Olde Mill at Olde Mill Resort

Olde Mill occupies a mountain setting in Laurel Fork, Virginia, a small community in the southwestern part of the state near the North Carolina border. The course was designed by Ellis Maples, a North Carolina-based architect who worked extensively across the mid-Atlantic and Southeast during the mid-to-late twentieth century. Maples, who trained under his uncle Donald Ross and later collaborated with Willard Byrd, developed a reputation for routing courses sensitively through rolling and mountainous terrain, often incorporating natural elevation changes and wooded corridors into his designs.

The layout at Olde Mill reflects the topography characteristic of this Appalachian region, with holes routed through forested hillsides and across varying elevations. Maples typically favored strategic bunkering and greens that rewarded thoughtful approach play, and his work in mountain settings often required golfers to manage uneven lies and account for elevation changes in club selection. The course serves as the centerpiece of a resort property, providing access to visitors alongside any membership component.

The surrounding landscape offers views typical of the Virginia highlands, with dense hardwood forests and seasonal color changes that define the region's visual character. Courses in this part of Virginia tend to emphasize a quieter, more secluded golf experience compared to busier resort destinations, and Olde Mill fits within that tradition of mountain golf in the southern Appalachians.