Independence Golf Club
Course offers all the perks of a private facility - without the cost
By Lynn Warren CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Page Dowdy/Chesterfield Observer Although Independence Golf Club is a nonprofit facility, it boasts the course quality and amenities of a private club.

The Independence Golf Club is a recreational facility with a dual personality and a dual identity. The course confuses its identity further by actually lying in two counties: Chesterfield and Powhatan.

Owned by the Virginia State Golf Association (VSGA), Independence is actually a nonprofit, public facility but with a course quality and amenities that are the envy of many private golf clubs. Golfers from neophyte to professional enjoy the beautifully groomed and designed Tom Fazio Championship Course, and over 2,800 junior golfers per year pass through the club's golf camps and training programs.

The six-year-old facility hosted almost 31,000 rounds of golf on its 18-hole championship course this past year, and the nine-hole junior course may have the designation of being the only such course that Fazio ever designed, said Independence's golf pro Mike West.

Focused on youth

With an emphasis on young golfers, "our focus is to introduce as many people as possible to the game of golf," said Michael Carbiener, Independence's club manager.

Independence interacts with youth groups including the Virginia Home for Boys, the Police Athletic League and First Tee as well as local schools. A separate nine-hole course and junior clubhouse provide "a campus environment" for young golfers and "is the heart and soul of Independence," explained Carbiener.

Every revenue source generated by Independence Golf Club supports its junior program and provides golf scholarships for at-risk youth.

Downscale prices

The prestigious community of Founders Bridge wraps around much of the Independence course. It is obvious to even the casual golfer that Independence is an upscale public golf course. But this is not the major appeal to the serious golfer.

Art Markey is a golf fanatic and admits there is truly nothing he would rather do than play golf. He does it well and often. A retired executive with a one handicap, Markey has pursued his passion to the point that he has played 25 of the top-rated courses in the United States plus the classic links courses in both England and Scotland.

Page Dowdy/Chesterfield Observer The golf shop at Independence Golf Club features clothing, equipment and more.

Although he now resides in Florida, this former resident of Chesterfield County has played the Independence course and labels it "an upscale golfing experience at a downscale price."

Golfers who aren't members of the VSGA can play a round at Independence for under $60 during the week. VSGA members play for just $44.50, and both rates include a cart and range balls.

In comparison, the public course at Pinehurst (#2), N.C. costs about $300, and Pebble Beach, certainly the most high profile public course in this country, will set a golfer back $450 per round.

What's in a name?

But the seemingly bargain rates may hide the true value offered by Independence. In the world of golf, a course's designer carries at least as much status as the names of New York City's top fashion designers. Even non-golfers recognize that having the "Jack Nicklaus" or "Greg Norman" name on a course's entrance sign is about as prestigious as passing by that sign while driving a Mercedes. But what most don't recognize is that Independence, as a Tom Fazio-designed course, is the equivalent of driving through the entrance in a Ferrari.

"The importance of the architect cannot be overestimated," Markey offered. "Fazio may be the finest golf architect in the world."

Although Fazio is not as well-known by the general public as Nicklaus and Norman, "having his name on your golf course is a really big deal. To me, Fazio is to golf as Rembrandt was to art," said Markey.

"As good as it gets"

Membership in private golf clubs, many designed by Nicklaus, Norman and Fazio, are simply a financial commitment that the average golfer can not manage. Membership at one of the better private clubs in the Richmond area can hit the $40,000 mark, and monthly dues are hundreds of dollars after that.

Independence appears to satisfy almost any golfer's desire to have an affordable experience at a championship caliber venue.

"From novice to champion, our prime focal point is to make the experience everything you want it to be," said Carbiener.

Does it hit the mark?

"In my experience, all things considered, Independence is as good as it gets for public course golf, and I'm not limiting that to just Richmond. It's as good as I've ever seen," concluded Markey.