Wintergreen joins Virginia Golf Trail

Wintergreen Resort has joined a statewide effort to get more golfers to play the greens in Virginia.

The Nelson County resort with two golf courses is one of 22 golf clubs on the Virginia Golf Trail, a private organization promoting golf, wineries and other attractions in Virginia.

Virginia Golf Trail will show that Wintergreen fits in with the unique experience of golfing in Virginia, said Dana Quillen, Wintergreen’s vice president of sales and marketing.

“You can play 18 holes of golf in the morning and then either go to Monticello in the afternoon, or take it easy in the mountains, or go down the Blue Ridge Parkway,” Quillen said. “It makes sense that we are part of the Virginia golf trail.”

Gary Schaal, a former president of the PGA, started working on Virginia Golf Trail about a year ago at the suggestion of Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling.

Bolling pointed out that other states have tourism programs aimed at golfers and suggested that Virginia could do the same, Schaal said.

“We know there’s zillions of cars with golf clubs in them going down I-95 and Interstate 81,” Schaal said. “We want them to stay in Virginia and play golf.”

Schaal launched the golf trail in the fall when the Federal Club in the Richmond area joined the trail. Now 22 golf clubs have joined, including Wintergreen.

Some private clubs have expressed a desire to open their courses to golfers following the trail, Schaal said. “I was a little surprised by that, but it’s a nice surprise.”

The trail only includes golf courses that Golf Digest rates with at least 3.5 out of five stars.

The program also includes hotels, bed and breakfasts, wineries and historical sites near golf courses. The goal is to get people to stay in the state for several days, Schaal said.

Wintergreen has two golf courses: the mountaintop Devil’s Knob Golf Course, which at 3,850 feet is the most elevated golf course in the state; and Stoney Creek Golf Course, located in Rockfish Valley. They are great additions to Virginia Golf Trail, Schaal said.

“Those are both gently designed golf courses that everybody can enjoy,” he said. “The vistas are great.”

By having nearby accommodations and other leisure activities such as hiking and skiing, Wintergreen will have a wide appeal, he said.

Quillen said being part of the trail will be an effective marketing tool for the resort, which is Nelson County’s second largest employer.

“We think it's going to bring us more business, more out of state guests, and continue to increase revenues for us and get the word out there about Wintergreen,” she said.

Other courses on the trail include Lake Monticello Golf Club near Charlottesville and Heritage Oaks Golf Club in Harrisonburg.