Cavalier at Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club

Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club sits on elevated ground in Virginia Beach, where Charles Banks designed the course in 1928 during his brief but productive independent career following his partnership with Seth Raynor. The layout occupies rolling terrain above the Chesapeake Bay, with the land's natural movement providing the foundation for Banks's strategic design. The course reflects the template-influenced approach Banks learned from Raynor, featuring bold bunkering, pronounced greens, and holes that reward thoughtful positioning over pure distance.

The routing takes advantage of the property's topography, with several holes playing across or along ridges that create elevation changes and varied perspectives. The greens exhibit the characteristic size and internal contour that define Golden Age architecture from this era, demanding precise approach play and careful reading on the putting surfaces. Banks incorporated his mentor's principles while developing his own design voice during this period, and Cavalier represents his work in the Mid-Atlantic region during the final years of the 1920s boom in American golf course construction.

The club has served Virginia Beach's golfing community for nearly a century, maintaining its position as one of the area's established private clubs. The course has undergone periodic updates over the decades to address maintenance practices and playing standards, though the fundamental routing and strategic character remain rooted in Banks's original design. The property's coastal Virginia setting provides a temperate climate that supports year-round play.