Potomac Shores Golf Club

Forget the"Shores" part.Ther is only one brief glance of the river and you wouldn't know otherwise there is ariver anywhere nearby.More importantly,they charge premium prices for a course that is currently in poor shape- almost every green apron is just dirt,many tee boxes have little grass and many greens are in poor shape.Definitely Not worth the price!

Finally, the design is the typical Nicklaus design that is fine if you hit a high fade 3 iron 200+ yards but not so good for a 10 who relies on ground roll and bump and run. The course is also unwalkable with 1/4 to 1/2 miles between some greens and tees.They brag about the 8 miles of cart paths!

Also,saw the cart girl once on a 95 degree day.

All in all, definitely not worth the price- go to Laurel Hill for a much better maintained , fairer course.

This is a beautiful course that apparently does not receive the attention it deserves. It is not a course for walking, ask it is spread out and very hilly. As with most Nicklaus courses, it requires thinking and rewards good shots and penalizes bad ones. My only criticism is that there was no food service on a Sunday morning, which the pro shop said reflected the slow morning traffic. The staff also put the golf bags on the cart backwards (with all the pockets facing inwards, so that they were totally inaccessible). That was a first I've never experienced before. For the green fee we paid,($109), they need to bring up the level of service. But the course is so good, I'll come back again to try it once more.

Fantastic clubhouse and friendly staff made for a great first impression. The course is challenging but plays fair- you don't want to be long with approach shots and there are a few blind drives that add to the challenge. Undulated greens make you think twice, but I found that once I stopped playing the break, I made more putts!

I had been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to play Jack Nicklaus' first public course in the DC-area for a couple years. I skipped the opening season (2015) and played during an unseasonably windy day (20-30mph) where it was also 90+ degrees. This was a wicked combination for my first time seeing the course.

There are many blind or semi-blind tee shots and approach shots. You really have to rely on a yardage book your first time and then be careful pulling a driver even when you think there's enough space. The course is very interesting and has many Nicklaus Design features (generous fairways, different shaped greens, undulations, elevation changes, etc.). The land used has plenty of elevation changes that make getting accurate yardages difficult (especially in the wind).

Skilled golfers will enjoy thinking their way around the course, whereas hackers will find themselves looking for lost balls more than normal. There aren't any water hazards, but a few gorges that you need to carry on tee shots or approach shots.

The clubhouse is gorgeous. Excellent grille room, restrooms, pro shop, et al.

Gripes: The driving range is nowhere close to the clubhouse nor 1st tee. This is going to be a major problem if it stays this way. The course layout of not coming back to the clubhouse just doesn't make sense. Especially because there's no half-way house or snack shack around the turn. Additionally, there are only two water stations on the entire course. On a hot day this is just unacceptable (which most days are in the summer in VA). Even with 2 bev carts going around, they should consider having additional carts with water driving around the course. And finally, this course is impossible to walk. With 8 MILES of cart path and a country mile between holes, it's like Nicklaus Design got a blank check and didn't even consider making it possible to walk. Really embarrassing in this day in age where walking courses and designing courses with the lay of the land are the trend.

This was an amazing course. Driver will get you into trouble if you aren't paying attention. You must shape shots and play to distances. They don't allow you to walk, and for good reason, lots of elevation changes and distance between holes. Once you leave on 1, you don't come back the club house until you come back on 18. The driving range is a ways away, hopefully they can figure a way to put a short cut to it. I would absolutely suggest playing here. Just a fun course to play.

When I heard there was a new public Jack Nicklaus course coming to the DMV area I had to get out there and see what it was all about. This place is a fantastic classic layout with tight fairways, massive elevation changes and some of the better greens around the area. The 9th has to be one of their signature holes as it's a downhill dogleg left par 4 with bunkers littered throughout that is quite easy on the eyes when you are on the tee. The following 10th hole is a par 5 that's a little quirky as there is a tree smack dab in the middle of fairway about 80 yds from the green. There was also a lot of earth moving and houses being built around the golf course when I was there. Unfortunately, I could see this course possibly going private in the future so try and play the course soon, but it is definitely one of the better public courses around the area.

Greens are in rough shape even after aerating last month.
Tee boxes have fallen off high standard.
Often only 1 rake per bunker.
Very little or no sand in many bunkers.
Fairways were being resodded in some places and very few divots fixed or filled with sand.

Either the people playing or course staff have really let this place fall off in the past two months.

