The Omni Homestead Resort
Designed by Donald Ross
History
Golf arrived at The Homestead in 1892, when the resort laid down six holes on the Warm Springs Valley floor — a modest beginning for what would become one of American golf’s enduring proving grounds. The Cascades Course, the property’s most storied layout, did not come until later, but the resort’s commitment to the game was set early, tied to the same mineral springs tourism that had drawn visitors to Hot Springs, Virginia since the 18th century. This was a resort built on the promise of restoration and leisure, and golf fit naturally into that mission.
Donald Ross entered the picture in 1923, reshaping the Cascades Course into the design that would carry his name into golf’s record books. Ross, already established as the preeminent course architect of his era, worked with the mountain terrain rather than against it, using the natural fall of the land through the valley to dictate his routing. The result earned a reputation few resort courses have matched: Golf Digest would later rank it among the finest courses in the country, and for decades it stood as a rigorous test held in the same regard as Ross’s work at Pinehurst.
The Cascades has hosted its share of championship golf, most notably the 1928 and 1930 U.S. Women’s Amateur and multiple Curtis Cup and USGA qualifying events over the ensuing decades, cementing its place in the sport’s competitive history. The Homestead itself changed hands several times over the 20th century before joining the Omni portfolio, and through those transitions the Ross design has been maintained with a fidelity uncommon among courses of its age — a rarity in an industry where architects’ original intentions are so often revised beyond recognition.
Playing Notes
Bring layers and expect the mountains to dictate the round. The Homestead sits in the Virginia highlands, which means elevation change shapes nearly every shot — uphill approaches that eat an extra club, downhill lies that release farther than they look, and temperatures that can shift noticeably between a morning tee time and an afternoon finish. Cart use is the norm here given the terrain, though the resort's layout also means longer walks between certain greens and tees if you do choose to carry your own bag. Ball flight in the thinner, cooler mountain air behaves differently than at sea level, so it's worth hitting a few range balls before you trust your usual yardages. Pack for changeable weather, plan on a full cart round unless you're in strong shape for hills, and give yourself extra time on the practice green — the terrain around Hot Springs tends to make putts break in ways that surprise first-timers.