The Matteson Trail

I have been walking this trail for over 2 years now through a friend of mine. And every time I come here it is a breeze. Definitely a nice start for your day to walk off some carbs. This morning was no different. I met up with some friends and new members of a meetup group I organize here in Hampton Roads. With all of us fully vaccinated, it was a-OK to walk close together and enjoy some nature time (the trail is narrow BTW). If you haven't walked this trail, here's the breakdown. It's basically a 3-mile trail completely paved so you don't have to worry about walking on a muddy path. On occasion, you could be walking while a golf game is present off the Hampton Golf Course with the chances of a golf ball hitting you at 50/50 or you could just see some spare balls on the side of the trails or in trees. Also, you could see some live creatures along the way like we did.During our trail, we happened to come across two Muscovy ducks, one black and one white. My take is they were a couple. I may have seen ducks like these when I was little at the zoo, but can't remember. Nonetheless, they were too good to just pass by and ignore. Some of us took pics like the two you'll see here. I even took a short video of the two wagging their tails. A great moment along the way.A very good day indeed and for everyone else involved. As always, I'll be back with some friends of mine. Get on your walking shoes and be comfortable.

You know, for a trail that's paved the whole way around, there's a lot of people not hyping up The Matteson Trail and saying it sucks. I don't get it? It's free, you're outdoors, away from cars, people are friendly and say hi, you can watch golfers "golfing" (or trying to) and there's plenty of ground to cover whether you're alone, with a friend or dog.With a minimum of 3 miles you can cover by foot or even on bike, there's plenty of shade along the way to keep you out of direct sunlight during those hot summer days. I'd recommend it if you're looking for somewhere new to run or take the pups for a walk.

Just finished this trail for the first time and I have to say, what an awesome little gem to have here. I have been in VA for the last few weeks and every time I get some time to take my pup out to the dog park or go for a walk, it starts raining or gets really humid of there are thunderstorms and the ground here can get soggy fast. I came here because this was the only fully paved, level trail I could find in the area and I was not disappointed. I got lucky and there was a 90 minute break in the showers which was just enough time for me to leisurely do this trail with my pup stopping along the way to take photos of the great scenery. We saw lots of deer and squirrels, some gorgeous bright pink bushes and greenery and were treated to some cool air force maneuvers (from Langley, I presume). There is lots of shade and there are benches as well in case you need a break. I even got to see some old timers on the golf course make some amazing water shots. It was a lovely afternoon and I hope to do start doing this trail regularly.

I've been golfing in the area for 20 years and this weekend was my first time playing Hamptons. Overall, it was more impressive than I was led to believe.It's a decent sized facility that doesn't reflect too much of what you would expect at a golf course. They have a very basic pro shop. Inside they also have a restaurant but I didn't get the impression it was connected with the golf course operation. I could be wrong.The Hamptons is made up of three 9 hole courses: lakes, woods, and links. I played the lakes and woods course. I didn't find the two courses I played too terribly difficult by their layout but their greens, if they were rolling fast, could be really tough. For a short course that sits around 6,000 yards, you can really add some strokes if you're on the wrong side of the hole... there's lots of undulation. The woods course has some tight tee shots while the lakes has a couple par threes with pretty views because of the lakes they sit on.I enjoyed my round and although I didn't play very well, would be open to returning to try them again. I was also curious about the links course because we don't have much of those around here.

The Matteson Trail, formerly known as The Sentera Track during my childhood, is a great 3-Mile trail to walk/run/bike on through the Hamptons Golf Course! I am not entirely sure when the name change happened, but the trail has been around for as long as I can remember.The trail itself starts on the opposite end of the parking lot you enter at, and ends right by the road leading back into the parking lot. The entire trail is paved with asphalt. You can tell its been repaved sometime in the last 5 or 6 years. The old trail had tons of cracks throughout the whole thing that I used to jump on my roller blades. The newly paved trail is in top shape!The trail leads mainly around the outskirts of the golf course, so you may find a few golf balls along the way! You pass a lake (man-made) and beautiful scenery for a good portion of the trail. The other parts of the trail are in the woods. The first part of the trail goes by the highway, but you eventually trail off from it so you can't hear cars past about .75 miles in. The final stretch of the trail is near the road that leads into the parking lot.It's a great shaded trail in a perfect location! Beautiful views and a great trail overall. Check it out if you're in the area!

