Majorly accessible

Three quarters of a century ago, Hermitage Country Club in Richmond, Virginia, was the center of the golf universe. The occasion was the 1949 PGA Championship, the 31st playing of the event.

Sam Snead claimed the title after defeating Johnny Palmer 3 and 1 in the 36-hole final. It was his second major championship that year; he had won the Masters seven weeks earlier. It marked the first time a player won the Masters and the PGA Championship in the same year.

Today, that same venue is attracting attention for different reasons. What was once Hermitage Country Club is now Belmont Golf Course. The First Tee-Greater Richmond operates the course.

Belmont is one of the most unique golf facilities in America. It features 12 regulation holes, six separate par-3 holes, an 18-hole putting course, a driving range, a chipping green and two practice putting greens. The complex sits on the site where Hermitage Country Club once stood. The 12 regulation holes remain from A.W. Tillinghast’s design, which was completed in 1916 and subsequently tweaked by Donald Ross in 1927.

In November of 1945, two months after the conclusion of World War II, the club hosted a PGA Tour event, the Richmond Invitational. Ben Hogan emerged victorious; his share of the purse was $2,000 in war bonds.

Henrico County purchased the site in 1977 and, for a time, Hermitage was a successful public facility. It hosted 55,000 rounds in 1992. As rounds decreased and expenses rose, the county considered closing the course. Instead, it formed a partnership with First Tee-Greater Richmond, which eventually assumed ownership of the golf course and practice facilities.

What occurred was less a renovation than a transformation and evolution from a traditional daily-fee club to a portal to the game for golfers and aspiring golfers of all ages, experience and ability levels.

Scot Sherman from Love Golf Design oversaw the transformation. He recalls his reaction and that of Davis Love III and Mark Love when a private benefactor approached them with the idea. “We were like, ‘Gosh, every city in America needs something just exactly like what you’re describing.’” Sherman says. “It was the best way to preserve some, if not all, of the Tillinghast there.”

First Tee took over operational control of the golf course on Jan. 1, 2020, and immediately began the renovation effort. First Tee now owns the property, although the county retains ownership of four tennis courts on site.

Once he was given the assignment, Sherman was charged with not only reworking the golf course but also restoring the Tillinghast legacy that had largely been lost to the mists of time. “When we arrived there, there was very little Tillinghast left, honestly,” he says.

But Sherman saw the First Tee project as the most effective way to recreate the Tillinghast mystique in part because he had access to not only old photos and maps of the Belmont property but also images of other Tillinghast courses.

And then there was the connection between Davis Love III and Winged Foot, the Tillinghast classic where Love won the 1997 PGA Championship. It was a case of familiarity fueling success.

Then there was the issue of funding. The fact that the project was being supported by private dollars gave Sherman more latitude than he might have had otherwise.

“The money allowed us to do what we thought was the right thing,” he says. “We dove into old Tillinghast photos, we dove into other Tillinghast golf courses to make sure we were inspired properly.”

With his creative talents unleashed and sufficient funds available to do the job to his standards, Sherman set to work to make sure all the pieces fit on the 80-acre site.

“We had to find a driving range,” he says. “We had to find (room for) the six short holes and they were very specific about that, because if you play the six short holes and the 12 big holes as we call them, there’s an 18-hole experience there.

“It was pretty easy, to be honest, because it was very clear, looking at the site from the (aerial photos and topographical maps) where the range needed to go, which then sort of dictated where the six (par-3) holes needed to go, and that was, I would say, less quality ground, which sort of leant itself to par 3s. And then, it showed us everything we needed to know about the final 12 holes.”

Installing the putting course presented conundrums.

“That was one of our most challenging courses to build and design,” Sherman says. “The space was there, it was just making the contours work. It all came together pretty quickly.”

In the end, the first six holes of Tillinghast’s original design were eliminated. Nos. 7-18 were retained and today play in that order as Nos. 1-12.

The 12-hole championship course plays 4,325 yards from the Tillinghast tees. Other markers, positioned at 4,170, 3,915, 3,585 and 2,855 yards are named in honor of Ross, Hogan, Snead and Love.

The course features 777 creeping bentgrass greens and Bermudagrass tees, fairways and rough. To add to the ambiance of the site, the Love team incorporated chocolate drops of native fescue into portions of the rough, a feature for which Tillinghast was known — and, in more than one instance, reviled.

The 6-hole par-3 course, known as Little Bell, is a walking-only layout featuring two sets of tees. The holes range in length from 65 to 110 yards on the forward set of tees and 80 to 170 yards from the back.

The six holes were inspired by Tillinghast’s own work creating short holes. One of them is a replica of a par-3 at Southward Ho Country Club on Long Island. Another recreates a hole from San Francisco Golf Club while a third recreates the Reef Hole that Tillinghast incorporated into a number of his designs.

