One of the courses I visited during a 10-day adventure to select states in the southern area included a visit to Wintergreen Resort located in Wintergreen, VA -- a full scale facility that sits on the eastern rim of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is roughly 20-30 minutes from Charlottesville.
The layout touts 45 holes -- 27 from Rees Jones which all sit in the valley area -- about a 15-20 minute drive from the original 18 which sits at 3,850 feet -- the highest course in Virginia.
Designed 30 years ago by the late Ellis Maples -- Devils Knob is an interesting layout that demonstrates the meaningfulness of shot control throughout the round.
What's so fascinating about Devils Knob is that the course is set at an elevation where weather can be quite changeable. Temperatures also can be 15-20 degrees cooler than the valley floor.
More importantly, Devils Knob doesn't rely upon insane length or inordinate demands that can't be handled by the masses.
The course plays from the tips 6,382 yards. That's no misprint.
The par is 70 with the back tees sloping at 138 and the CR from the same measurements coming in at 72.2.
How many courses does one know have such a short distance and nearly slope out at 140? Ditto have a CR that's a full 2.2 strokes above par?
One of the more successful design elements at Devils Knob is that it takes wooded areas and carves them out to be very natural settings for holes.
Maples, to his considerable credit, makes the player work the ball at a 30-to-45 degree turn points on any number of the holes there. The longer hitters can only gain maximum advantage with their power when they properly turn the ball in the correct manner as called upon. Fail to do that and the likelihood in sending your ball through the fairways and into oblivion is quite certain.
The real strength of Devils Knob rests with the variety of par-4 type holes Maples has created.
I am a big fan of the downhill dog-leg right 3rd hole which plays 476 yards. Here the golfer must work the ball to the right but you cannot overcook it to that side. The fairway cascades down the hill but it does have the slightest movement to the left so that any ball with a pronounced hook spin will only finish deeper into the woods on that side.
On the short par-4 holes Maples used the up and down property to create a varied series of challenges. For example, although there are holes with yardages of 382 (twice), 376, 347, 360 and 367 -- they each play very differently and give a much varying style in how they play. Too often uphill holes are avoided because they can easily slow down the pace of play and be slogs. That's far from the case here.
The 376-yard uphill 9th hole is a gem. You must deal with an elevation change of roughly 40-50 feet off the tee and the hole also bends slightly to the right. The green is neatly elevated and the fall-offs to the sides of the target will carry away any approach not deftly played.
The only serious deficiency with the course comes with the five par-3 holes. They are simply pedestian in their quality and frankly I would think that such a "short" course would excel in these types of holes.
Devils Knob has some interesting highlights -- the elevation sign at the par-3 15th tells you the height of 3,850 feet. You also have a closing hole that brings your round to a grand conclusion. It's a downhill dog-leg right with an inside fairway bunker guarding the preferred playing position. Power players can blow it over the bunker with a solid hit but if you should hit the ball with any movement to the left it's verty easy to bound away and reach the timber on the far side.
Devils Knob is an interesting layout and one that for me, at least, would require several rounds in order to really have a clear handle on what's needed.
Like I said -- for a course that's under 6,400 yards from the dead back tees -- it provides plenty of challenges for just about level of golfer and is a credit to the design talent Ellis Maples clearly possessed.
P.S. The course is also a rare bird in that all three of the par-5 holes are well done. The uphill 5th plays 473 yards but is every yard and then some to a very tiny target. The uphill dog-leg left 582-yd 7th hole is one of the best par-5 holes I have played in the Commonwealth of Virginia among public courses. The hole climbs roughly 50 feet from tee to green and you also face a very daunting fairway bunker and creek that guards the entrance to the putting surface.
The downhill 10th at 567 yards also moves to the right off the tee and has a stream that cuts in front of the green roughly 100 yards from the putting surface.
Like I said -- big hitters cannot succeed from just power alone. Thinking and placement are what makes Devils Knob a very relevant and worthy place to play.