Holey Terror: Hole No. 17 at Mill Quarter Plantation
Mill Quarter Plantation • Powhatan, VA • millquarter.com • 804-598-4221
Hole No. 17 • Par 5 • 580 Yards
All too often it’s the new breed of golf courses that attract the lion’s share of the publicity. Admittedly, the attention is well-deserved as many of the layouts that have opened in the past few decades feature some of the most innovative ideas in course design. But for many golfers, a round on one of the traditional layouts drawn by pencil and a straight ruler in the 1960s and ‘70s can be just as enjoyable as time spent on courses with target greens, split fairways, swinging bridges, alligator pits and other far-flung obstacles.
That’s why a friendly round at Mill Quarter Plantation is such a refreshing, retro-like treat. It is clearly an old-style, public-friendly course that’s a perfect throwback to the days of Palmer and Nicklaus.
Mill Quarter Plantation is nestled in the rolling Powhatan County countryside 30 miles west of downtown Richmond, VA. It was built in 1973 by Edmund Ault, and if you live and play in the Mid-Atlantic, there’s a very good chance you’ve played one or more of the dozens of layouts he designed in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and just about every other state in the continental United States.
Ault had the luxury of selecting from nearly 1,500 acres of real estate that belonged to the old Randolph Plantation when routing Mill Quarter. Much of the course weaves through tall pines, with the exception being the last few holes on each side. Golfers will also find themselves playing alongside a restful meadow or navigating around a lazy rural pond. It really is a beautiful track in all of its simplicity.
At nearly 7,000 yards, Mill Quarter plays plenty long from the back tees. Still, regulars there point to the short par-4 No. 11 as one of the toughest holes. It is shaped almost like a boomerang, and requires a pinpoint drive to the top end of the dogleg followed by a laser-like approach back toward the green.
But it is the course’s signature hole, the par-5 No. 17, that gets the nod as this week’s Holey Terror. Stretching nearly 600 yards, this slight left-to-right bender doglegs around a red 18th-century barn. A big drive and solid second shot is mandatory, setting up a testy approach to an oblong green guarded left-front and right-back by large sand bunkers.
Occasionally a course comes along that makes you remember why you love golf so much. Mill Quarter Plantation is that type — fun to play, well-maintained, challenging but fair. It just goes to show that, like music and sit-coms, the best things did come out of the late 1960s and ‘70s.
One important note: after 52 years under the Daniels family, Mill Quarter is changing hands. The course is under contract to a new owner, and golf operations are expected to wrap up at the conclusion of the 2026 season — likely in late October. Whether Mill Quarter continues as a golf facility under new ownership remains to be seen. If this is a track you’ve always meant to play, or one you’ve loved for years, this summer is the time to get out there. Our thanks to Diane Daniels and her family for more than five decades of stewardship.
What is the most challenging hole at your favorite TeeTime Golf Pass participating course? Let us know! We would love to feature it in an upcoming issue of our weekly newsletter. Submit your Holey Terror to [email protected].
