Hot Springs, VA
Two centuries of mountain resort — Flynn's Cascades and the oldest first tee in America.
The Homestead has been receiving guests in the Allegheny Mountains since the 1700s, and its golf carries the same pedigree: the Old Course's first tee is the oldest in continuous use in America, and William Flynn's Cascades — where Sam Snead honed his game in his hometown of Hot Springs — is the standard against which American mountain golf is measured. Between rounds the resort runs deep: warm-springs pools, a big spa, shooting grounds, and evening porches built for bourbon. Pair it with the Greenbrier over the mountains for a grande-dame double.
| Course | Designer | Notes | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cascades | William Flynn | Widely called America's finest mountain course — Sam Snead's proving ground. The must-play. | resort |
| Old Course | Donald Ross contributions | The first tee has been in continuous use since 1892 — history in every swing. | resort |
| The Greenbrier — day trip | — | About an hour over the mountains — pair the two grande dames in one trip. | resort |
The resort
The red-brick grande dame of the Alleghenies — warm-springs pools, a storied spa, and porches that have hosted two centuries of guests.
◆ The private house
A mountain house in the Hot Springs or Warm Springs valley — big stone fireplace, deck over the hollow, and the resort minutes away. Rentals are scarce but characterful; book early.
4-6 BR · sleeps 8-12 · ~$600–$2,000/nt
AM Road-trip day into the Alleghenies — arrive by afternoon.
PM Check in, warm-springs soak, dinner in the grand dining room.
AM Tee off from the oldest first tee in America — photos required.
PM Shooting grounds or spa; bourbon on the porch.
AM Flynn's mountain masterpiece — the round the trip is named for.
PM Long clubhouse lunch reliving it; fly fishing the Cascades stream.
AM The team match on the Cascades — mountain lies settle everything.
PM Trophy dinner, cigars on the great porch, last night by the fire.
AM A farewell nine on the Old Course or a springs soak, then the drive home.
The Cascades is routinely called the finest mountain course in America, the Old Course's first tee has been in continuous use since 1892, and the grande-dame hotel wraps it all in springs, porches and history. Old-school in the best way.
Golf packages bundle both courses; the Cascades is the marquee and books first. Ask the concierge about pairing a day at The Greenbrier, about an hour over the mountains, for the two-grande-dames itinerary.