History Comes Alive at Cannon Ridge
Fredericksburg, VA (PRWEB) January 19, 2006 -- From the infamous “Mud March” nearly a century-and-a-half ago, a new and slightly less important struggle has emerged. The cannons, muskets and sabers have been replaced with steel, graphite and titanium. The targets are now the elusive birdies and eagles.
Welcome to Cannon Ridge Golf Club at Celebrate Virginia, an ambitious 54-hole golf facility that will have even Northerners whistling Dixie. On this historic Civil War site in Fredericksburg,VA, former PGA TOUR player/Commissioner Deane Beman and award-winning golf course architect Bobby Weed have set out to build Virginia’s next great golf destination. They’re off to a rousing start.
During your round, you will experience great golf, beautiful views and historic cannon emplacements. A visit there truly is a memorable experience.
Cannon Ridge marks Beman’s introduction to course design. Born in Bethesda, MD, his illustrious playing career included two U.S. Amateur titles and one British Amateur crown. Beman also played on four Walker Cup teams, four World Amateur teams and three U.S. Americas Cup teams before turning pro in 1967 where he won five tournament events.
Despite these accomplishments, he is best remembered for “modernizing” the PGA Tour during his reign as commissioner. Lucrative television and sponsorship deals; huge increases in tournament prize money; the invention of the Tournament Players Club (TPC) network of golf facilities — all are linked to Beman’s 20-year stint as commissioner.
For his first design project, Beman smartly chose a piece of real estate that is “Taylor-made” for golf. Working from a canvas of rolling farmland, bluffs, ravines and wooded terrain, Beman has drafted a traditional old-style layout that gracefully moves players from one hole to the next. In fact, one of his goals was to design a course that would promote a reasonable pace of play. To that, the tee box and green complexes are located close together. It’s an idea more accomplished course architects should consider.
The Beman Course at Cannon Ridge measures just over 7,000 yards from the back tees and plays to a par of 71. Four additional sets of tees are available, making the course playable for all skill levels. The greens, tees and fairways are Bent grass while the roughs are a combination of Kentucky bluegrass and Fine Fescue.
The first thing most golfers will notice at Cannon Ridge is the immense size of the course. By design, the layout plays “big” — wide fairways, open expanses, visually inviting greens... all crafted to make the round enjoyable for a wide range of players.
The par-5 No. 3 is a good example. The tee shot is over one of the course’s many natural ravines to a wide and inviting fairway. The long hitter may have a chance at going for the green in two, provided he cuts the corner a bit. A lay-up shot well left of the large fairway bunker is the prudent choice, setting up an easy approach to a very deep green. It’s these type of risk/reward decisions that golfers can expect at every turn.
Beman has done a great job of allowing golfers freedom of choice on just about every hole. At No. 7, a short par 3, bunkers to the front and right of the green will help catch most under-clubbed shots, but leave you with a difficult recovery shot. The easier “up-and-down” is from the left side of the green.
Number 14 is a classic short par four which can be played with either a driver (for the adventurous) or an iron (for the more conservative) off the tee. Down the left side of the hole is the Rappahannock River so the tee shot should favor the right side of the fairway. Depending on the length of the drive, the approach can range from a mid-iron to a pitching wedge coming in over a deep ravine.
Cannon Ridge ends with a good birdie opportunity. The par-5 No. 18 can easily be reached in two with a good tee shot. The fairway bunkering, further down the hole, gives the appearance of lying near the green, but you have lots of room between the bunkers and the green. Trust your yardage more than your eyes on this shot and let it fly.
“ Cannon Ridge has a simple strategy,” Beman said. “You will want to play it more than once to uncover the mystery.” Just as a magician should never reveal the secrets of his trade, neither should a golf writer spoil an architect’s fun. But here’s a hint: at Cannon Ridge, what may appear to be a difficult shot is often just an illusion. In short, this is one course that allows aggressive play.
Bob Baldassari, PGA pro at Cannon Ridge, said, “It’s our vision to create a special golf experience that will enhance your appreciation of this historic setting.” What he failed to say was that Cannon Ridge will also enhance your appreciation for the game of golf. That’s exactly what Beman’s layout does. It inspires golfers to play better than their ability might dictate. And it allows them to remember why they took up this silly game in the first place.
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