Four ranked private clubs, more than a century of golf closer to the city, and what to settle before buying on a fairway.
Updated October 7, 2026Golf Digest, the clubs and local reportingAbout a 9-minute read
Written byAhmed MakkiyahREALTOR®, Douglas Realty of Virginia · English and ArabicMobile 734.383.6945 · Direct 703.957.0060
Quick answer
Four Northern Virginia clubs hold places on Golf Digest's 2025-'26 Virginia Top 25, and all four are private: Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville (#3), the Championship course at Trump National Golf Club Washington DC in Loudoun County (#9), Creighton Farms in Aldie (#11) and River Bend in Great Falls (#15). For a round without a membership, six courses take public tee times, among them Lansdowne Resort's 45 holes on the Potomac.
Checked October 7, 2026
The lay of the land
Golf tends to enter a home search earlier than expected. For some clients it is the lot itself, on a fairway with a view to the green. For others it is a club to join once the move is made, or a course within a short drive for a weekday round. This guide is the map I share with them.
The game has deep roots here. Washington Golf & Country Club in Arlington dates to 1894.6 Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, a 1991 design, has hosted four Presidents Cups.2 In Loudoun, three Signature courses carry the names of Jack Nicklaus at Creighton Farms, Arnold Palmer at Belmont and Gary Player at Raspberry Falls.4,9,11
A note on rankings: every rank on this page is Golf Digest's, from its 2025-'26 list of Virginia's top 25 courses.1 I quote them as published; they are not mine.
The ranked four
Each is profiled below with its designer and, where it applies, its championship record. Ranks are from Golf Digest's 2025-'26 Virginia list.1
Gainesville · Prince William County
Northern Virginia's highest-ranked course on Golf Digest's list. Its championship record runs from four Presidents Cups to the 2015 Quicken Loans National and the 2024 Solheim Cup.1,2
Potomac Falls and Sterling · Loudoun County
Formerly Lowes Island; Golf Digest's rank applies to the Championship course. Bernhard Langer won the 2017 Senior PGA Championship at the club, and LIV Golf Virginia returned on May 8 to 10, 2026.1,3
Aldie · Loudoun County
A Nicklaus Signature course set within a gated club community in the Loudoun countryside.4 An earlier Golf Digest list placed it 10th; the 2025-'26 list has it 11th.1
Great Falls · Fairfax County
A member-owned club in Great Falls, laid out in 1961 and rebuilt by Keith Foster half a century later.1,5
A ranking speaks to the golf. It says nothing of the drive to the first tee on a Saturday morning, and that is the part you live with.
Other private clubs
None of these five appears on the Golf Digest list, yet each belongs to the region's golf history, and three trace their courses to 1961 or earlier.
Founded in 1894, the oldest golf club in Virginia.6
A private, military-affiliated club with 54 holes across its two sites.7
A private club built around a 1961 Robert Trent Jones Sr. course.8
A private club run by Invited, on an estate that dates to 1799.9
A private club in the town of Vienna, under its current name since 1962.
Public and resort golf
No membership required. Two are in Leesburg, two in western Prince William, one is a NOVA Parks course in Ashburn and one is in Woodbridge.
Two carry celebrated signatures. Lansdowne Resort pairs courses by Greg Norman and Robert Trent Jones Jr. with SharkBite, a 9-hole course for a shorter round.10 Raspberry Falls is the only Gary Player Signature course in Virginia, and its pot bunkers set it apart.11
In Prince William, Stonewall keeps Lake Manassas in view on 15 holes,12 with Bull Run nearby in Haymarket. In Ashburn, Brambleton is run by NOVA Parks.14
45 holes at a resort on the Potomac: Greg Norman's 7,332-yard course, Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s 7,063-yard course and the 9-hole SharkBite.10
Virginia's only Gary Player Signature course, with pot bunkers in the Loudoun hills.11
Open to the public, with Lake Manassas in view on 15 holes.12
A public course with 2026 tee times listed on GolfNow.13
A public course in Ashburn, run by NOVA Parks.14
Public golf in Woodbridge, and the closest course on this list to the eastern half of Prince William County.
