Course History

“Docked” just at the edge of Winchester, VA, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, only a short distance from our nation’s capital is Rock Harbor Golf Course. Aptly named as exhibited by its abundance of limestone peering from its centuries-old domicile to lay grasp of the brightness of the Shenandoah sky only to await amongst the miles of lush greenery throughout the course.

Rock Harbor designer and builder Denny Perry, president of the Stuart M. Perry, Inc. owners and operators of the stone quarry adjacent to the golf course, took advantage of the excess burdens of the excavations and the availability of the heavy equipment that would usually be warranted for any undertaking of this type and started the quest.
A quest that began as an idea to build an alternative golf course, alternative to the existing private club and the nearby public offerings. The late Micky Perry, (Denny’s dad) envisioned utilizing a portion of the family farm together with some surrounding area and erect a golf course. After a fashion, and a few renderings of the course layout that notion was quickly coming to life.

Yet fate intervened and before any groundbreaking was to commence, the property where Rock Harbor sits became available to purchase. Perfect! What better location!

The stone quarry adjacent needed a buffer zone so as to protect the neighboring communities from the going concern of the quarry’s mining operations and why then would you have a piece of property just sit and not actually work for you. And that sir is the birth of the blues. And so upwards and onwards, Denny mounted his trusted steed, otherwise known as his tracked loader continued with determination and grit so long associated with the legendary Paul Bunyan and his faithful companion Babe, the blue ox.

From well within the deep recesses that which had been a long while nestled in the fertile imagination of his mind now was beginning to take the shape of actuality. Millions of yards (over five million, to be sure) of earth and rock and years of toil and sweat; not to mention the thousands of cigars, Denny shaped, molded and sculpted out of the soggy, swampy, rocky terrain to now finally unveil a beautiful piece of artwork. A transformation of one’s imaginative prowess into a majestic 36 hole layout ever to be conceived and the best part is that it sits right here, right here in our very own backyard.

Whereas you would have had to travel far to be able to play a course that offers the kind of fun, challenge and vistas are now available in such a short distance from D.C., Baltimore, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and of course the surrounding Shenandoah Valley region. Here where the plethora of eye-catching ponds and streams meandering around and through both courses, a featured island green as well as an elevated tee to a par three which promotes the serenity of the surrounding scenery that is reflective of the valley itself.

To the rock and boulders that present not only the natural terrain of the region but also act as possible obstacles to the delight of your fellow competitors. Each hole presents a unique adventure of golf where the emphasis is not so much the length and oh yes there’s length, but rather the opportunity to think and plan your way around the course also known as strategy.

We here at Rock Harbor await your decision to treat yourself to a fun-filled day in Winchester. Be sure to bring your group and exchange the day’s “war” stories over a few cool ones at the Rock Harbor Grill. Give us a call and book your tee time and play a course to remember.

 

ROCK HARBOR IS FOR GOLF LOVERS.

Visit Us

365 Rock Harbor Drive
Winchester, VA 22602
Toll Free: 866-273-1934
Local: 540-722-7111
Fax: 540-722-1139