Virginia Beach Golf Weekend

Golf Magazine

Battle Arnie and Jack in this military town
By Chris Rodell

Crew cuts outnumber cornrows in this military town on Chesapeake Bay, but it's still a great place for golfers to let their hair down. Virginia Beach is a destination where you might actually want to hit the sand: it has one of the world's longest pleasure beaches-more than 35 miles long-while the 3-mile boardwalk stitches together the lively collection of hotels, taverns and seafood shacks that give the town the feel of your old family-vacation film reels.

Bay Creek Golf Club
Jack Nicklaus course: 7,417 yards, par 72
Arnold Palmer Course: 7204, par 72;
Greens fee: $95
757-331-9000, www.baycreekgolfclub.com

The latest addition to Virginia Beach golf is the Nicklaus course at Bay Creek, which curls along the pristine dunes. Most memorable are the par 3s, the 158-yard fourth and No. 12, a 238-yarder. The back nine is decked out like a prom queen, with thousands of azaleas and indigenous trees lining the lush fairways. The same holds true of the club's older Palmer Course, which is notable for a brutal stretch from Nos. 11 through 13. Pray that your scorecard emerges relatively unscathed from this Amen Corner.

TPC at Virginia Beach
7,432 yards, par 72;
Greens fee: $128
757-563-9440, www.tpc.com

The rap against TPC courses is they're too similar and too expensive. But this one does what all TPC tracks should do but don't: Give amateurs a taste of what it's like to play where the big boys do, without beating them with a big stick.

Fat Guy Research:

Other Places To Play:  Hell's Point, Ocean View, and Cypress Point.

Best Bar Nearby: Golf Magazine recommends Mahi Mah's, a lively saloon and oceanfront dining spot in the Ramada Inn On The Beach, where the raw bar is for real. For karaoke and the beach's biggest dance floor, hit Steppin' Out (600 Nevan Rd, 425-8815). You'd expect to find good Gentlemen's clubs in this military town, so hit Foxy Ladies (1425 Lynnhaven Pkwy ), J.B.'s Gallery Of Girls (1781 VA Beach Blvd), Tailgators Sports Bar & Go-Go (1725 Potters Rd). BEACH BEVERAGES

Zane Lamprey's Drinking Made Easy Guide To Virginia Beach/Norfolk (2010):

A resort city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Beach has miles of beaches and hundreds of hotels, bars and restaurants along its oceanfront. Host to the annual East Coast Surfing Championships, it is also home to several state parks, two universities and holds the Guinness Book of World Records as having the longest pleasure beach in the world. It was the site of the first landing of English colonists who eventually settled Jamestown and now is the largest city in Virginia.

Located in Virginia Beach, Waterman’s Surfside Grille is casual oceanfront restaurant and bar that features live music on the weekends and serves up unique thirst-quenching “cooler” cocktails, like the Waterman, a mix of light and dark rum, coconut rum and juices, and their signature drink, the Original Waterman’s Orange Crush. Claiming to sell more than 20,000 of these drinks a week, each Orange Crush uses one and a half oranges and people come from all over the world to try them.

Orange Crush
Crushed ice
Waterman’s Crush Vodka (vodka infused with oranges)
Freshly squeezed orange juice
Triple Sec
Garnish with an orange slice

Waterman’s Surfside Grille | 415 Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 | (757) 428-3644

A formidable live music venue, Hot Tuna Bar and Grill is located in an unassuming strip mall in the prestigious Shore Drive area. Consistently rated as one of the best bars in Virginia Beach, offering a full menu chock full of local and fresh seafood, it’s a place to see and be seen.

If you’re looking for a place with a great beer and wine selection, look no further than Mahi Mah’s where you can also enjoy live music every night of the week on an outdoor patio overlooking the boardwalk.

Another of the nine cities that constitute the Hampton Roads metro area, bordered to the west by the Elizabeth River and to the north by the Chesapeake Bay, is Norfolk. With an extensive cocktail list Empire Little Bar Bistro also carries several rare beers. Seating only 32, the staples here are moderately priced martinis and tapas. With half the seats overlooking either the bar or the grill, and the other half facing towards Granby Street, there is always plenty to see.