Very friendly staff, very undulated course, no flat holes. some fairways need work. greens were aerated 2 weeks before we played. Two suggestions 1.get a yardage book there are no maps on the tee , no GPS, . 2. bug spray or wear long pants the bugs bite. We played on a tuesday afternoon took 4 hr 45 min. 5 Holes and par 3's are cart path only. Would love to play again in the fall when leaves are changing. We actually called the pro shop on the third tee and they drove us out a yardage book. great service. restaurant closed at 7 so we missed the food and beverage.

first time playing golf in the DC area. this course was fantastic. i really enjoyed the layout. lots of elevation changes and very pretty layout.

the back two sets of tees provide a good challenge as there are some forced carries and some doglegs. i always enjoy courses where you are forced to hit multiple types of tee shots and not just drivers. from the gold tees the yardage seems short, but many of the shorter holes are quite uphill so play longer than listed.

one thing to note is that this is NOT a course for walking. the layout is pretty unique, and there are a few holes where it takes 1-2 minutes to drive the cart between them. very beautiful setting, but would be quite a walk.

the day i played the course was aerified throughout, but they were very accommodating about that by offering a discounted round for the future. they also had an incentive for finishing your round in the alotted time ($10 off a $25 purchase if you beat the time). i'd never seen that before, and i think it's a great idea.

overall, this course is well worth playing! one of the best layouts i've played. i've come to expect great things of troon courses, and this did not disappoint.

This is the nicest daily fee course in the DC area in my opinion. The range is in great shape. The course has several elevation changes with a great layout. Every shot requires thought. An excellent value during the week especially their summer specials.

Only being one year old, I'm surprised the course is in this condition. The layout is fantastic. If this course was in better shape, it would be highly rated. Tests all the clubs in your bag. All the par 3's except for one is challenging.

I like to play the higher end public courses in the DC area and this ranks near the top, just behind Whiskey Creek and on par with Bull Run. It has the nicest clubhouse of any club in the DC area and conditions were probably the best I've played in the DC area. Course layout is also great. The cons are there are a lot of houses being built, which is ugly. Additionally, if you are coming from the DC area you have to get on Interstate 95, so plan on a very long trip.

Pros:
Nicest clubhouse of any public course in DC area
Conditions on par with the top public DC courses
Good course layout with some very nice holes

Cons:
They are still pushing a lot of dirt around to build houses, which is a little noisy and very unsightly.
A lot of the trees are newish and need to grow.
Hopefully they do not build too many houses on the course - that is the deathknell of modern courses.
DC residents have to take 95
You do A LOT of driving between holes, which adds some time to the round, but not unbearably so.

Great place to play golf. Real nice all around facility. If you're spraying it around off the tee, then you'll be in for a long day. More than enough room to play the course, but if you hit it straight, all the holes will set up MUCH easier for you. The complimentary yardage book is key for the first time out here. A lot of obstacles to overcome that make this course challenging, but not any way brutal. Choose the right tee box and you've got room to use driver on all but maybe 2 holes. Conditions really nice. But people need to fix ball marks. Here and everywhere. OMG, how hard is it to look for your mark and fix it. Only negative....being so close to the Potomac, you'd expect at least one view of the river. Not one. Otherwise, go play this course. Bring a few extra balls and find the right tee box. You'll love it!!!

Played this with three of my friends in July.

Price was $115, got out early on a Saturday. They provide you with a yardage book, which helps a ton.

Played one up from the back, and didn't need to pull driver all day, do yourself a favor, play from the tips.

Just try and stay in bounds, as you will find that where the cartpath ends, so does the chances of your finding your ball.

Conditions were pretty good, for a brand new course, a few greens had some black outs, but you greens rolled pretty good.

Range balls are included with your cost, as is the yardage book. Some of the fairways were a little wet, but all in all course was in good shape.

I recommend you to play this course, lots of nice holes with alot of woods, you cannot walk this course, very spread out in between holes.

The long-awaited Potomac Shores in northern Virginia, about 30 minutes south of the heart of D.C., is finally open.

The Jack Nicklaus design, originally supposed to open in 2007, is now fully operational and should have a great first season. The course has grown in beautifully and the clubhouse is fully built and has a great little restaurant and pro shop in a neat, Virginia-estate looking building with a great view of the golf course.

The course itself is a hilly one, set on the banks of the Potomac River. Sadly for walkers, this piece of property is too hilly and spread out so carts are mandatory but the flipside is a lot of elevated tee shots and holes encircled by nature. The greens can be tough, and bunkers abound frequently, but fairways are nice and generous and you can swing for the fences on most holes.

All-in-all, the course is poised to become one of the best upscale public options in Northern Virginia, and a hotel is expected to break ground in the near future, making it a worthy stay-and-play option that's very accessible to the nation's capital.