Golf course architect Tom Clark has prepared plans to renovate the dormant 27-hole Beacon Hill layout near Leesburg in Virginia for new owners Resort Development Partners.
Clark was involved in one development group’s plans for the real estate project as far back as the late 1970s, but it was 1998 when the project, under new owners, got off the ground. Construction began in 2001 and Johnny Miller joined the design team, but Clark ultimately left the project after the appointment of another consultant.
“I made it clear that the plans were my intellectual property and that they would have to start over, but they continued on,” said Clark. “I had already rough graded 12 of the eventual 27 holes.”
The course opened in 2003 but closed in 2006. It was left largely dormant since, although fairways and primary rough have continued to be mowed. The Beacon Hill homeowners association regained possession of the club in 2013 and after several years pursuing developers, announced a lease agreement with Resort Development Partners in June 2023.
“We are hoping to have the course back and playable in 2024,” said Clark, who is working alongside golf course architect Jim Cervone on the new plans. “I have selected the best 18 holes and provided a routing that from the back tips tops out at around 7,200 yards at a par of 72, with six sets of tees including a family tee. The remaining nine holes will be converted in the future to an executive par-three layout.”
The new facility will be named The Preserve at Beacon Hill. It will have bentgrass greens, fairways and tees, and rough will be a blend of fescue and bluegrass, extending in secondary areas to native plants and wildflowers.
“It’s not often that you get an opportunity to bring back a course you had originally routed and one that has so much of your handiwork there still intact,” said Clark. “I am certain The Preserve at Beacon Hill will one day again find its place in the Northern Virginia market and be more than competitive with my own creation at River Creek on the Potomac along with Creighton Farms, Trump National and other high-end layouts in the surrounding area.”