By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Located in golf-rich Richmond, Virginia, Belmont Golf Course is a 2022 and 2023 Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Top 50 Public Facility. The course that was built by A.W. Tillinghast in 1917 and hosted the 1949 PGA Championship is now a haven for beginning golfers and kids, women, couples and the die-hard golfer who seeks an enjoyable day on the links.
Brandon Howard, the PGA of America Head Golf Professional, is excited about some recent enhancements done at the course that have helped the facility garner these GRAA awards. Howard grew up in Wisconsin, completed the PGA PGM Program at Ferris State University in Michigan and worked at courses in Maine, Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota and Virginia, of course, taking the head pro role at Belmont in December of 2022.
Today’s Belmont Golf Course is quite different than it was during that PGA Championship when the course was known as Hermitage Country Club and Sam Snead raised the Wanamaker Trophy. Howard oversees a 12-hole/Par 48 layout, a six-hole par three course known as Little Bell that has holes ranging from 65-170 yards and a 31,000 sq. ft. 18-hole putting course they call The Ringer.
Howard says that back in 2020, First Tee – Greater Richmond partnered with Love Golf Design to create the current 12-hole track within the footprint of the original 18-hole design. In fact, Belmont Golf Course is one of three area facilities owned and operated by First Tee – Greater Richmond, which reached more than 70,000 youth in 2023. The Elson Redmond Memorial Driving Range and Tattersall Youth Development Center at First Tee Chesterfield Golf Course are also GRAA Top 50 Stand Alone and Top 50 Public Facilities, respectively.
In addition to the great courses and playing opportunities, Belmont Golf Course has award-winning practice amenities, including an expansive range with six targets and nearly an acre of tee space that accommodates 25 golfers on grass and 10 on mats. There are also two practice putting greens, two practice chipping greens, three practice bunkers and grass cut to fairway and rough height so golfers can practice any shot and recreate scenarios they’ve either faced or will face on the golf course. Howard says these areas get a lot of use by their 65 members and many public golfers daily.
Rare to public facilities, and more often seen at private clubs, Belmont offers the CapTech Golf Innovation Center, a space dedicated to improving what many consider the most important aspect of the game – your putting. “We have a Zen Putting Green that moves, enabling golfers to create putts of various breaks and undulations,” Howard says. “We also have PuttView that shows golfers the line, helping them hone their stroke along the prescribed route to the cup.” This space is used for lessons and practice and is one of only a few like it in the Richmond area.
The retail operation at Belmont Golf Course is somewhat non-traditional, as there’s no real “golf shop”. They do sell balls, gloves, hats, accessories and even Peter Millar apparel out of their Starter House.
Ana Heit-Ferreyra, LPGA
Seth Allen
Teaching is done on the range, short game area and indoor putting studio and is facilitated by Howard, his PGA Associate Assistant Professional Seth Allen and LPGA Professional Ana Heit-Ferreyra, a solid team that’s growing the game at the grassroots level. First Tee programming is conducted by dedicated First Tee staff, but Howard will help out as needed.
Belmont Golf Course is one of those facilities that is literally feeding golfers to the rest of the recreational and competitive sides of the industry, introducing the game to a diverse clientele every day and creating a lifetime of memories that are founded in the game of golf.
