Herndon Centennial Golf Club: Tips for a Great Round

Herndon Centennial Golf Club (personal best: 77, tips) Number of Rounds Played: 10+

From the Tips (Black tees): 6197 yards. Rating/Slope: 69.7/126

      Herndon Centennial Golf Club, located in Herndon, VA, is a great course for most levels of play. With an adequate driving range and a great chipping/putting area, Herndon offers plenty of space for golfers to warm up. Service is usually quick and helpful, allowing golfers to go off at or before their tee times. There is a snack bar after nine that is fast, both for drink and food. 

      The opening stretch of holes start off relatively straight-forward, with inviting and wide fairways. The first decision comes on the 2^nd hole off the tee. The hole is one of the shorter ones on the course for a par four, at 361 yards, and sports a bottleneck at about the 290-yard mark. You will have to know your yardage on your approach as behind the hole is a downhill ravine to collect any shots long. 

      The third hole, the first par five on the course, features a landing area with a fairway bunker on the left and water on the right. You can bail out to the left on the 17^th fairway if need be (I have done this multiple times). Long hitters can reach in two, but the green is protected by a front side, deep bunker. The pertinent play would be to aim out to the left side of the green as there is fairway there for any shots that come up short. 

      Holes four through seven offer basic concepts, with two par threes in the stretch and two relatively short par fours.

      Hole eight offers another choice off the tee. Starting uphill, the idea is to be on the top of the fairway right before it falls into a valley. Longer hitters will have to keep the driver in the bag, as you can roll through the fairway potentially into a hazard area on the left-hand side, which I have done. The second shot plays uphill to a green complex that is two tiered so this will have to be considered when attacking the green. Knowing the pin position on this hole is extremely important. Both holes nine and ten offer the chance to drive the green, with nine being a straightway downhill hole guarded by a greenside bunker. Ten calls for a cut if you are trying to reach the green, otherwise this too is a downhill straightaway shot. The green is again guarded by a frontside bunker. 

      The eleventh hole is potentially one of the most treacherous holes on the course and starts the toughest stretch of the 18. Trees line the left side of the fairway and jut out at the start of the dogleg left. On the right side are mounds backdropped by even more trees, virtually collecting every tee shot the falls right and forcing a not-so-simple chip out. The approach is just as tough, with a narrow green and a back to front sloping concept. Two good shots are required for par here.

      The twelfth hole is a dog leg right, long par four. The start of the dogleg is marked by another mound with deceptively long rough behind. It is better to try and be on the left side of this fairway. Another small green, left of the green is all but dead.

      Thirteen is the narrowest fairway to hit on the course with trees lining the right side and out of bounds on the left. Not very long, you should think about clubbing down here if you aren’t possessing the control off the tee. The approach offers a bit of a reprieve, with a flat green and one of the larger ones on the course.  

      Fourteen is one of the more scenic holes on the course, a waterside par three. No more than a nine iron is required here, as long will leave you with a bunker shot or worse. This also marks the start of another easy stretch of holes at Herndon.

      The fifteenth is a short par five, easily reachable for the big hitters. With a wide fairway, anything sprayed either direction will have to deal with tree trouble. The approach shot is a sort of bottleneck as the green sits up a hill and is guarded by bunkers on the left and rough on the right.

      Sixteen is another short par three with a two-tiered green complex. Be careful of the trees on the left as they sometimes block shots coming in. Seventeen is another par five, with a fairway bunker on the righthand side of the landing area. This is, again, reachable for the big hitters and has plenty of space for lay-ups. I think a nice penultimate hole.

      Herndon’s eighteenth closes with one of the more difficult holes, starting with a tee shot through a narrow chute. There is a fairway bunker placed right at most landing areas, with the practice driving range on the right and marshy rough on the left. The second shot is up a hill to a green guarded by a frontside bunker. A test to close out your round.

      Overall, I think Herndon Centennial Golf Club is a nice track for those stuck in the routines of city and corporate life. While centrally located in the middle of a Northern Virginia suburb, the course is often well kept, and the staff are very friendly. I often play alone, and I have been able to enjoy all individuals I have been paired with. Definitely recommend this course to help kick off your season!