HOT SPRINGS, Va. – Our return to the Omni Homestead Resort & Spa was long overdue. We first visited in 2014, and a lot has changed at America’s first resort since then.
Eleven years ago our report was all about golf, and that was appropriate. Homestead was where the legendary Sam Snead first started playing golf. He had worked at the resort’s Cascade course, one of the best layouts in the country, and its other 18-holer, dubbed The Old Course, offered an historic photo op. The No. 1 hole is the longest continuous first hole in American golf. That’s still the case.
Four years after our first visit Homestead began a massive restoration. That was understandable, as Homestead dates back to 1766. That’s 10 years before the birth of the United States.
Twenty-four of the 47 sitting U.S. Presidents have visited Homestead, starting with the first one. George Washington passed through the area as early as 1755. Thomas Jefferson, the third president, loved the hot springs, which he felt alleviated his problems with “rheumatism.’’
The first president to play golf there was William McKinley in 1899. William Howard Taft, one of the most avid golfers among the early presidents, had a three-month stay in 1908. Another, Woodrow Wilson, played there with his second wife while they were there on their honeymoon. The last to visit was George W. Bush in 2015, a stay in which he played both the Cascades and Old Course. The Homestead has always been rich in history.
In recent years, though, it has undergone a restoration that’s been priced at $170 million. Starting in 2018, the restoration touched most every phase of the resort from the Great Hall to the guest rooms to the bath houses, and the transformation has been impressive.
The 483-room resort has a two-acre water park, eight restaurants, skiing facilities for winter guests and equestrian activities. More unusual amenities include axe-throwing, falconry, shooting club, fly-fishing and Cascade Gorge hikes — which are particularly popular.
While it is old, historic and big (spanning over 2,000 acres), the Homestead is also beautiful throughout. A National Historic Landmark, the restoration meticulously revitalized the grandeur from its rich past.
As for the golf, it was touched only minimally in the restoration. The pro shop at The Old Course was moved and down-sized a bit and the historic first tee area was expanded and the commemorative marker upgraded. It’s a favorite for golf history buffs.
The tee was part of an original six-hole course in 1892 and it wasn’t touched when the course was expanded to nine holes in 1896. Architect Donald Ross later redesigned the course in 1913 to create 18 holes and Rees Jones refined his work in 1994. The original No. 1, however, has always remained the starting hole.
Cascades, designed by William S. Flynn, has also had a centennial, having opened in 1924. It’s a championship course regularly ranked among the country’s top public courses. It will host the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Sept. 13-18 this year and the men’s U.S. Senior Amateur in 2029. After those events the course will have been the site of 10 U.S. Golf Association national championships. Only 11 courses have hosted more than that.
Snead was a fixture at Cascades when he was developing his extraordinary golf skills. He worked at the Old Course starting in 1929, then moved to Cascades as the head professional until becoming a touring pro in 1934.
His namesake restaurant, located near the resort but not part of Homestead, was closed several months ago. Snead also moved his base to the nearby Greenbrier Resort eventually, but Homestead’s resort address is still on Sam Snead Highway.
“Yes, he went to Greenbrier,’’ said Anthony Pusey, a fourth generation Homestead staffer who is now Maitre d’ of the Great Hall. “But we still say he’s ours.’’
Lee Peery, who grew up in Hot Springs and has worked at the Cascades for 45 years, has written a book — “The Cascades…If Only The Greens Could Talk’’ – and it includes more than a few anecdotes from Snead’s years spent there. As soon as we left the resort we ordered the book. Can’t wait to read it.
