Bristow Manor Golf Club Review: A Virginia Challenge

Bristow Manor Golf Club (personal best: 80, Gold tees) Number of Rounds Played: 5+

From the Tips (Green tees): 6961 yards. Rating/Slope: 72.5/139

Bristow Manor Golf Club sits south of Gainesville, in the suburb of Bristow, Virginia. The course sprawls over wide, rolling hills and has a fair amount of water on holes to make sure everyone needs to focus on each shot. You won’t find as many trees on this course as Herndon or even Bull Run, but that does not take away from the difficult task it is to hit fairways here. Here, you have to deal with the elements, primarily the wind! The course surrounds a beautiful Manor House, hence the name, and also has a golf shop and bar/grill for any foods you might want to grab at the turn. 

One of the great things about Bristow Manor? The grass driving range. One of the few I have been able to play in the area, I always love warming up on the same platform that the course offers. There is also a putting green/chipping area just off the first hole that is very convenient. 

Bristow Manor kicks off with a blind tee shot. The hole opens up to the right, although there is a lot of rough on the right side making it harder to stop your approach to a rather tiny green. You will have to fly the green on this hole, it is surrounded on all sides by rough. Quite a start to the round!

The second hole requires a tee shot over a native area with a bunker down the left side of the fairway. More often than not, I end up on the right side of this hole and I can tell you it opens up a little around the bend so if you lose one right – you might be okay. On the approach, you again have to clear a native area and the green is surrounded by rough and two bunkers on each side. The green falls to the front so make sure to keep this in mind with the flat stick. 

Hole three is a slight downhill, par three and the first hole where you will encounter some water. There is a greenside bunker of the back, but the green is fairly large. 

The fourth hole is the first par five and depicts a theme across the par fives at Bristow. A fairway split by water. At about 300 yards, there is a native area/ravine that will collect the longest of drives. Highly recommend hitting a 250 yard shot off the tee and accepting the fact that this is a three shot hole. Water does come into play if you lose your approach to the right, better to be safe than sorry and just lay up! 

Five is a tight par four, with the teeing area being guarded on the left by dense forest. Beyond that teeing area, is a narrow fairway with mounds on both sides of the fairway. This is one of the holes that is heavily influenced by wind off the left. The approach is a little uphill to a decent sized green with not much trouble otherwise. 

Six is another par five split by the same ravine system that splits the fourth hole. I am typically taking a three wood off the tee here and accepting another three shot hole just to make sure I do not come close to the ravine. Throughout the second half of the hole, water lies all along the left side. Going for two on this one is an extreme challenge. 

Hole seven just may be one of the toughest holes in Northern Virginia open to the public. A sharp dogleg right over water, the major challenge here is placing your ball safely in the fairway off the tee. It is VERY easy to hit too far into the woods, but if you lay up too far back, you will have another 200+ yard shot over water/native area on approach. If you do manage to make it over the water, the approach is an uphill shot to a green guarded by a bunker on the left and rough (some heavy) on the right. Definitely the hardest hole on the course in my opinion. 

Eleven features a downhill par three, the longest on the card. There is a native area that you will have to clear, as well as a drop-off at the front of the green to collect any shots that just a tad short.

Eight is a par three, the longest on the card at 238 yards from the tips. Wind also plays a huge role on this hole, something I have had to deal with numerous times. Again, you will have to clear a native area and the green is guarded by bunkers on both the left and right sides. A very tough two hole stretch. 

Closing out the front nine is a dogleg left, par four. Matching the eye of the draw based golfer, this is a pretty hole with water coming into the picture if you are too far left off the tee. The approach is a severe uphill shot, so be sure to club up on this one. 

The start of the back nine begins with a fairly wide open par four, slight chance of going too far into a native area if you are a long hitter. A few bunkers on the right to trap those wayward tee shots, the approach is another severely uphill shot to a green that repels any shots that end up short. 

Eleven is a slightly downhill par three, 201 yards from the tips. This is one that you will have to fly all the way there, two large bunkers guard the frontside of this green and have collected many shots from those in my party. 

Twelve is a lengthy par five, but one of the most straightforward on the course. There is a split in the middle of the fairway with rough, but I have never seen anyone reach this rough yet – maybe Kyle Berkshire. 562 yards, I have accepted that this will be a three shot hole for me 95% of the time. The green is large, but two-tiered. Make sure you know where the pin is, as there is a spine in the middle that will force balls to the right. 

The thirteenth hole is a par four, 401 yards from the tips with tree-line all down the left. There is a bunker on the right hand side of the fairway, about 250 is needed to clear here. There is room to the right as well if you lose a shot out that way. A fairly simple hole. 

Fourteen is a par three, 188 from the tips. Two bunkers guard the left side and a single tree sits on the right. I have been right on this hole many times, so there is room over there if the bunkers scare you. 

Fifteen is another par four with a wide fairway. A large bunker sits short on the left side of this fairway, haven’t seen many shots end up here. The approach is where the difficulty lies on this hole. Rough and bunkers surround this green, and the green itself is rather small. Be sure to not end up in the back bunker, not much room is back there for bunker shots! 

The sixteenth hole is a par five, with yet again another fairway that is split by a small ravine. The tee shot is a little tricky. It requires a cut shot and if that isn’t executed, then you may end up going through to the fairway on seventeen (beyond the trees). This is reachable compared to the other par fives but you will have to navigate some bunkers on approach. I am not a fan of the term “birdie hole”, but this could be one! 

Seventeen is a par four, and another instance where you might run through the fairway. You want to be on the left side to set up a better angle on approach, as the right side of the fairway has bunkers and areas where you could easily lose your ball. The green is large and does not have much undulation. 

Bristow Manor caps off with another precarious hole, water along the left, bunkers at driver landing areas, and a sliver of land to hit if you decide to try and brute strength the hole. I tend to lay up and deal with a long approach shot over the water. There is a layup area to the right if you think you are too far away to land it on the green. Bristow saving the number two handicap for the last hole on the course! 

I think Bristow Manor is always in great shape and a joy to play when I am seeking a real challenge. The course layout and elements combine to make this one of the more difficult courses I have played during my time in NoVA and I definitely recommend it to anyone looking to try out a new track. Be sure to follow the signs for the start of the back nine, you don’t want to miss the tunnel! Hope to see you out there 🏌