Playing Through: Burke Lake Golf Center

The newly renovated, two-tiered driving range at Burke Lake Golf Center includes 64 lighted stations, 24 of which are covered and heated, open until 11 p.m. all summer. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

A new 12,000-square-foot putting green was just seeded this spring and should be open by the end of the year. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 1: 132 yards from blue tees, 121 from white tees, 99 from red tees** A short, downhill opener, the green slopes left to right and pitched back toward tee box. Given the drop, it plays even shorter than advertised. Stay away from the left edge, which angles down away from the pin. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 2: 168/155/138** Moving uphill, trees guard the green a bit, so the best play is a draw that starts at the edge of the right greenside bunker, especially if the flag is short and left (as it was when we played). (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 3: 113/98/78** Don鈥檛 be fooled by the short yardage 鈥� take the extra club, as the pin can be deceptively deep and this hole moves ever so slightly uphill. (蜜桃视频app/Mike Jakaitis)

**Hole No. 4: 108/90/75** The shortest hole on the course, the only thing to be cognizant of is the tilt of the green, pitching from right to left, which will feed the ball that way. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 5: 192/180/156** A long, downhill tee shot has to be threaded through a canopy of trees, which can be especially tough with a front pin. A gully in front of the green traps shorter shots, but a big putting surface will hold longer ones. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 6: 156/145/131** Like a lot of holes at Burke Lake, elevation change plays a big role. This one plays uphill to a deep, elevated green 鈥� take at least a full extra club from the listed distance. (蜜桃视频app/Mike Jakaitis)

**Hole No. 7: 202/188/168** Similar to No. 5, it鈥檚 a long, downhill tee shot through rows of trees, but a little longer and a little more open. A huge green offers plenty of landing space, but if the pin is in the back left, it sits above a ridge on its own little island. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 8: 139/121/95** Moving slightly uphill, your shot rises to an elevated green, so you have to make sure you don鈥檛 leave your shot short. Steep bunkers line both sides, but the green is fairly wide, so just play to the middle to be safe regardless of the pin. Depth can make a full club or two difference. (蜜桃视频app/Mike Jakaitis)

**Hole No. 9: 138/123/106** A pretty straightforward front-nine finisher heading back to the clubhouse, though the front right of the green may not hold a heavy spin shot. Avoid the right side bunker and you鈥檒l likely have an uphill putt for birdie. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 10: 142/132/119** When we played, they were reseeding the tee box, so we played from a temporary tee box down below, about 100 yards out, where it was tough to find a flat lie. The green slopes up dramatically to the right, which brings the right side bunker into play depending on the pin. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 11: 177/165/147** There is, indeed, water on this course. Trees on the left guard your approach, with the lake to the right, so a draw is perfect to shape the ball around and into the green. The putting slope runs left to right as well, so even a drawn wood should play fairly softly into the putting surface. A lot of pitch in the green means you have to be fearless with your putts. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 12: 200/182/162** The longest hole on the course also has a small green and a big, left front side bunker, giving it the No. 1 overall rating. It鈥檒l play a true 215 moving up the hill, so plan accordingly. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 13: 159/144/124** Another fairly tight window down the hill leads to a wider green, which pitches back toward the tee box. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 14: 159/145/125** An uphill shot leads to a wide green 鈥� if the pin is tucked left, it鈥檚 another good draw hole. If you鈥檙e short, it鈥檒l be a blind chip from below, so make sure you walk up to see what鈥檚 available to you. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 15: 141/129/102** The canopy of trees appears a bit taller on 15, but it’s not quite as tight of a shot as some of its predecessors. Slightly downhill to a decently wide green, you can be aggressive with a right-side pin placement. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Signature Hole** **Hole No. 16: 191/179/156** Your drive takes you over the fountain, uphill to a very small green on the most picturesque and one of the toughest holes on the course. A back left bunker is hidden from the tee box, but will catch long shots that fail to hold the putting surface. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 17: 137/122/102** A shorter-than-the-yardage, downhill shot to a big green, stay out of the bunker and you鈥檒l leave yourself a fairly readable putt. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

**Hole No. 18: 157/143/123** For the uphill finisher, bunkers flank both sides of the green. Don鈥檛 be afraid to pull an extra club to make sure you reach the putting surface. (蜜桃视频app/Noah Frank)

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FAIRFAX STATION, Va. — We鈥檝e had a rainy spring, so it鈥檚 understandable if you鈥檝e had trouble getting fully into your golf groove now that warmer weather is here. But every new season offers the chance to actually patch up the holes in your (short) game and take the next step toward that lower number. That鈥檚 what places like Burke Lake are here for.

