The Omni Homestead: Old Course

The Old Course at the Omni Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, the oldest continuous first tee in America, dating to 1892, and a course with fingerprints from Donald Ross (expanded to 18 in 1913, updates through 1916), William Flynn (1925), and Robert Trent Jones Sr. (1961). The Homestead itself opened in 1766, the oldest resort in America, and the golf history predates most of what Americans think of as 'classic' architecture. At only 6,099 yards, the Old Course is short by modern standards but genuinely strategic: peaks and valleys on sloping fairways, lush contoured landing areas, and smaller saucer-shaped greens that carry Ross's architectural signature throughout. The opening par combination (5-3-5-4-3) is distinctive, five early holes of alternating mid-distance tests that set a cadence modern courses rarely offer. Ranked in the Top 30 American Public Courses and a regular on Golf Digest's 'Best Golf Courses You Can Play in Each State.' Pair with The Cascades (Flynn's 1923 design) for 36 at the Homestead, the Mid-Atlantic's most historically significant two-course resort stop.