Herndon Centennial is a modest muni that pairs sneaky-fun golf holes with the short game area you wish you had in your backyard. I looped my first 18 there back in 2013, and though it’s a track I played more religiously prior to 2020, I still try to make it out at least once a year.
In fact, one of my favorite memories there was in the winter of 2022. All my other regular haunts were closed because it was so damn cold and the ground hadn’t thawed. I still remember my approach to No. 9 with my 60°. When it hit the green it bounced two flagsticks back up in the air. The green was frozen solid a half inch underneath the turf. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been open then either. But that’s the charm of a local muni, always there when you need it.
The Ed Ault-designed layout features some fun holes. Take the rolling dogleg eighth. It’s a blind uphill tee shot shaped left to right that drops back down about 140 yards out. There’s a bunker out left to snag any ball that doesn’t spin back towards the fairway. The green runs back to front and is flanked by a pair of front bunkers. Ringing the bell on the way to drop a short birdie putt is the cherry on top, or at least it was for me the last time I played.
It’d be an insult to classify the tenth hole as a dogleg. The cheeky par 4 is shaped like a blade putter from tee to green with the hole located on the toe. Hug the left side of the fairway off the tee otherwise trees will block your approach shot. And for anyone playing their first round, make sure you don’t play to the third green, which catches the eye off the back of the fairway. Yes, the hole snaps that sharply to the right.
There are also more than a few holes that move right to left off the tee. By my count five of the non-par 3s — the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 11th — all favor a draw for a righty. That presents a challenge to those who struggle to turn over their driver. (My hand is raised!) And I don’t know about anyone else, but when I’m trying to work my driver back to the left I’m always worried about overdoing it with a hook and that’s a scary first swing thought with the road running alongside the left of No. 1. With the driving range to the right, a tight landing area guarded by trees, and the second longest par 4 on the card, you get to enjoy the toughest-rated hole on the property out of the gate.
The greenside bunkers have good character. Though some could use more sand, and what’s in there is thicker and heavier than the fluffy stuff the pros play out of. The one protecting the par 3 fifth hole always catches my eye.
The greens themselves are thoughtful enough with some having more undulation than others. While they could certainly run faster, collectively they provide enough interesting putts over the course of the round.
And since I waded into playing conditions, keep in mind it’s a muni and these thoughts are relative to that price point. My last time out, the fairways had plenty of deep, unreplaced divots from chunked swings, the bunkers were unraked and the greens were peppered with ballmarks. On the walk up to the 17th green, a good two-by-four-foot strip of sod was folded over on itself where it hadn’t been rolled out right, so my playing partner stopped, stretched it flat, and stamped it back into the ground. The rough was up quite a bit, the fairways had some heterogeneous and burnt out turf — though the third, the lone par 5 on the front, was noticeably less squishy this August than in past summer rounds. More than anything I was surprised at how beat up some of the teeboxes were after their recent restoration.
It’s a flat walk with plenty of cold water stations, plus a restored stone springhouse on the stroll off the 4th tee. The looping back and forth over Herndon Parkway does stretch out the distance between holes, but certainly not enough to justify taking a cart. Though it may take you some time. Do not expect a 4-hour round. It’s 4.5 hours on a good day. Nine-minute tee times are a tough scene.
The practice area has everything you need to grind. The dimples on the range balls are worn, and the practice bunker is rugged. But the putting green is an oasis. There are multiple cuts of grass to chip and pitch out of and it’s plenty big enough that you don’t feel on top of anyone.
Don’t come out here in search of a perfectly manicured golf course. Do come out for a relaxed environment, a gentle walk, some fun golf holes and conditions worth the price of admission.