The Waterfront Country Club
Moneta, Bedford County, Virginia · Smith Mountain Lake golf market
- Access
- membership optional
- Holes
- 18
- Architect(s)
- George Dillon (Fazio Group)
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The Waterfront Country Club is the original golf anchor of Smith Mountain Lake: its front eight holes and 18th opened in 1981 (planning dates to 1977), with the back nine added in 1984, making it the oldest operating club at the lake and the namesake of The Waterfront, the first country-club-centered residential community built at Smith Mountain Lake. The private, par-71 course was designed by George Dillon of the Fazio Group and sits on 750 acres with 8.5 miles of shoreline, tight tree-lined fairways, and water in play on nearly every hole. A 2021 fairway restoration converted the course to Zeon Zoysia grass, and the club's 22,000-square-foot clubhouse (recently renovated) houses a fitness center, pro shop, and a bar/lounge overlooking the 18th green. The club's access model is a genuine, if nuanced, barrier-to-entry case: golf is private, not open to the public, and requires a real application plus initiation fee and prorated dues -- but that membership path is explicitly open to any prospective member living in or around Smith Mountain Lake, not gatekept to Waterfront residents alone. A buyer purchasing a home in The Waterfront community does not receive club membership as part of the transaction, and a buyer living at, say, Water's Edge or elsewhere on the lake is not excluded from joining. This is the specific nuance a golf-oriented buyer should understand precisely rather than assume from the club's name and its residential setting.
Golf & Course
The Waterfront's course is a classic early-1980s Fazio Group design (George Dillon), built in two phases -- the front eight plus the 18th in 1981, the balance of the back nine in 1984 -- reflecting its status as the first course built specifically for a residential community at Smith Mountain Lake. It plays to a par of 71 across 750 acres with substantial water exposure on nearly every hole and tight, tree-lined corridors typical of the era's parkland-style design. A full fairway restoration to Zeon Zoysia grass was completed in 2021.
Membership & Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Golf at The Waterfront requires private-club membership -- it is not a public or resort-guest facility. The club offers three membership paths (Golf, Full Family, and Social), and joining requires an application, an initiation fee, and prorated dues, per the club's own member-application materials. The key access nuance for a homebuyer: this application process is open both to residents of The Waterfront community itself and to Smith Mountain Lake residents living elsewhere -- membership is not bundled automatically into a Waterfront home purchase, and it is not restricted to Waterfront homeowners either. A conflicting, older piece of developer documentation suggests some original lots may carry a membership-related closing obligation; a buyer should confirm this directly for any specific property rather than assume either the fully-open or fully-bundled framing applies.
Living in The Waterfront Country Club
The Waterfront residential community spans the club's 750 acres and 8.5 miles of shoreline, with custom single-family homes, townhomes, and condominiums. Reported price entry points run from the low $120,000s for condos/townhomes to the $320,000s and up for single-family homes, spanning a wide range of buyer budgets for a lake-golf community.
Lifestyle & Amenities
Beyond golf, the clubhouse (22,000 square feet, recently renovated) offers a fitness center, pro shop, and a bar/lounge overlooking the 18th hole. Other specific club amenities (pool, tennis, marina) were not independently confirmed this session and should be verified directly with the club.
Location & Surrounding Area
The Waterfront sits on the Bedford County side of Smith Mountain Lake near Moneta, in the same broader lake corridor as The Water's Edge Country Club (Penhook), Copper Cove Golf Club (Hardy), and Mariners Landing (Huddleston). Some sources also associate the club with the neighboring Wirtz, VA area (Franklin County) -- confirm the precise county line for any specific address.
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What Buyers Should Verify
- Confirm current initiation fee and dues directly with the Membership Director (published pricing was not found).
- Confirm whether any specific lot/phase within The Waterfront carries a legacy deed-based membership obligation, per the older developer member-application document found.
- Confirm whether the club/community is considered part of Bedford County (Moneta) or Franklin County (Wirtz) for a specific address -- sources used both place names.
- Confirm gated status and full amenity list (pool, tennis, marina) directly with the club.
Notable
- The oldest club at Smith Mountain Lake -- holes opened in 1981, with the back nine completed in 1984.
- Designed by George Dillon of the Fazio Group on 750 acres with 8.5 miles of shoreline.
- A full 2021 fairway restoration converted the course to Zeon Zoysia grass.
- Membership is open by application to both Waterfront residents and Smith Mountain Lake residents living elsewhere -- not a residents-only club.
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US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.