Virginia Pony
Virginia Lightning (4 count)
Ginger Beer
Lime Juice
Ice

Wasabi Martini
Ketel One Vodka (8 count)
Wasabi
Sugar
Lemon Juice
Shake, strain and serve

Empire Little Bar Bistro | 245 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23510 | (757) 626-3100

Where To Grub: For steak, The Black Angus (7th & Atlantic, 428-7700, dinner only) has been a repeat winner of the People's Choice and Best Of the Beach Awards for best local steakhouse. Go tapas and alfresco dining at Atlantic Bistro (910 Atlantic, 422-8774). The Icehouse Restaurant (604 Norfolk Ave, 491-0263) has been a VA Beach landmark since 1910, serving fine food and claiming to have the best ribs on the beach, advertised as 'Almost Oceanfront!', and voted Local's Favorite. The local's choice for pizza is NorthEnd Pizza (3420 Atlantic Ave, 428-2002). Get breakfast at Pocahontas Pancakes (35th & Atlantic, 428-6352). For Italian, Venice (1516 Atlantic Ave, 425-1360) since 1950, features an extensive menu, or Il Giardino Ristorante (910 Atlantic, 757-422-6464, www.ilgiardino.com ) has been named Best Italian Restaurant with fine Italian, seafood, and steak dishes, as well as an open air café, valet parking, and piano bar. Fine dining at Cobalt Grille (1624 Laskin Rd, 757-333-3334). OR, Ralph, of "Ralph's Roadmap for Wings" website, recommends the wings at Lendy's Chicken & Seafood (1581 Gen. Booth Blvd).

The Beaches: The Resort Strip (from 1st to 38th) is the hotspot just off the boardwalk. North End Beach (north of 38th) is where the locals hang, with wider sands and more upscale oceanfront homes, but no public restrooms or public parking lots (on street parking only). Croatan Beach (south of 1st, actual directions are a local's secret) allows surfing all day. The Narrows (at the end of 64th St on Broad Bay) requires a nominal state park fee with a beautiful beach and a boat ramp. Chick's Beach (Shore Dr to First Landing State Park) features two more natural, uncrowded beaches, and views of the bridge-tunnel. Sandbridge (Gen Booth Blvd to Princess Anne Pkwy to Sandbridge Rd to Sandfiddler Rd, look for the water tower) has an "Outer Banks" feel among a private community with lifegaurds, playground, restrooms, and snack bar.

Shopping: Get all your beach gear at 7 area locations of Sunsations (www.sunsationsusa.com), all on Atlantic Ave. Upscale beachwear at Meg's, 307 Laskin Rd). Lynnhaven Mall features all your big name chain staples (I-264 to exit 19A, www.lynnhavenmall.com). Hit the crazy modernist furniture boutique Cool And Eclectic (984 Laskin Rd, www.coolandeclectic.com), they'll ship anywhere in the world. Then get your grrlie's sin on at adult boutique Nancy's Nook (1301 Ocean Blvd, 757-428-1498, open 24 hrs).

Further Distractions: VA Beach Amusement Park (15th & Atlantic, www.vabeachamusementpark.com). Check out the beautiful harborside baseball park in downtown Norfolk for the Norfolk Tides (www.norfolktides.com). The VA Beach Mariners play pro soccer at the VA Beach Sportsplex (www.marinerssoccer.com). Ghost walks (Wed-Sun Mem-Labor from Courtyard By Marriott 25th & Atlantic 8PM, 498-2127, www.histories&haunts.com). Old Cape Henry Lighthouse circa 1791. Nauticus National Maritime Center (www.nauticus.org). Busch Gardens and Water Country USA (www.buschgardens.com) are less than 30 minutes away, as is Colonial Williamsburg (800-HISTORY).

How To Get Around: VA Beach's "VB Wave" bus hits stops all along Atlantic Avenue (www.vbwave.com).

When To Go: Obviously summer is high season. Other cool times to visit might include the Oktober Brewfest (mid-October), or Blues At The Beach (mid-Sept). For the current year's full event schedule, check out www.beacheventsfun.com.