Ballyhack’s Par 3 Course: The Goat Trak
The Par 3 Contest at the Masters is one of the tournament’s most cherished traditions—a blend of friendly competition, stress relief, and family fun.
Did you know Dormie Network has its own similar experience? At Ballyhack Golf Club, our mountainous course in Roanoke, Virginia, the Goat Trak offers a fun and unique par 3 course. Since its debut in 2020, the Goat Trak has quickly become a favorite alternative round for members and guests.
You might be wondering: Why the name? But if you've had the pleasure of visiting Ballyhack, you’ll understand. The course is home to a hardworking team of African Boer goats. These four-legged groundskeepers help maintain the landscape while providing us with a cute mascot for the club.
To protect the integrity of Lester George’s 2009 design, the architect himself visited Ballyhack to help select Goat Trak tee box locations, so they fit the natural lay of the land and accommodate the existing greens.
Zeon Zoysia tee boxes are tucked away into the natives out of view from the main course, showcasing views and game strategy not typically experienced on the course’s traditional routing.
Cleverly disguised within the native grasses at Ballyhack, the Goat Trak provides a fun and strategic challenge. The holes range from 40 yards to 150 yards in length and provide a unique angle/approach into the greens that the regulation routing may not provide.
Families have found the Goat Trak to be an amazing alternative to playing the somewhat challenging regulation-length golf course with multiple forced carries, challenging lies, and lightning-fast greens. The Goat Trak however is a fun, fast, extremely family friendly option to enjoy the stunning vista’s while spending valuable time creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Head Golf Pro at Ballyhack Matt Bevan shares, “The Goat Trak is utilized by not only casual evening foursomes, but it also accommodates larger groups intent on settling gambling debts from the previous round, with a range of different formats. Additionally, we have hosted full-field tournament rounds of over 100 players, offering the versatility to create a fun yet competitive round, with less of a time constraint to fit the schedule of the group.”
Ballyhack Hole #13
Ballyhack Hole #15
