Have you yet to play at the historic Langston Golf Course, located just blocks from Capitol Hill? This is a gem within our neighborhood that you don’t want to miss out on. There is no better time to explore all of what Langston has to offer than during the beautiful fall season with the cooler weather and stunning change of autumn leaves.
When Langston opened in 1939, it was a basic nine-hole course. Within about five years, nine more holes were added to complete the course. The course begins moderately, as most courses do, and becomes more challenging as the holes progress.
Have you tried the challenge that Hole 3, and in particular what Hole 10, offers? Hole 3 has the infamous “Joe Lewis tree.” In the last few years the tree hasn’t showed its previous size, but a few years back it was a challenging obstacle to maneuver around, something most people struggled to get past, especially the legendary boxer Joe Lewis.
As for Hole 10, this is one you definitely have to test out for yourself. It is the longest from the tee and has multiple blind spots. First you must clear the water. Upon clearing the water, you aren’t able to see the tee, so you aim for the directional flag kindly placed by Ernie Andrews, a long-time Langston golfer and USGTF teaching professional at Langston Golf Course.
Moving further into the course, Hole 13, located in the back, starts with having to clear a portion of the river. “Many balls have been lost in that water,” chuckled Andrews. From there you can either ride your golf cart or pull your clubs across the bridge to finish off your par.
Though many individuals have rangefinders, the black-and-white poles placed throughout the course measures the distance from the hole to 150 yards out. This provides an idea of what club to utilize, giving a better chance of placing the ball on the green.
And before you get to the end of the course, Hole 17 has a challenging dogleg left. Keeping this in mind will help you be sure to not overshoot or undershoot your swing.
On any given day, you can see groundhogs, geese, bald eagles, foxes, and vultures roaming throughout the course.
At the Langston Grille, pictures of some of the greatest to have golfed at Langston are portrayed on the walls, such as Rafe Botts, Calvin Peete, James Black, and Lee Elder. “These gentlemen helped further pave the way for golfers such as Tiger Woods,” stated Melva Ellis, general manager at Langston Golf Course.
Andrews, who was born and raised in DC, started caddying when he was 10 years old. He has been a part of the interactions between the “great ones” at Langston. After caddying for a short while, he became a junior golfer, went on to play in numerous Capitol City Opens, and continues to show his love for the game as a teaching professional at Langston. Having spent most of his life around Langston Golf Course, he has seen celebrities and local faces challenge themselves on the course, including Mike Tyson, numerous congressmen, and PGA players.
Langston is known for the famous men who have taken on the course, and also for many female golfers too. Wake-Robin is one of the oldest women’s golf clubs on the East Coast, having some of the best female golfers the country has known.
If golfing all 18-holes isn’t of interest to you, the lovely practice area, which was developed in 2001, is a great location to test your putting. Or you can explore the driving range to perfect your swing.
For more information about Langston Golf Course visit https://www.golfdc.com/langston-gc or stop in and say hello to the many friendly faces who would be thrilled to chat with you. Langston is located at 2600 Benning Road NE – next to the Oklahoma Avenue/Benning Road DC Streetcar stop.
Stacy Peterson, MS Human Nutrition & Functional Medicine, CNS, CHHC, CSCS, is a functional nutritionist, holistic health, wellness and strength & conditioning coach practicing whole-foods nutrition and physical training to individuals of all ages on the Hill. She provides an integrative approach, critical to everyone’s healthcare and performance team, helping individuals reach their health goals. For recipes, nutrition ideas, and exercise tips sign up for her monthly newsletter at www.accelerationsports.net. Connect with Stacy by email, stacy@accelerationsports.net, or by calling 805-704-7193 for a free 15-minute consultation, to ask questions and discuss how she can help you achieve your digestion, overall health, and fitness goals.