My thoughts on the courses, in order of difficulty, with the practice areas reviewed as well.The Lakes - Of the three courses at The Hamptons, this one is the most difficult, especially if you play the ball left to right. On the first two holes the lake is big, bad, and lining the right side of the fairway. If you can hit them straight or draw the ball you're fine. Three is just a long dog leg that will actually reward a slight fade with perfect position and avoiding the worst of the fairway bunkers. Then four is a par three over water that plays dangerously long. The green even slopes back. Club up or hit all of it, because if you don't your ball is going swimming. Five and six are the easiest holes on this course. Five is the best hole to hit a power fade, and even a slice won't ruin your day if you hit it far enough. The tee box on six is in DESPERATE need of resodding, and now that I think of it, a fresh layer of grass wouldn't hurt three's tee box either. Seven is another par three over water. This one even farther than the last par three over water, and all I can say is HIT IT A TON. I put a sleeve of balls into the water determined to carry the pond. If you need to there is a nice little area to lay up down the left side. Eight has one heck of a left to right slope down the first half of the fairway. If you put it on the hill to the left you will probably bounce down to the fairway. If you hit the center of the fairway, you may roll all the way into the water. Then nine is a nice easy right to left par four that's uphill back towards the clubhouse. A great hole to end the round on, as par will keep you "comin back."The Woods - Trees everywhere... This one is the middle of the pack in terms of difficulty, and if you're hitting straight it's probably one of the easiest courses in the area. The club loses a star here SIMPLY on the state of the fairways. I don't expect a muni to be playing like a private club, but the huge trees cause a lack of sun that have several of the fairways in need of some TLC. Holes one, two and three are just simple tee up and head out. No real surprises on any of the first three. Four is a short and simple par three with a big open green. My tee shot landed eight feet from the hole. Holes five, six, and seven all play right to left. Seven is uphill and just a complete pain if you hit a poor drive. You're finally free of the trees on seven though, so a bad hit off the tee box has not sunk your score. You can recover with a good pair of iron shots to the green. Eight is a nice little par three, but the bunkers around the green are positioned to punish the overly ambitious. Then nine is back up to the club house. This hole will make you regret a poor drive, so if you hit the three wood better I recommend pulling it out of the bag.The Links - A Scottish style course with rolling hills, tall wavy grass up against a high rough, and bunkers galore. I may have counted wrong, but my tally put the count at just about THIRTY of them. Holes one and two will both reward a nice relaxed drive with a simple wedge to the green. Three is a par three played downhill, that is deceptively short due to the drop. Very easy to stick it into a greenside bunker and push your score up. The day I went out to play the pin was in the back third of the green... I hit the front edge and left myself a LONG putt. I had watched the sprinklers shut off when I arrived at the course, so I know the sand in those shaded bunkers would have been akin to concrete with the ball dropping hard into them from the high tee box. Four is a big par five that double kinks to the left. Five is a short right to left hole that will reward even a slicer with a decent approach shot. Then six is a nice straight shot to let you relax. Hole seven has a neat kink right before the green that will make you play strategic. Then eight is a fantastic par three to keep your confidence high. The final hole on The Links is a nice easy right to left par four that plays well. Definitely the easiest course to play out of the three.The Range, Chipping, and Putting Green - The driving range is spartan... It is set in the back of the course, but the starter will get you a cart and have someone show you the way if you're unfamiliar. A grass hitting area with flags at 75, 125, and 175 yards. Space for six or seven golfers tops, but I have never seen more than four people there at once. It's also the cheapest range that I know of in the area. The putting green is MASSIVE, and right out front. The chipping area has both an area to chip and a bunker to hit out of. My only complaint about the chipping area is the lack of a substantive green to hit. I like the ability to hit out of a bunker towards a flag, but not having a green to see where the ball will stop it's roll out is less beneficial.

I have played this course probably sixty times over tweenty years. It is a fun course for the money. If you want a higher class fo to the golden horse shoe.

Woods and or the Lakes courses play well. The Links course is tuff for any major slicers. Great public golf facility.

This is a good public golf course. Three very different 9 hole courses keeps it interesting.