Our Story

"I want to tell you how enthusiastic I am about your property." So writes Robert Trent Jones, Sr. in a 1973 letter to the owner of the land.  In the late 1960s, the City of Manassas bought the land to the 300-foot elevation level around what is now Lake Manassas and built a dam on Broad Run to provide drinking water for the city.  Jones first saw the area as he happened to fly over it when looking at another potential golf course. He was so taken by the beauty of this site that he decided he just had to build a magnificent golf course on the property.

Robert Trent Jones, Sr. has been called the "father of modern golf course architecture". He designed his own golf course architecture program at Cornell University before any such program existed and was the first to use many modern design and construction techniques. Through a long career he built and remodeled over 450 courses in the US and throughout the world.  Jones considered Robert Trent Jones Golf Club his masterpiece and envisioned a championship course that would provide a retreat in the Washington DC area dedicated to golf.  Course construction started in 1988, and the golf course formally opened in April 1991. "The terrain is aesthetically perfect," Jones said. "I don't think we could have done anything better anywhere."

Home to the first four Presidents Cup tournaments in the United States, the vision for the Club was crafted by its founding Trustees who insisted every detail of the facility and service be first-class. To this day Members and their guests enjoy the fruits of the founders' vision, The RTJ Experience, every time they visit the Club and it never gets old.

Lake Manassas is integral to the experience. It captivates you when you first step outside the clubhouse, and it soothes your soul as you walk the magnificent course. The lake and course provide an incredibly serene setting that is complemented by the way Members and their guests are treated from the moment they enter the property until they leave. One can truly relax and enjoy themselves as they escape the outside world.  While the lake is the visual centerpiece with most of the back nine running adjacent to it, only on the par-three 11th hole must the player hit across the lake. We are a golf club in the truest sense - there are no tennis courts, no pool, and the Members are passionate about the game of golf and respectful of its traditions.  It is elegant and at the same time relaxed - feel the magnificence of the surroundings, unwind and enjoy uninterrupted time with friends.