Donald Steel

Meadows of Dan, VA

The Highland Course at Primland sits atop a mountain plateau in Meadows of Dan, Virginia, at roughly 3,000 feet elevation with views over the Dan River Gorge and the Pinnacles of the Dan. British architect Donald Steel, working with associates Tom Mackenzie and Martin Ebert, routed the course along ridgelines and valleys of a 14,000-acre estate that had previously been farmland, opening it in 2006. The design uses no lakes and relies on natural gulleys, dense trees and steep drops as hazards rather than heavy bunkering, including a stretch of holes with no sand at all. Part of the Primland resort operated by Auberge Resorts, the course is open to resort guests, members and the general public.