Holston Hills Golf Course

Marion sits in Smyth County in the heart of the Virginia coalfields, where the Holston River valley cuts through the ridges of the Blue Ridge Highlands. It's a landscape of considerable drama — forested slopes, creek hollows, and the kind of rolling terrain that makes for interesting golf without architects having to try very hard. The region is better known for its Appalachian Trail access and the New River watershed than for its golf, but the course fits naturally into the mountain-edged setting that defines this corner of southwest Virginia.

Holston Hills is a full 18-hole layout at par 72, which in a terrain like this typically means a mix of flatter valley holes and tighter, more demanding stretches where the land rises and trees close in. Courses in these highlands tend to reward local knowledge — reading how shots break off slopes, where mountain air affects carry — more than raw power.

For golfers exploring the Virginia highlands beyond the better-known resort corridors, Marion offers an honest regional track and a base in one of the more scenically underrated pockets of the Appalachians.