It is perhaps fitting testimony to just how deep the recession was that development of a planned golf community not far from the Washington, D.C. metro area stalled for a decade. The nation’s capital, after all, is a bastion of stable, self-perpetuating employment, and the Cherry Hill Peninsula, nearly 2,000 acres along a two-mile stretch of the Potomac River, is just 30 miles or so south of D.C. If a golf community that close to Washington couldn't make it, you can understand the suffering of more rurally located golf communities.
According to Jack Nicklaus’ own web site and local media reports, California-based developer SunCal will finally open a long-awaited mixed-use golf community of 4,000 homes outside the town of Dumfries, and start it off the old fashioned way, first with a golf course, in this case a Nicklaus design called Potomac Shores that was completed in the mid-2000s but never opened because of the economy. The Nicklaus group expects to have it ready for public play this summer. A 7,500 square foot clubhouse, in the manner of a Georgian Plantation home, will open at the same time.
The surrounding golf community, originally called Harbor Station, will include a town center, office space, a Virginia Railway Express station, and a marina. There has been some discussion about a five-star hotel as well. The Nicklaus golf course will range up to nearly 7,200 yards. The railroad station should encourage wage-earners in Washington to consider a second-home at Potomac Shores, or even a workable commute to D.C.
For more information and a selection of photos of the Potomac Shores golf course, visit the Jack Nicklaus design site.