I had the privilege of playing Kinloch Golf Club last weekend, it is located just outside of Richmond, VA. It was designed by Lester George and Vinny Giles (former US Amateur and British Amateur champion). It is located on a great piece of rolling property set next to a 70 acre lake.
First off, the condition of the course is incredible. The greens were running about an 11 on the stimpmeter. As mentioned on here before, the fairways are fairly wide but in order to be aggressive at all going into the greens, you need to favor a certain side of the fairway. The rough was about 4"-5" but it was so dense and thick that hitting anything more than about a 7 iron was a risky proposition. Occasionally you can get lucky and catch a flyer, but typically the ball settled down to the bottom.
My favorite holes:
#2 Par 4 400 yards This is a fantastic par 4 and one of my favorite holes on the course. It has 3 fairway bunkers set on a diagonal in the middle of the fairway so it presents many options off of the tee. The portion of the fairway to the left is slightly elevated so your second shot gives you a great look at the green which also also allows a run up shot from this angle. From the fairway to the right of the bunkers you have an uphill shot that also has to carry a greenside bunker. For the long hitter, you can also try to carry all of the fairway traps, it's about a 275 yard carry which can then also hit a little downslope and give you a little wedge into the green. A great hole.
#4 Par 4 334 yards A fun short par 4 that presents you with three options. It has a creek running diagonally across the fairway so you can either play a 200 yard shot to the right of the creek which will leave you with about 130 in that has to flirt with the same creek that continues up past the green and also a greenside bunker. A second option off the tee is to play about about a 230-250 yard shot to the left of the creek. The green opens up from this angle so you can actually run the ball onto the green. The third option from the tee is to take a driver and go for the green. If you do this, you definitely want to favor the left side.
#7 Par 3 237 yards A beautiful Par 3 that goes from one high point to another, across a valley and natural vegetation area. The green has a false front and three bunkers protecting it. It has a great setting in the trees.
#8 Par 4 437 yards A spectacular Par 4. It's a slightly blind tee shot over a hill that if you carry the hill, you can get another 30-40 yards of run. It bends slightly to the left so don't leave your tee shot to the right in the thick rough. The green is fronted on the left side by a pond but opens up from the right side, the perfect shot here would be a high draw which is made difficult by the downhill lie that you're hitting from.
#9 Par 5 556 yards This may be the Par 5 with the most options that I've ever played. The corridor for this hole is huge, probably 150 yards wide. Running down the middle of the hole is a creek and an environmental area. There is a split fairway, the right side is the shorter way home but also the riskier tee shot. The difficult shot here is the second shot as you have to be very precise where you want to lay the ball up.
#11 Par 5 495 yards This is my favorite Par 5 on the course. The tee shot has cape aspect to it as you can choose to bite off as much of the creek as you like. The green is definitely reachable but also a risky shot. It's a horseshoe shaped green fronted by a very deep bunker and creek.
#14 Par 3 152 yards A short par 3 with a great setting next to the lake. A very difficult green with some large slopes and very tricky pin positions.
#16 Par 4 471 yards This is my favorite hole on the course. A cape style par 4 that bends to the left around the lake. The green opens up from the right side to allow a run up shot to a green that also slopes to the left. The entire hole has a right to left feel to it which is made even better by the forest on the right and lake on the left.
#17 Par 3 217 yards I think this is the best par 3 on the course. It is all carry to a green that is protected by a false front that can feed your ball down into a creek if you leave it short. A visually stimulating hole as you hit from high point to high point and you can see the large false front and creek fronting the green.
The course was incredible, a definite thrill to play. The practice facilities and clubhouse are also top notch. Kinloch requires walking most of the time and my caddy was great. This only enhances the experience.