Les Helmuth

Executive Director, Virginia Golf Course Reviews

7 Handicap

The first round of golf I played was with the Eastern Mennonite University Alumni Association golf tournament in the spring of 1979. I was the host as the alumni director at the time. For the next 20 years, I played mostly organized charity tournaments for the schools and organizations I worked for. In 2001, I was invited to plan a trip to America’s Home of Golf – Pinehurst, NC. That trip sparked a new level of interest in the game. That year I scheduled the following courses: Hyland Golf, Little River, The Pit and Whispering Pines. While The Pit no longer exists, it had a significant impact on my interest in the game. The sandhills golf game was different from what he’d experienced in the Shenandoah Valley. This course was a links style course with large bunkers, and narrow fairways leading to the greens.

Since that first round of golf in 1979, I’ve hosted over 150 golf outings and charity events, playing more than 1000 rounds of golf in the last twenty years.   

My favorite courses: The Cascades, Tobacco Road (NC), Ballyhack, Royal New Kent and Torrey Pines (CA). I made my first trip to Scotland in August of 2021 – and now can add The Old Course at St Andrews, Muirfield, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Dunbar, North Berwick and Dumbarnie to the list favorites. 

My first scratch game happened at Cliff View Golf & Inn (Covington, VA) in October, 2021. I am the administrator of a 35-member C’ville Birdie Busters, an online golf club, am part of the organizing team for a golf association affiliated with Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, and the annual VMRC Golf Benefit in Honor of Diane Weaver – which has raised over $2 million for Memory Care at VMRC.

I started Virginia Golf Course Reviews in May 2021 to 1) Highlight the best of golf in Virginia; 2) Highlight the gems of golf regionally that likely won’t make the top 50 best courses in Virginia, but deserve to be highlighted for their own special, unique reasons; 3) give average golfers an opportunity to contribute to the growing excitement of the game of golf by reviewing and providing feedback to the golf courses in Virginia.

Our Members

Greg Weaver – 15 Handicap

John Brocato – 17 Handicap

Greg Hayden – 13 Handicap

Corey Moore – 10 Handicap

Stacy Shiflet – 10 Handicap

Dave Richards – 16 Handicap

Gordon Weirich – 8 Handicap

Bob Barry – 15 Handicap

Parker Gallagher – 21 Handicap

Douglas Luccio – 19 Handicap

Ron Morse – 11 Handicap

Bucky Reynolds – 10 Handicap

Jeff Souder – 12 Handicap

Ryan Wiggins – 13 Handicap

James Blakely – 16 Handicap

Craig Miller – 12 Handicap

Junior Rush – 15 Handicap

Curtis Wood – 14 Handicap

Kim Earle – 30 Handicap

Michelle Bowling – 36 Handicap

Chad Bowling – 14 Handicap