Having recently moved to Charlottesville, VA, I can definitely recommend it as a wonderful place to live. Having the University of Virginia here definitely adds a great deal to the town. There is also a vast array of outdoor activities nearby. The mountains are nearby for hiking, camping, or skiing and great fishing is all around. The golf options are fairly good right around Charlottesville. Farmington Country Club is the best course in town. Birdwood is a very good public course where UVA's golf team plays. The Homestead and Greenbrier are also within 2 hours.
The best golf option nearby is Kinloch, which is about a 45 minute drive from Charlottesville.
As mentioned earlier, in addition to Farmington and Birdwood, there's Keswick and Glenmore.
A new daily-fee just opened up in Crozet – Old Trail Golf Club. I’ve heard good things, but haven’t seen it myself. Jimmy – any reports?
Wintergreen Resort- with 45 holes - is a scenic 30 minutes away.
Green Hills is a fun little track in Stanardsville – about 30 minutes away.
Poplar Grover Golf Club in Amherst (a brand new Sam Snead Design?) is only about 40 minutes.
There are also a number of new courses sprouting up along the I-81 corridor. Packsaddle Ridge and Buena Vista Links are within an hour of C’ville.
Like Jimmy said, the Homestead and the Greenbrier are easy day trips. So are DC (1.5 - 2 hours), Richmond (1 hour) and Williamsburg (1.7 hours).
I'd argue that Farmington is more fun than Kinloch, but that's just one man's opinion.