Kinloch Golf Club

A private club outside Richmond designed by Lester George and amateur champion Vinny Giles, built around a 70-acre lake and host of the 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur.

Kinloch opened in 2001 in Manakin-Sabot, west of Richmond, and was named Golf Digest's Best New Course that year. It was designed by Richmond architect Lester George and Marvin (Vinny) Giles, a two-time USGA champion, and the two set out to build a course that rewards strategy without overwhelming average players. It has since been ranked the top course in Virginia by Golf Digest and has become a regular on national lists.

The property is about 274 acres with a 70-acre lake at its center. The front nine runs through forest and over ridges; the back nine wraps around the lake, which is visible from every hole. The 8th, a dogleg par 4 that turns over a hilltop to a green angled behind a pond, is often compared to the 11th at Augusta National.

Bets are settled on a 19th hole, a 188-yard par 3 over the lake. Kinloch is known for its practice facility, often cited as a model for how clubs approach teaching, and for member service. It hosted the 2011 U.S. Senior Amateur and the 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur. George and Giles carried out a second phase of their master plan in 2019, reworking bunkers and turf.

Holes to know

8

Par 4 · 437 yd

A drawn tee shot over a hilltop sets up an approach to a green angled behind a pond; often compared to Augusta's 11th.

19

Par 3 · 188 yd

A bonus 'settle-the-bet' par 3 played over the lake after the round.

Championships

• U.S. Senior Amateur 2011
• U.S. Mid-Amateur 2024

Design history

• 2019–20: second phase of a master plan by George and Giles, including bunker changes and turf work