GOLF COURSE CONSTRUCTION · SINCE 1982
Championship Golf Course Construction, Built On Time and On Budget
For more than four decades, Aspen has delivered expert golf course construction and renovation from coast to coast — turning ambitious design plans into finished courses that members are proud to play. See how we rebuilt Princess Anne Country Club.
Princess Anne Country Club — narrated case study video
FEATURED VIDEO CASE STUDY
44 years +
Years of golf course construction
GCBAA
Nationwide
Championship venues built & renovated
PROJECT SNAPSHOT
Princess Anne Country Club · Virginia Beach, Virginia
TYPE OF PROJECT
PROJECT VALUE
TIMELINE
GOLF ARCHITECT
BUILDER
ORIGINAL COURSE
SUPERINTENDENT
OWNER REP
THE PROJECT
The owners envisioned turning their 1920s golf course into a classic, old-style course that honored its heritage — a place where a member could step out of a vintage tourer and feel instantly at home.
The golf course reconstruction anchored a larger club renovation that also included enhanced tennis facilities, an expanded fitness center, an improved pool, and a refurbished poolside pavilion grill. The effort was funded by devoted members — including 125 who each contributed $5,000 to build in premium quality.
Aspen’s golf course construction team spoke the architect’s language fluently, executing classic features — redan, Biarritz, and punchbowl greens — while keeping every element in balance. Hole #11 was rebuilt as a classic redan; #12 as a traditional punchbowl green set below the fairway.
The site made it hard. With only a few feet of elevation change across the whole course and work at or near sea level, some grading had to be done at low tide. Aspen ran up to four lasers concurrently to hold the grade to laser-perfect tolerances — low enough to play, high enough to stay above the normal high tide.
Erosion and sediment control was a defining challenge. The course sits under the Department of Environmental Protection, the City of Virginia Beach, and the Chesapeake Bay Board. Aspen invested heavily to comply — and at close-out, the Chesapeake Bay Board named Princess Anne one of the sites they’d had the fewest issues with.
Working with ACF Environmental and the city, Aspen engineered a solution for outfall scouring — ScourStop — so successful here that it is now marketed nationally.
PROJECT GOALS
- Add strategy and detail to keep pace with recently renewed competing clubs.
- Rebuild member pride and win back players who had grown unhappy or left.
- Meet the standards of well-traveled members and protect the club’s iconic status.
- Reclaim the course’s classic imagery and lost views to the bay and inlets.
THE CHALLENGES
- Sea-level grading with only a few feet of elevation change — some work only at low tide.
- Laser-perfect tolerances using up to four lasers at once.
- Strict erosion & sediment rules across three regulatory bodies and the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
- Minimizing disruption to residents, traffic, and school routes throughout the build.
THE RESULTS
- ScourStop outfall solution developed here — now marketed nationally by ACF.
- Praised by the Chesapeake Bay Board for the fewest environmental issues.
- Selected to host the 2009 VSGA Senior Amateur Championship.
- Member demand outran the 100-rounds-per-day grow-in limit.
PROJECT GALLERY
A look at the Princess Anne golf course construction, hole by hole.
Aerial—course & shoreline
Construction — clearing & widening
Sculpted bunkering & green complex
Classic redan & punchbowl greens
Waterfront green & restored bay views
Finished bunkers, clubhouse beyond
Finished tree lined fairway
Princess Anne clubhouse
Hole #2 — Under construction
Hole #2 — Completed
Hole #17 Green
Hole #17 Fairway Bunker
Hole #11 — Under construction
Hole #11 — Completed
Hole #11 — The classic redan
Hole #11 Tee box
Hole #15 — Under construction
Hole #15 — Completed
Hole #16 — Under construction
Hole #16 — Completed
Hole #7 — Under construction
Hole #7 — Under construction
Hole #7 — Completed
Hole #7 — Completed
Hole #3 — Under construction
Hole #3 — Completed
Hole #3 — Fnished green & bunkering
Princess Anne clubhouse
Championship Golf Course Construction, Built On Time and On Budget
WHAT THE CLUB SAID
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