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ESCAPE FROM ORDINARY

from The Roanoke Times, June 3, 2007

By Randy King

MEADOWS OF DAN -- Life's experiences generally can be classified under one of three categories -- the good, the bad, and the OK.

Every once in a blue moon, however, comes an experience that totally exceeds one's expectations. Such occurrences are so rare that they simply overpower you.

Well, I got blown away here May 12. It happened in the middle of nowhere on a mountaintop in Patrick County. The place is officially called Primland Resort. The perpetrator was an extraordinary beauty of a golf course. Despite the fact that I didn't even play her, the stunning one-year-old Highland Course wooed and cooed me for the good portion of a day's time. She left me totally mesmerized.

Last time a golf course effectively pulled that number on me? Try 18 years ago. I'll never forget it. It was some little course in Georgia. They called her Augusta National.

OK, they'll never move the Masters tournament here. Forget about seeing a U.S. Open or a PGA Championship around here, too. Meadows of Dan and nearby Claudville aren't quite prepared for that kind of action.

That's OK, though. The pace is just fine here like it is. It's certain to change quickly, though. This hidden gem has no chance of escape. She will soon be uncovered by the masses.

Made of Steel

It was 2004 when the Switzerland-based company Primwest started exploring the possibilities of constructing a golf course on its 14,000-acre resort called Primland. The resort had long been a popular destination for hunters and fishermen, and wanted to step up in class of great getaways in the U.S. by adding a multi-million dollar world-class golf course and accommodation facilities for its customers.

Scottish native Donald Steel, considered by many to be the pre-eminent links golf course architect in the world, was commissioned by the resort to come in and take a look at what he could possibly produce in the timber-filled Blue Ridge Mountains tract.

"There was no obvious area below the mountain that shouted at you that this would make a wonderful golf course," said Steel, who has designed more than 70 new courses in more than 20 countries. "So we were bringing in despair a little bit, but they said, 'Well, up on the top here is more land.' And I thought, 'Well, top of the mountain is going to be rugged and rocky and there's not that much of a chance, but let's go up and have a look.'

"And when we got up here, I saw all the views and so on and we felt we were going to move heaven and earth to make sure we can put a golf course up here. There weren't very many flat areas, but they were flat enough for golf. From my point of view, it was probably the most difficult construction that we've had.

"It became a slight journey into the unknown, but we made it work, really. I mean you've never seen views like this ... I doubt if there's anybody who has built a golf course that's right on top of a mountain. I know there are a lot of mountain courses in the states, and particularly in this area, but a lot of them are sort of down from the top.

"Unique is an overplayed word, but it might be applicable to this," added Steel, laughing.

Quentin Lutz, an international course-rater panelist for Golf Magazine, played Primland on May 11-12. He said the course, which didn't officially open for play until last June, has certainly come out of the box strongly.

"As far as being in top 100 in the world, it's probably not," said Lutz, who has played all but Augusta National among the world's top 100-ranked courses. "But Primland certainly would deserve consideration for top-100 honors in the U.S., which is high accolades when you think about there's 17,000 golf courses in the U.S.

"I think it was very difficult land to work with and I think Donald maximized the land they gave him. That's very tricky to do. It takes a good architect to appreciate and understand that."

Not for everyone

Steel, 70, said he knew from the start that this course would be geared for the better golfers. Hit it left or right on many of the holes and you can forget about finding your ball. It would take mountain-climbing expertise to find stray balls struck on holes that have deep fall-offs, ravines, and gorges only 15-20 yards from the fairway boundaries.

"It's tough terrain and from the word 'go' I always said this is going to be a difficult golf course," Steel said. "We've actually tried to tone it down and temper it and make it as easy as we can. And after all that, it isn't easy."

The incredible views from a course that rests 2,900 feet above sea level offer some consolation for players making a big number on a hole. The views of the Dan River Gorge and the Pinnacles of Dan are literally breathtaking.

"Oh, the place is incredible," said Miller Baber, one of Roanoke's longtime top amateurs. "I would put it in my top five of courses I've played ... just because of the unbelievable views along those ridges. I would say Old Head in Ireland is probably the most incredible course I've ever played, but I would say this is in the top five visually."

Baber, whose 4-under-par 68 recorded last summer stood as the course record until host head professional Jeff Fraim posted a 67 in the fall, said he understands why the course is limited to players who have a 18 handicap or lower.

"A 15-handicapper is going to lose a dozen balls there ... every round," Baber said, laughing. "Stay away! Go there in a captain's choice format if you're a 15-handicapper, please!"

A great escape

Whether you play Steel's masterpiece or not, there's something very special about the peace and quiet of Primland.

"I think it's a wonderful place to come," Steel said. "One of its great charms is you can forget the world. You really feel like you've escaped, you hear nothing, all you hear are noises of birds and animals, and you don't see houses and factories.

"So you've got silence. It may be a hard place to get to, but it's a tough place to leave. When it's time to go you're really reluctant. It has this peacefulness and tranquility which is quite hard to find these days."

So what if the golf course beats you up, the Scotsman said.

"I've always been a golfer pretty much influenced by setting," he said. "Hey, it's nice to play well and have a reasonable score, but if you don't, well, you can enjoy the setting and the beauty. I mean golf provides access to some of the most beautiful places in the world. And I think a lot of people play simply and go enjoy that beauty."

I didn't play. My pitiful game doesn't quite make the 18 handicap-or-less cut. That's OK, though. I loved the place. It blew me away. It nuked my cellphone, too. Good. Hey, it's a wonderful way to cut that tether to the office.

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