Mix star-gazing with playing golf, tree-climbing and more at Primland in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia

MEADOWS OF DAN, Va. - The truth of the matter is many golf resorts look and feel the same.

Just because you’ve got a good course or two, a nice restaurant, serviceable accommodations and a spa doesn’t make for a memorable golf vacation. It’s always nice to discover a place with something different and unique.

That experience came last night at Primland, a gorgeous luxury lodge hidden in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia near the North Carolina border. The lodge (pictured above), which opened in the fall of 2009, features a silo-like structure on one corner of the building that houses the pro shop on the first floor, all-glass presidential suites in the middle and an Observatory Dome on top. Starmaster Scott Martin took us on a “Tour of the Universe” last night, showing a group of about 20 guests the wonders of outer space through a high-powered Celestron CGE Pro 1400 series telescope. Thanks to the clear skies, we saw galaxies colliding and supernovas millions of light years away. Every time the retractable roof was moved into a new position, the noise would get the children in the crowd all excited. The second half of the program involved heading outside for a star-walk, but after a full day of travel, I went and crashed into the comforts of my spacious suite.

As good as the views were last night, they didn’t even compare to the scenery I saw today playing the Highland course, designed by Donald Steel. The 7,053-yard course sits high atop the mountain. Some holes don’t just fall off into a valley. They fall off edges for hundreds of feet, showcasing soaring views, especially along the back nine. This dramatic terrain (see photo below) makes for a difficult course, but Steel made fairways wide enough and huge greens to keep it playable.

Primland’s got a great mix of other outdoor programs to keep guests happy, like geo-caching, clay shooting, horse-back riding, kayaking, mountain biking and hunting. There’s even tree-climbing. I’ll keep my feet firmly planted on the ground, thank you, but sometimes you can’t help but feeling like you’re soaring at a place as special as this.