And the short course may still be evolving. Sherman says if the tennis courts are ever removed there is space available to expand Little Bell to nine holes; the three additional holes have already been designed.

Following the renovation, the modern version of Belmont reopened in spring 2021.

Adam Toombsgrew up playing golf at what is now Belmont. He was raised less than 10 minutes from the property. He returned last June as the golf course superintendent.

A James Madison University graduate, Toombs started his professional life as an elementary school teacher. But a summer at The Federal Club in Glen Allen, Virginia, steered him to a different career path.

“The more time I spent on the grounds crew out there, I started (thinking), ‘Hey, this is something I’m actually interested in and would like to do,” he recalls.

Toombs oversees an assistant and a crew that reaches around 10 during the peak season, and half of that in the offseason. A big part of his job involves setting priorities and determining what should be done versus what must be done.

“We’re not a very big crew,” he says. “So yes, it is a challenge to get everything that we need to get done here done but that’s part of the fun of being a superintendent, right? It’s really ‘greens first’ here. We’re a teaching facility, so we have a little bit of leeway if we didn’t get to mow any rough this week. That’s OK, we’ll get to it next week. The conditions don’t always have to be pristine. The greens and the playability of the golf course is where we focus most of our attention.”

The speed of the bentgrass greens is intended to fit the clientele who may call Belmont their golfing home or may be visiting for the first time.

“We have some beginners out here, so we don’t need the Stimp running to 12 or 13,” Toombs says. “We just need to make sure that it’s the best experience for people that are just getting into golf — young kids who are learning the game of golf who want to come back.”

Toombs notes that the club attracts a divergent clientele.

“We have kids who are 4 and 5 who are just learning,” he says. “With the programming we have here, we have fifth-grade kids taking field trips out here. I love that the kids are out here and we’re trying to grow the game of golf.

“A lot of people bring their wives and girlfriends out here. I see a lot more women golfers than I probably did at my other course, which is great for the game. A lot of older people come out here. On Father’s Day, you get grandpa, father, son that come out here to play. It’s a really entertaining combination of people that come out and play our facility.”

Prior to returning to Belmont, Toombs had never worked at a facility with a par-3 course. But he’s become a huge fan of Little Bell and the course’s other amenities.

“I think the par-3 course is great.” Toombs says. “You can pop out and play that thing in 30 to 45 minutes. We’re out here at 6 in the morning and there’s people that get out here, park their cars, they grab a putter and a couple balls, and they practice putting for 30 minutes before they go to work.

“The course didn’t used to have a driving range or really any practice facilities at all, so that’s the biggest upgrade as far as getting people here that wouldn’t normally come out if they don’t want to play a full round of golf.”

It’s been four years since Belmont reopened following the transformation. Golfers of all ages and ability levels can find what they’re looking for here.

The 12 regulation holes immerse the visitor in the work of one of golf’s legendary architects. But one need not be a low handicapper to have a memorable experience.

Brent Schneider has been First Tee-Greater Richmond’s CEO since July 2008.

“The transformation of Belmont has been great for our community,” he says. “We set out to create a welcoming, inclusive and affordable facility with excellent turf conditions. From curious first-timers to lifelong golfers, everyone can find their golfing home at Belmont.”

PGA professional Brandon Howard is the head golf professional.

“We’re a community-based golf facility,” Howard says, “and we offer something for everyone whether they’re a serious golfer or new to the game. Little Bell, the 12-hole course and a practice facility give an option for anyone, whether it’s their first time with a club in their hand, or they play once a day. We’re open to everybody and we welcome everybody.”

Howard estimated that he and his team gave between 500 and 600 lessons during the 2024 season. That’s in addition to hosting the First Tee program and conducting various clinics, including a partnership with PGA Hope for veterans and the Recovery League, which offers instruction and playing opportunities for those dealing with substance-abuse issues.

Howard not only wants to introduce people to golf but also keep them coming back for more.

“Retention is a big thing,” he says. “The facilities that we offer give a comfortable environment, whether it’s for juniors, women, men, new golfers, seasoned golfers. Just the welcoming environment we offer keeps people coming and keeps the retention rate up.”

Toombs points out that Belmont and First Tee have brought people to golf who might not have access to or an interest in the game otherwise

“It’s been a big lift for the community,” he said. “This area is not a poor area but it’s not a super wealthy area either. You wouldn’t necessarily get into golf on your own without this program here at our facility. So, in that respect, it’s in a perfect spot.”

Sherman stresses that an abundance of supporters contributed to the success of the project, including donors who provided the funding necessary to bring the effort to fruition.

“It flowed so well,” he says. “It was sort of meant to be.”

Rick Woelfel is a Philadelphia-based writer and senior Golf Course Industry contributor.