. “We know that we need to continue investing in and improving our asset and making sure that it’s something that appeals to our guests.”
Two additional tree houses have also been added to the existing three, which were designed in France by renowned treehouse architectural firm La Cabane Perchee. The 440-square-foot structures are each built of aromatic red cedar with expansive decks at an elevation of 2,700 feet.
And the resort’s restaurant has been renamed and rebranded as Leatherflower.
“With the restaurant we took a step back and looked at where Primland is evolving to and what it’s evolving from,” Rentschler says. “The feedback from the guests when they came to a place like Primland was they wanted feel like they were in Virginia. They didn’t want to feel like they could be anywhere else. So the new concept is to incorporate as much beautiful Virginia product as possible? We’re working with a lot of really, really great purveyors and we’ll take those great products and put something on the plate that’s simple, approachable and relatable to the many different types of guests that we have come through Primland.”
The fall leaf season is right around the corner for Primland, which is prime time for guests to enjoy numerous outdoor activities like mountain hiking and ATV trail riding in addition to golf.
“We’ve already had a couple 50-degree mornings so I’m rubbing my hands together. We’re ready for the fall,” Rentschler says. “So many of our guests are like, ‘please stop advertising’ because they don’t a lot of people to discover us.”
Those wishing to fly in on private aircraft can land in Martinsville, Virginia, or Mount Airy, North Carolina. It is then about a 45-minute drive from each location. Those coming from across the United States or the rest of te globe would fly into Piedmont Triad International Airport, and then drive about 90 minutes to the resort from Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Highland Course is one worth playing two or three days in a row. It’s truly that memorable, especially in the months of September and October. “The golf course has kind of been somewhat of a crown jewel for Donald Steel and he’s very proud of the accolades the course has received,” Helms says of the 87-year-old architect. “I couldn’t imagine this place now without a golf course.”