Independence Golf Club

Few public courses in the Richmond area carry the reputation that Independence Golf Club has built since opening in the early 2000s. Designed by Curtis Strange — the two-time U.S. Open champion who grew up in Virginia — the course reflects both his competitive instincts and his genuine attachment to his home state. Strange crafted a layout that rewards strategic thinking over raw power, with tight corridors, well-placed water hazards, and greens that demand respect from every angle. It has consistently ranked among Virginia's top public courses.

Midlothian sits in Chesterfield County, just southwest of Richmond, in the rolling Piedmont terrain that defines central Virginia's golf landscape. The area enjoys a long playing season, and the mature tree cover at Independence gives the course a settled, almost private-club feel that public-access players rarely get to experience.

At par 71, the course plays shorter than many of its competitors but punishes imprecision rather than lack of distance — a design philosophy that suits Strange's background as a shotmaker rather than a bomber.