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Developer Reef Capital Partners (REEF) recently unveiled the new golf clubhouse at Cutalong at Tributer Resort on Lake Anna, VA, in a grand opening that establishes the heart of what the developers envision as one of the nation’s most sought-after golf resort communities.

When it opens, Cutalong at Tributer Resort will combine championship-caliber golf and resort amenities with luxury villas and cottages.

Celebratory remarks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

REEF has already invested more than $85 million dollars in the project and plans to invest another $25 million more in the next 18 months, providing the financial strength to advance development and deliver on its long-term vision.

By completing the amenity and infrastructure improvements, the developers say these foundational investments not only accelerate growth but also position Cutalong as a transformative economic and cultural driver for the region.

New Golf Clubhouse Sets the Tone

The new clubhouse at Cutalong at Tributer Resort.

As the first building to open from the Reef team’s vision, the golf clubhouse sets the tone for the community with panoramic course views and luxurious spaces for socializing.

Alongside the clubhouse golf shop is Coopers Restaurant—a tribute to one of Louisa County’s largest historic mines, the Allah Cooper Mine, which is located at the site of the golf course.

From this newly opened hub, the resort development will further unfold into a planned community that blends luxury living with the natural beauty of the lake.

Coming to Cutalong at Tributer Resort in 2026

The golf course at Cutalong at Tributer Resort, VA.

The day’s event also marked the groundbreaking of the first phase of the community’s luxury Villas and Cottages. These residences will provide ownership opportunities and will also make ‘Stay & Play’ reservations available for discovery experiences beginning summer 2026.

The resort’s amenity program, which will include sport courts and wellness center, was also launched.

Together, these milestones go a long way toward what the developers say is their goal of establishing Cutalong at Tributer Resort on Lake Anna as one of the nation’s most desirable golf communities.

The second great contraction in the number of golf courses in the United States has officially ended, according to the National Golf Foundation (NGF).

After declining for 17 years (2006 to the present) for a net loss of about 2,200, 18-hole equivalent golf courses, or roughly 13% of the world’s richest national supply, the bleeding has stopped. That’s the sad tally.

However, the good news is that over that same period 550+ new 18-HEQ courses opened and the steep decline has ended. And in addition to the new courses:

1,500+ reconstructions and/or major renovations were completed
250+ golf courses were ‘resurrected’

Reynolds Lake Oconee, GA, for one example, will add nine more holes of golf to bring the community’s total to 126. The new nine will be built by Tom Fazio who will add the holes to his existing “Bluff nine” on The National course to create an entirely new 18-hole layout.

Only Pinehurst, SC, has more holes (171) and that resort community will up its total to 189 when it opens its No. 10 course next year.

Reynolds Lake Oconee & Tom Fazio are adding nine new holes.

Two Great Contractions, Three Major Expansions

Only twice in the history of golf in the United States has there been a sustained contraction in golf course supply. One period coincided with The Great Depression and the other (today’s) began with the implosion of the real estate market and was supercharged by The Great Recession.

In contrast, there have been three periods of sustained expansion of supply: the 1920s, 1960s and 1990s.

The Roaring Twenties, a period of affluence and aspirations, saw a steady increase in the number of private golf clubs catering to the Jay Gatsby’s of the time.

The Sixties, known mostly for its counterculture mien, saw the democratization of golf, when demand from a growing middle class drove the development of public courses across the nation.

Finally, there was the Nineties Golf Boom, fueled by real estate development and entrepreneurs trying to cash in on golf.

It took a World War to pull the nation out of the Depression and the post-war prosperity of the Industrial Era to end golf’s first contraction. The second ended due to the pandemic and the need for distanced social activity for which golf is ideally suited.

Golf’s Second Resurrection

With all the attention paid to year-over-year golf course closures during the recent contraction, it’s understandable that some observers characterized this recent retreat as a ‘death knell’ for golf. The NGF and other golf adherents have always seen it differently.

If you look at golf supply objectively, and with a longer view, it’s clear golf is in a better place today than it was when the current ‘supply correction’ began, says the NGF.

In addition, all the course reconstructions and ‘resurrections’ are not reported as new course development by NGF, even though a number of these are so comprehensive that, in essence, they’re entirely new courses.

A prime example is the former West Palm Beach Municipal Course. It closed in 2018 after falling into disrepair and condos were in its future. But the facility reopened this spring as a golf park at the city-owned site. It was overhauled by Gil Hanse and is operating on a non-profit basis by the PGA of America, breathing new life into the city game.

Good for the Game & Golf Business

So, the NGF says that now when someone asks you if golf is going to survive, tell them the supply contraction we’ve just gone through was necessary and good for the game and business of golf.

Provide the context that golf had added almost 5,000 18-HEQ over the 20 years leading up to the correction, and from a long-term perspective, the “sport is now net positive in supply.”

The NGF also points out that in addition to an improved supply/demand balance, there is a higher quality supply of courses and the courses are, overall, in better financial shape than ever.

And in another positive trend for the future of golf, more than 1,000 off-course facilities, such as golf entertainment and simulator venues, are drawing new participants to the game. The future of the game is looking bright, indeed.

Editor’s Note: Information and statistics cited herein are provided by the National Golf Foundation. The entire original article, written by the NGF’s Joe Beditz, can be found here.