Manakin-Sabot, Virginia
Hermitage Sabot delivers a firm test that rewards precision, patience, and smart course management. While it stands out regionally for its blend of classic and contemporary design, it’s a members-first club with just enough architectural intrigue for the traveling golf connoisseur.
If invited, wander upstairs in the classic clubhouse to view the wall of Hermitage’s historic trophies and Ryder Cup memorabilia—hidden links to the old club’s championship past.
Hermitage Sabot’s architecture is a rich layer cake of parkland design: Ault’s broad-shouldered routing forms the sturdy skeleton, Hills’ inventive transforms and new holes add movement, and Foster’s stewardship polishes it into a strategic, aesthetically refined test. The course runs through mature woodlands and rolling corridors, shaping risk-reward decisions with canny bunkering and green complexes updated for today’s speed and shotmaking. Sabot’s standout holes pair classic drive-and-approach challenges with a modern sense of fair, accessible fun.
Each era’s architect consciously preserved and built upon the prior, creating a coherent, authentic club course.
The 556-yard eighth is a true three-shot par 5, meandering through a corridor of mature trees and subtle elevation. It’s as much a test of patience and layup planning as it is length.
Long hitters may be tempted to go for it in two, but a precise layup just short of the cross bunker sets up the best wedge approach for most.
Errant tee shots flirt with tree lines and a cautious approach is needed to avoid the right-side hazard on the layup.
Private-club grooming with lush fairways, modernized greens, and true-rolling surfaces year-round.
Consistently brisk; the member-guest structure keeps rounds moving.
Traditional, low-key atmosphere blending Virginia friendliness with reputation-conscious privacy.
Several par 4s and the daunting 15th require confidence with mid/long irons and hybrids.
Dress code is strictly enforced—traditional slacks and collared shirts are a must.
Prepare for a tough sequence on the back; mentally circle the 14th as the make-or-break hole.
Hermitage Golf Club founded by Berkeley Williams in Richmond
Original Hermitage course opens in Henrico (now Belmont GC)
Original Hermitage course hosts PGA Championship (now Belmont GC)
Club moves to Manakin-Sabot; Ed Ault builds 27-hole facility
Arthur Hills adds new nine, begins Sabot course transformation
Sabot 18 evolves under Arthur Hills' design guidance
Keith Foster redesigns Manakin, extensive club-wide turf and bunker improvements
Hermitage’s move in 1977 was more than a change of scenery: leaving behind its classic Tillinghast/Ross roots, the club embraced a modern layout that still honors tradition. You can sense the generational shift in routing and membership culture.
The Sabot course is a nuanced collaboration among three design greats—Ault’s bones, Hills’ expansion, and Foster’s refinements produce a course that evolves as you play, demanding both thought and tempo. Every era subtly leaves a fingerprint.
While the wider world may focus on Hermitage’s old 1949 PGA legacy, today’s club serves as a gathering place for Richmond’s serious golf set. Member traditions and a warm, private-village feel shape the experience far more than big-tournament ghosts.
The 14th hole, a 448-yard brute, is every bit the ‘long par 4’ archetype: demanding, fair, and never forgiving. Locals quietly savor the sense of accomplishment that comes with a hard-fought par here.
The club began in 1900, making it one of Virginia’s oldest active golf organizations.
The original Hermitage site hosted the 1949 PGA Championship, won by Sam Snead—though on a different course.
The Sabot course is a living timeline, with distinct changes from three top-tier architects.
Sabot’s par 3s often tip tournament matches, especially the 211-yard 15th.
Spectacular Mike Strantz design and area’s top public-access challenge.
One of Virginia’s best modern private clubs—invitation required, but world-class.
Open tee times on a serious, championship-length layout.
Historic Robert Trent Jones course in nearby Williamsburg, resort day-tripable.
Short Pump, western Richmond—best for access and amenities.
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Why it matches: What links these two? A comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character — a familiar feeling, expressed in Glen Oak Country Club's own setting.
Why it matches: There is real overlap here. Nashawtuc Country Club a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character, making it a compelling counterpart to Hermitage Country Club.
Why it matches: There is real overlap here. Chaska Town Course a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character, making it a compelling counterpart to Hermitage Country Club.
Championship-caliber challenge in the Mid-Atlantic
Classic Western Pennsylvania private golf legacy
Classic Arkansas private club perched high above Little Rock
Golden-age tradition meets strategic Mid-Atlantic challenge
Member-focused parkland golf in Virginia Beach
Maryland’s only original Donald Ross layout
Community Sentiment
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