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Feature Story

Bryce Resort ~ Up to Par

Nick Ciattei

If you were to ask casual golfers about their goals when playing the game that they
love, I’m sure at some time in the conversations “I just want to make pars” would
be echoed. We all just really want to make pars, avoid bad holes, and throw in a few
birdies. Par stands for an exceptional level of scoring in golf. A new management
team brings change to Bryce Resort in Basye, VA. Up to Par Management has
taken charge of golf operations, membership, and sales and marketing for this
Shenandoah Valley resort. The golf course along with the ski slopes at Bryce Resort
form the cornerstones for year-round activities you find here. The Ed Ault-designed
beauty built in 1970 spreads across 400 acres on the east side of Great North
Mountain. An initial glance at the scorecard reveals comfortable yardages that make
Bryce one of the more player-friendly layouts in the region. Peppered with a mix
of tree-lined holes and several others that play across rolling open land, the main
obstacle, Stony Creek, a handsome flowing tributary, comes into play on 12 of the
holes.
The front nine opens with one of the great holes in the valley. This par 5 gently
doglegs to the right and requires two forced carries over the aforementioned creek
from the tee box and on your approach. All mortals call it a three-shot hole. Accept
par here. Several memorable holes on the outward nine at Bryce include the par
4 fifth, a secluded morsel surrounded by nature. The tee box on the par 3 eighth
resembles a launch pad as you fire at the course’s longest green, while nine provides
a dynamic view of the property. The back side plays on the other side of the airport
runway that divides the two nines. Favor the left side on the par 4 tenth’s short and
sloping fairway. Holes fourteen, par 4, and fifteen, par 3 are the most recognized

holes at Bryce Resort. You not only
see them from the road on the way
in, but you long remember them
for their charm and splendor with
several well-manicured flower
beds and a colorful water element
bordering the fairways. Both of
the par 5s on the inward nine are
long, respected holes. The uphill
thirteenth has a challenging green

Hole 1 Par 5

while the sixteenth requires some Hole 8 Par 3
clever shots to negotiate properly. All
in all, this delightful golf romp brings
most players nothing but bliss.
Located about 20 minutes from
I-81and just a two hour journey from
the DC Beltway, Bryce Resort offers

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