Solheim Cup Course Guide: Robert Trent Jones Golf Club Factfile

The Solheim Cup makes a quick return just 12 months after that epic 14-14 tie at Finca Cortesin in Spain as the event moves to even numbered years to avoid a clash with the Ryder Cup.

Both captains remain in place for the quick rematch, and from Spain we move to Gainesville in Virginia with Robert Trent Jones Golf Club hosting this clash between Team USA and Europe.

So what will the course have in store for the players at the 19th Solheim Cup? Well let's take a look at the main aspects and the history of Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.

Solheim Cup Course Location

Located in Gainesville, Virginia, Robert Trent Jones Golf Club is situated just 35 miles west of the American captial Washington D.C - making for easy access for both domestic and international visitors.

Despite being so close to D.C, there's a serene atmosphere around the course thanks to its positioning alongside the banks of Lake Manassas, which plays a part not only in the visual aspect but also the playability of the course.

Design

“The terrain is aesthetically perfect. I don't think we could have done anything better anywhere." Those were the words of renowned designer Robert Trent Jones Sr himself after the course was opened in April 1991.

Coming from a man who constructed and updated over 450 courses all over the world that's high praise indeed - and to put his name and that description on this one means that he really felt this was his masterpiece.

Lake Manassas is an integral feature of the design, with the course clinging around the shore and offering magnificent views of the water on almost all of the back nine.

Imposing clubhouse

The huge Georgian-style clubhouse resembles more of a stately home than a golf course clubhouse, and it dominates from an elevated position above the layout.

It fits in perfectly with the presidential image the course and the designer wanted to portray, with Jones being responsible for installing a putting green at the White House for President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954.

For the Solheim Cup, the clubhouse will serve as a commanding backdrop for not only the golf but also the opening and closing ceremonies.

Previous tournaments

This is the first time the Solheim Cup will be staged at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club but it's no stranger to team golf events - having previously held four Presidents Cups.

Whether due to its location near Washington, the fact four presidents have served as honorary chairmen of the club or just the sheer quality of the course, it became the home of the tournament in the USA.

It staged the first two USA vs International Team meetings and four of the first six, hosting the event in 1994, 1996, 2005 and 2005 - all of which the home side won.

It has also been a host for the PGA Tour as well, staging the 2015 Quicken Loans National, won by Troy Merritt.

Course

A par 72 which measures up at 7473 yards off the gold tees it's a traditional card with two par threes and two par fives on each nine, with the front side being 133 yards longer if all holes are played to the card length.

Being situated on the banks of Lake Manassas, naturally water is a big feature, although only on the par-three 11th do players hit directly over the lake. 

The par-three fourth is another short hole over water, but this time it's a man-made pond and not the actual lake itself.

Generally there's an out-and-in route to the course, with the front nine on the inside and most of the back nine having the lake running either down the side or just over the back of the green, a few of which are outcrops into the lake - aesthetically magnificent but always with an element of danger for approach shots not on target.

With that imposing clubhouse standing over the first tee and along the 18th, there will be tremendous visuals at the Solheim Cup, especially at the first tee where the great lawn near the clubhouse will create a superb backdrop and a crowd of 2,000 can pack in to watch the most nervy first tee shot in women's golf.