On Memorial Day Weekend in 1949, Virginia golf legend Sam Snead sank a putt on the 16th green at Belmont Golf Course in Henrico County. The fans cheered, and Snead doffed his cap; he had just secured victory in the match-play PGA Championship, the first and only major tournament played in the state of Virginia.
This year, Belmont Golf Course will host another Memorial Day celebration on May 29. After 18 months of redesign, reconstruction and reseeding, the Lakeside neighborhood course will reopen to the public.
“For me, it’s been a very personal project,” says Dan Sabina, the new Belmont superintendent. Sabina, who took over in March 2020, is a Lakeside resident and an avid golfer. “This course is a mile and a half from my home. This is the neighborhood my kids will grow up in. I’ve been on a mission to renew this place and turn it into something special for the community.”
For years, the course was owned and operated by Henrico County, but in December 2019, it was leased to First Tee Greater Richmond, which spearheaded a $4 million renovation project. First Tee, a youth golfing development program, owns other courses and facilities in the Richmond region.
The greens were reseeded with bentgrass, the cool-season turf used at Augusta National (home of the Masters golf tournament) and the Country Club of Virginia. The 18 holes were also divided between a 12-hole course and a 6-hole short course. The putting green now features 18 holes, functioning a bit like a miniature golf course. The small work crew also improved practice areas and sightlines, downing dozens of pine trees and removing limbs from overgrown sycamores.
Sabina said the biggest challenge was not getting too overwhelmed by the scope of his duties. “If I were to think about all the things I had to do in the last year, I’d have gone crazy,” he says. “You’ve got to take it one step at a time. Now I’m getting excited for opening day. This place is going to be slam-packed.”
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May 27, 2021 at 12:11AM
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Belmont Golf Course Reopens - richmondmagazine.com - Richmond magazine
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