Let's Review: The Highland Course at Primland Resort

The Skinny

Nestled in the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Highland Course at Primland offers equal parts breathtaking mountain refuge and a challenging, yet fair, round of golf. 

The Course

The 72.5 course rating / 143 slope and 6450 yardage from the red tees (equivalent to the standard blues for men) instills a healthy amount of ex ante respect, but finding fairways and playing the oft-advised seldom followed "smart shot" can reward even the average player.  Each green, unique in movement both plain and subtle, is in pristine condition and rolls true.  

The chief difficulty of the course is often found in the undulating depth of each hole.  Even those who tinker with their lies may be out of luck: solid tee shots in the fairway can still leave you with a ball well above or below your feet and short irons from good positions may not offer a clear vision of the pin.  If you're spraying it, you'll lose balls and max out aplenty.  

If there's a golf design criticism, maybe one can quibble with the seeming monotony of the par 3s: most are long, traverse a ravine, and play with your sense of depth.  But this Donald Steel course is a gem any way you cut it, and worth the long voyage and steep price if you can swing it. 

The Price

It depends on when you go during the year, but the Highland Course is part of the high-end Primland Resort so yes, it's steep.  Peak season (May - October) will cost you around $300, with slight discounts during parts of May, August, and September.  If you go in the non-peak cooler months of April or November, you can play for a very reasonable price (considering the quality of course) of $215.   

Signature Hole

A few to choose from between the par-5 1st or the long par-4 10th.  The par-3 2nd is visually stunning, but the par-5 13th and its three-tiered green is a unique challenge.

Grabbing a Bite 

The 19th Pub is a good option for a sit down meal before or after the round.  The burgers don't miss and there's a good selection of spirits.  Their road-side BBQ shack, open during peak season, offers complimentary lunch (!) after a round.

Nice to Know

The Highland Course is ranked the No. 1 public course in Virginia by Golf Digest and made the top 100 courses you can play in America in 2023.

How many sleeves: 3+

Bring some extra sleeves to be safe… plenty of trouble and dense fescue abound.