I’m making this post to warn anyone from spending a single dollar playing Reston National. I’ve been playing golf in NoVa for 10+ years and the course is an absolute disgrace right now. I’m not sure what’s happened to it in the past year, but it’s pretty much unplayable, and they’re still open charging full price.
We’re talking tee boxes that are little more than patches of dirt with huge clumps of crabgrass, greens with large dirt spots everywhere making putting impossible. The highlight was this large cracked black section of the 17th green pictured first. I know that it’s just golf, but at what point is it actually deceiving your customers who are out here paying nearly $100 and receiving this experience. Other photos for reference included.
I haven’t played the course since last Fall so I had no idea it was in this state. Of course nothing was posted on their website, not a peep mentioned in the pro shop before teeing off, and we get out on the course to see this. It’s borderline fraudulent. This prompted me to look into what’s been going on the past year and I’ve been caught up on the details surrounding new ownership.
The new owner essentially bought the course hoping to tear it down and sell the land to developers for more condos, hoping to make a killing. The county turned it down and he’s letting it slide into disarray so that the pressure mounts to get rid of it. An absolute disgrace, this course used to be decent, and a fine value to walk, but sadly no one should be playing it unless something changes.
I’ve posted reviews on Google and 18 Birdies, trying to warn as many people as possible I guess. I also emailed Kemper Sports which is the property management company. They own about 200 properties including Bandon Dunes. I doubt anything happens but will let y’all know if anything develops.
by Relevant-Reply3247
30 Comments
There is no way that was $94. My brain is not computing after seeing those pictures.
By far the worst NOVA course. I wouldn’t pay 40 to play there.
Have played here and can attest. Prices are for convenience…. Not because the course is nice. Unfortunate.
Never again after seeing those pics. I used to play 6 hour rounds there in the late 80s.
First picture alone says enough
That is ridiculous. I would have asked for my money back after walking up to the 1st tee.
Find the owners email them and write a scathing review.
Reston VA? That’s a high dollar area. What a shame.
Oof that’s bad. I thought there was a rumor that they are trying to turn it into more housing.
You got hosed. It also shows how tee prices are out of control imo.
that`s, real bad Clark
I’ve played honour system courses that are way better conditioned then that for $20 a round
Holy shit lol, I had no idea Restons course was that bad. I golf in NoVa too, but mostly Brambletons course.
Course has greyscale
I live in Moco and our county courses look great. We’ve had a wild summer with extreme heats and sporadic rain but they have managed it. This is just horrible greens keeping. Probably still watering greens after torrential rain falls and then deciding to mow them. Disaster.
I stayed at the hotel across the street recently, my room faced one of the holes and I didn’t see a single person tee off before like 9:30 when I left on a beautiful day. I found it odd, but now makes sense
And the round was over 5 hours. Every. Single. Time. Horrendous course
Ayyy NoVA gang!
If I get to 1 and it looks like this, and I just paid $100 I am going back to the clubhouse and getting a refund. Places like this are so out of touch it is unreal.
I’ve never seen a looser use of the word “National” in a golf course name.
It’s like when you fly into an “international” airport with 4 gates.
I literally just played here yesterday. I hadn’t played it in about 6 weeks. How fast it went from meh to horrendous is kinda crazy. Luckily I did not pay anywhere near $94 to play it.
In the five years I’ve been here, Reston has gone from a hidden gem to a goat track. Very sad.
That’s insane. Duck creek is the worst public course in Dallas around $25 and looks kinda better than this.
I have never in my life thought to dispute a CC transaction for golf but this course condition would push me to do it
I’d put good money on this being the last year this course is in operation. I don’t know this course, or this area, but I have seen this playbook before.
It’s about extracting maximum capital with no upkeep or reinvestment in the business. The owners (important: owners /= operators) are not in the golf course business. They’re in the “oooops we can’t maintain the course nobody is playing anymore [bc they all got ripped off and never came back] we need a zoning change bc golf is dead” business.
Next thing you know the local government rezones the 5mile strip of land they can sell off to build hundreds of apartment units, or condos, or houses…. for a premium price.
Googling this shows it’s just east of IAD in the DMV. Again not an area expert but I know just by that location that land is worth $$$$$$$$$ and the owner is no longer interested in a return on investment one tee time at a time.
That golf course won’t reopen for 2026.
I really think they are purposely ruining the course and driving people away to make it easier to sell the land
First and foremost, this is ridiculous. But for those who don’t have context, this GC is likely selling the land to developers soon. It kinda makes sense how they’re just letting it go from a business perspective. But ethically, charging anything above $50 for this is preposterous and frankly it’s really sad to see.
Source: I’m from Reston. I grew up playing this course and consider it my ‘home’ course. It’s such a shame to see the course in this shape.
Reston was recently sold to a private equity firm (last 1-2 years). They want to take the land and convert it to housing, so in the meantime they are letting the course die. A bit of a further drive (I live in Arlington) but I played twin lakes (Fairfax County course) a few weeks back, something like $70 for 18. Course was pristine. Will never go back to RNGC.
This is why I have a lot of respect for the owners of the course I played last weekend, which coincidentally is also in Virginia … in Ashland. They’re having problems with their greens due to the heat and are having issues keeping up with the growth of the rough due to the absurd amount of rain this summer. Typically, I think they charge $75/round on the weekends but due to the ongoing work on the course they’re only charging $50/round. I’ll put up with a lot more when I’m only paying $50 to play, but if I’d paid $75 for that round I would have been pissed.