At a glance
| Robert Trent Jones Golf ClubGD #3 | Gainesville, Prince William | Private | Robert Trent Jones Sr. (1991) |
| Trump National Golf Club Washington DCGD #9 | Potomac Falls / Sterling, Loudoun | Private | Tom Fazio (Championship); Arthur Hills |
| The Club at Creighton FarmsGD #11 | Aldie, Loudoun | Private, gated | Jack Nicklaus (2007) |
| River Bend Golf & Country ClubGD #15 | Great Falls, Fairfax | Private, member-owned | Ault & Jamison (1961); Keith Foster (2011) |
| Belmont Country Club | Ashburn, Loudoun | Private | Arnold Palmer (2001) |
| Washington Golf & Country Club | Arlington | Private | Donald Ross and William Flynn; Tom Doak (2020) |
| Army Navy Country Club | Arlington and Fairfax | Private | Herbert Strong; Robert Trent Jones (Fairfax) |
| International Country Club | Fairfax | Private | Robert Trent Jones Sr. (1961) |
| Westwood Country Club | Vienna, Fairfax | Private | A.H. Tull (1954); Ault redesign |
| 1757 Golf Club | Dulles / Ashburn, Loudoun | Members only | David Heatwole (2010) |
| Lansdowne Resort | Leesburg, Loudoun | Resort, public | Greg Norman; Robert Trent Jones Jr. |
| Raspberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club | Leesburg, Loudoun | Public | Gary Player (1996) |
| Stonewall Golf Club | Gainesville, Prince William | Public | Tom Jackson (2001) |
| Bull Run Golf Club | Haymarket, Prince William | Public | Rick Jacobson (1998) |
| Brambleton Golf Course | Ashburn, Loudoun | Public (NOVA Parks) | Hank Gordon (1994) |
| Old Hickory Golf Club | Woodbridge, Prince William | Public | Not yet confirmed |
Designers and years as published by each club or the source in the notes below. Old Hickory's designer is not listed until I can confirm it.
Living on the course
Several Loudoun communities are laid out around a course or sit directly beside one. These are the places to begin, and each has its own page in this guide.
A gated club community on 900 acres around the Nicklaus course that Golf Digest ranks 11th in Virginia.
Open the guide pageAshburn · LoudounThe Belmont area of Ashburn, set around Belmont Country Club's Arnold Palmer Signature course and an estate that dates to 1799.
Open the guide pageLansdowne · LoudounShares its name with Lansdowne Resort and its 45 holes on the Potomac.
Open the guide pageBrambleton · LoudounHome to Brambleton Golf Course, a NOVA Parks public course and a 1994 Hank Gordon design.
Open the guide pageLeesburg · LoudounThe countryside around Raspberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club, Virginia's only Gary Player Signature course.
Open the guide page
Courses in flux
Before you pay for a fairway view, ask who owns the course and what is planned for it.
Reston · Fairfax County
A 2025 plan to redevelop the course for housing was rejected. The owner is now pursuing a renovated course plus 288 townhouses.16
Dulles and Ashburn · Loudoun County
The David Heatwole course from 2010 went members-only in May 2022. The driving range and taproom are still open to the public.15
Questions
Four Northern Virginia courses appear on Golf Digest's 2025-'26 list of Virginia's top 25: Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville (#3), the Championship course at Trump National Golf Club Washington DC in Loudoun County (#9), The Club at Creighton Farms in Aldie (#11) and River Bend Golf & Country Club in Great Falls (#15). All four are private.
Lansdowne Resort and Raspberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club in Leesburg, Stonewall Golf Club in Gainesville, Bull Run Golf Club in Haymarket, Brambleton Golf Course in Ashburn (a NOVA Parks course) and Old Hickory Golf Club in Woodbridge. At 1757 Golf Club, the course has been members-only since May 2022, though the driving range and taproom remain open to the public.
Washington Golf & Country Club in Arlington, founded in 1894 and still a private club.
Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville hosted the Presidents Cup in 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2005, the 2015 Quicken Loans National and the 2024 Solheim Cup. Trump National Golf Club Washington DC hosted the 2017 Senior PGA Championship and LIV Golf Virginia in 2023 and again in May 2026.
Yes. The Club at Creighton Farms in Aldie is a private, gated club on 900 acres around a Jack Nicklaus Signature course. Other Loudoun communities set around or beside a course include Belmont in Ashburn, Lansdowne, Brambleton and the Raspberry Falls area near Leesburg. Membership terms vary by club, so confirm them before you buy.
A 2025 plan to redevelop the course for housing was rejected. The owner is now pursuing a renovated course plus 288 townhouses, so review the latest county filings before buying a home beside it.
Who wrote this
I have been a real estate agent since 2014, first in Michigan, and licensed in Virginia since 2019. NVAR named me a Top Producer every year from 2020 to 2025.
For a home on or near a course, I pull the closed sales myself, confirm the town line and the schools the address feeds, and go through the HOA and club documents with you before you commit.
Showings are private and by appointment. I work in English and Arabic, and calls and texts reach me directly, on my own phone.
Your next step
Name the club, the course or the drive you have in mind. I will reply personally with homes nearby and the closed sales behind their prices, in English or Arabic.
Keep exploring
Horse country, dining, resorts and more.
Back to the series Loudoun CountyCreighton Farms and the Loudoun countryside.
Open the town guide Loudoun CountyLansdowne Resort and Raspberry Falls.
Open the town guide Prince William CountyRobert Trent Jones and Stonewall.
Open the town guide Fairfax CountyRiver Bend Golf & Country Club.
Open the town guide Home valuationComparable closed sales near you, checked by hand.
Get a valuation