The Cascades Golf Course, VA, USA   

10th hole, 380 yards, Slippery Hollow; Arnold Palmer picked this hole among his favorite 54 holes in the United States. The fairway disappears over the brow of the hill and tumbles down to two distinct levels. Low markers tend to force the issue off the tee as the 9^th and 12^th - 15^th holes are all tough pars. The brave golfer who takes on the tee shot is left with a short pitch from a level lie to a green below. However, any tee ball missed right is lost over a sharp drop-off. The placement of the green in the flat below makes it difficult to read, as there is no predominant feature to orient the golfer as to which way the putt breaks.

The view from the 10th tee of a flat fairway could not be more deceiving as there is a sharp...

....twenty-five foot, stair step drop in it at approximately 200 yards from the back markers.

Flynn drops the golfer sixty feet from the 10th tee to the green and the rest of course plays 
in the river bed. The view back up the 10th shows the stair-stepped fairway.

11th hole, 190 yards, Lucky Strike; A crucial trait for an architect's work to possess is that the golfer can't tell where nature ends and man's hand begins. In the case of the Cascades, Flynn pushed plenty of dirt to create the green complexes and give them good golfing qualities, especially on the hilly front nine. However, as a case in point, the 11th green complex seems a natural extension of the hillside to the left and though manufactured, it looks entirely natural, explaining largely why the hole is so appealing to the eye.

The 11th green is perfectly benched into the left hillside.

No mounding clutters the back of the 11th green complex.

12th hole, 475 yards, The Vale; This hole is often singled out as the finest golf hole in the state of Virginia. The fairway is placed in a sixty yard wide corridor with a steep 60 foot ridge on the right and a meandering stream on the left. Nonetheless, driver must be used to cover the distance. Flynn breaks up the fairway with a pair of well placed cross bunkers at the 90 yard mark from the green, a real problem after a poor drive. The long green is narrow and protected on both sides by bunkers.

With a stream left and tree-lined hillside right, the golfer's task is clear. If he can find the fairway,
the good news is that he should have a relatively level stance, something he may not have
seen much of to this point in the round.

The golfer that doesn't find the 12th fairway needs to be wary of these cross 
bunkers ninety yards shy of 12th green.

13th hole, 440 yards, Swift Run; The same stream from the 12^th runs along the left edge of the fairway, informing the thinking man that this hole moves downhill. One's eyes can deceive/betray the first time golfer into thinking that the hole is flat. Many approach shots carry too deep into the green and the return uphill putt is left woefully short, as few appreciate the downward slope of this hole from the tee to the back of the green.

The 13th fairway bends gracefully left along the stream and
the golfer that can draw his tee ball has the advantage.

The attractive approach to the 13th. After the round, study Flynn's drawing in the clubhouse of
this hole as it shows a creek in lieu of this echelon of bunkers (!).

16th hole, 525 yards, The Hemlocks; One of the game's great gambling holes and the start of a thrilling 5-5-3 par finish, this hole combines great beauty with tons of strategy. The 16th doglegs right at the 250 yard mark around a nest of bunkers on the inside of the dogleg. After a good drive, the player debates whether to go for the green in two. The green seems deep enough but is fronted by a stream/pond at green level. Anything short is wet and anything over the back bunkers is in the wilderness. Strict distant control is mandatory as is height on the 230 yard shot. If anything, technology has made this hole all the more exciting as the green is in reach for many.

The great 16th sweeps right past a nest of bunkers on the inside of the dogleg. If the golfer
carries them from the tee...

...he is left with the decision of whether to go for the green in two or not.

17th hole, 515 yards, Cress Lakes; As the 16th sweeps to the right, the 17th goes to the left. In keeping with the rest of the course, no one shot pattern is favored and a player that can shape it both ways (like Virginia amateur great Vinny Giles) enjoys a great advantage over his competitor.

A fitting feature for a penultimate hole at a course so named is cascading water and it is
found here right of the 17th green. Many a golf ball has found this natural hazard
from daring golfers attempting to reach the green in two.

18th hole, 205 yards, Taps; Just as Garden City Golf Club finishes with a one shotter, so too does The Cascades. A front hole location between the two greenside bunkers may be as hard as any hole location on the course, given the green's fierce back to front tilt. Fortunes can swing wildly over these last three holes, making it one of the most interesting closes in the game.

Flynn's use of the natural topography, ponds and streams provides a stern test that is altogether unique and reminds one of no other course in the world. If the golfer tries to fight nature, he will come off worn and broken. However, the intelligent golfer who uses the slopes and places his ball correctly is mightily rewarded. Decade after decade, golfers keep coming back to figure out how to play The Cascades. Surely, this is the greatest compliment an architect and a course can receive?

The Georgian style Homestead is the anchor for this 15,000 acre mountain resort in the Allegheny
Mountains. Travelers have come to Hot Springs for over two centuries
to sample the rejuvenating benefits of its natural hot springs.

Please note: the author wishes to thank Flynn historian Wayne Morrison (wsmorrison@hotmail.com)
for sharing so much of his research information for this course profile.

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