All Around Ashburn: Go for Golf at Brambleton

If you have ever taken up a new sport as an adult, you know that it can be intimidating. There's an anxiety stemming from the irrational thought that you should know more than you do. I played lots of sports growing up and in college, but I'd never golfed, so when my husband said he thought we should try golf together, I panicked. It was like the first time I went to a dinner party and saw too much silverware. What do you do with all those forks?

Luckily, Ashburn has some great options for a new golfer, and my favorite location is Brambelton Golf Course. It's a public course with a friendly staff, and some really pretty holes with interesting hazards and nice views.

We started out at the driving range with lessons from Tom Buckley, an affable and patient instructor. Tom got us started on the basics and showed me that just like all those forks, there's really one main club you can practice with first. Tom also encouraged us to play on the actual golf course. The first time out, it was daunting. Sometimes there are people behind you who can actually hit the ball the first time they swing at it. But you can offer to let them “play through” (pass you). We also play late afternoon or evenings—it's less expensive, and as one of the last groups, there's less pressure that you're holding up other players. 

Although my husband and I had envisioned a sport that would allow us to spend more time together, we've found that with his slice and my hook, we spend a lot of time on opposite sides of the fairway hunting for our balls. But we're getting better, and at least we can ride the golf cart together.