With a newly refinished, two-tier driving range, a new practice bunker, and an 18-hole par 3 course, Burke Lake Golf Center gives plenty of opportunity to improve. It鈥檚 right there in the name — 鈥済olf center.鈥� It鈥檚 more than just the course, and the focus has been shifted toward those other facilities.

Before the renovation, roughly 60 percent of the business came from the course itself, but that鈥檚 shifted to almost 70 percent coming from the range, according to general manager Lewis Musolf. That emphasis on practice facilities was part of the county鈥檚 plan, and it鈥檚 paid off. During the summer, the range is open until 11 p.m. each night, offering a rare later-evening option after work.

The course itself offers a fair amount of variety, for a Par 3 offering. Ranging from just over 100 yards to over 200, uphill and down, its biggest challenge is its narrowness, with a couple of spare bunkers and a single water hazard tossed in.

鈥淭he big draw here is that, being a Par 3, it鈥檚 a short course,鈥� said Musolf. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not intimidating to beginners.鈥�

Just to be clear, that doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 easy, per se. Several holes play 200+ yards from the blue tees, and you really can鈥檛 afford to mishit too many of your irons off the tee and expect to scramble your way to pars.

鈥淣ot too many people come out here and shoot even par,鈥� Musolf said.

Obviously, we weren鈥檛 the exceptions to the rule.

There are no motorized carts, and therefore no cart service, so be prepared to walk up and down the hills (they took Jake out 鈥� we may be on Playing Through hiatus for a while). So enjoy this one 鈥� and go practice!

Jake鈥檚 Take

I love Par 3 courses because they鈥檙e a great way to work on your irons and short game. At Burke Lake, you can use most of the clubs in your bag. The course has a lot of hills, so if you have a swollen knee 鈥� like I did, you may want to wait until you are fully healed before playing. That being said, this is an ideal course for the recreational golfer, because you realize what is costing you strokes. With me, I need a lot of work pitching and chipping 鈥� specifically I鈥檓 awful under 100 yards from the pin. Here鈥檚 a tip: if you like to play in the water and you splash your tee shot on No. 11, like me, use the drop zone. I didn鈥檛 and it cost me. It鈥檚 also a good opportunity to practice a decent pitch to the green. If you need to work on your short and intermediate game or a beginner, Burke Lake is a course you should check out.

Dates and Rates

Open year-round except Christmas Day

Weekday, 18 holes before/after 1 p.m.: $22/$19

Weekday, 9 holes before/after 1 p.m.: $16/$14

Weekend, 18 holes before 1 p.m./1-5 p.m./after 5 p.m.: $27/$24/$22

Weekend, 9 holes before 1 p.m./1-5 p.m./after 5 p.m.: $20/$18/$16

Specials

Junior rates: $14.30 for 18 holes, $10.40 for 9 holes

Offseason rates (mid-December to mid-March): $22 for 18 holes, $16 for 9 holes

Range passes: 20 tokens, $77; 40 tokens, $140

Food/Drink

Newly renovated restaurant serves food, as well as beer and wine. Elevated dining room overlooks both the course and the range.

Pace of Play

We finished our round in right about 3 hours flat, with nobody in front of us

Dress Code

Casual, collar preferred but not required

Directions

Located at 6915 Ox Road, Fairfax Station, Virginia. From the Beltway, take Interstate 95 south to the VA 289 E exit and continue to Fairfax County Parkway. Turn left onto State Route 643, then right onto VA 123 and the course will be on your right.

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