Golfing on Virginia's Middle Peninsula - Pt. 4: Speaking with Piankatank Golf Pro Kris Keith

The water holes at Piankatank Golf
Club

It is the rare individual who discovers a talent or hobby at a very young age and gets to pursue it for a living as an adult.

Kris Keith began playing the game of golf at the age of six in his rural hometown of Marion, VA. While serving as a successful athletic endeavor, golf was never at the forefront of Keith’s career goals.

However, his mindset began to change in 2001. Soon after moving to Richmond, Keith found himself working at Second Swing Golf, a now defunct retail store. There, he found his niche as a teacher and club fitter working in the “one-stop shop,” which serviced golfers of all ages and levels.

“I never really thought of golf as a career until 2003,” said Keith, now the head golf pro at Piankatank River Golf Club. Reflecting on his latest career change, he casts a grin and adds, “Golf was a good decision.”

As golf pro, working with a variety of people, one never knows who might come by for a tune-up. In Richmond, Keith recalls one celebrity client.

“Trent Dilfer.” Dilfer is now a football analyst for ESPN, but in early 2001, he was the starting quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, who had just won the Super Bowl over the New York Giants. Getting ready for the offseason banquet and pro/am golf circuits, Dilfer stopped into Second Swing while visiting Virginia. “He needed some tweaks,” said Keith, adding that he spent four hours helping the passer refine his links game.

In 2007, Keith met John and E.G. Fleet, the owners and driving forces behind the Piankatank Golf Club in Hartfield. A brief stint with the Fleet brothers was followed by a return tour, which began in March 2011.

Now 34, Keith is happy with his career trajectory.

“I really have packed a lot into a short period of time.”

Speaking of Piankatank, Keith admires the distinctive nature of his home turf. “From a golf perspective, it is one of the most unique courses anywhere. The atmosphere is not boring.” The course features a number of streams on its front nine, as well as a 110-foot elevation change, while the back nine, which lies closer to its namesake river, is relatively flat. Golf Digest magazine has rated the Piankatank links as a “Best Place to Play.” At 425 acres, it is larger than most golf courses, mainly because there are no parallel fairways, a rarity which falls in line with the Fleet’s original vision. Says co-owner John Fleet, “we did not want to be like the ones (courses) built in the 90’s.”

But it’s more than the Piankatank course that stands out in Keith’s mind.

“I love the area. The people are genuine and very supportive. The members here (Piankatank is open to the public, but boasts a membership of over 275) want to support this club.” The club hosts may social and charitable events, and in its past has also sponsored the state single-A golf tournament twice on behalf of nearby Middlesex HS.

As the only 18-hole golf course in the region, Piankatank enjoys widespread appeal and draws golfers from Richmond to Virginia Beach. For Kris Keith, having the opportunity to turn his childhood avocation into a career as a head golf pro is as unique as the course he spends his days playing.