The name has changed to reflect what is coming in the future.

The golf course has changed as it has evolved and matured.

Opened as Poplar Hill Golf Club in June 2006, the lone 18-hole public course in Prince Edward County is now known as The Manor Club. The course is the centerpiece of a master planned residential and resort community located off Route 15 four miles south of downtown Farmville.

While houses, an inn and conference center are under construction or in the plans, the golf course, designed by Rick Robbins, is drawing a steady stream of players from the area, and it's a good day-trip destination.

Featuring bent grass greens, tees and fairways, The Manor Club is routed over rolling farmland. The course was in excellent condition when it opened and has maintained that standard.

Robbins, who has been involved in designing courses all over the world, didn't do a lot of bulldozing to create features. The routing follows the lay of the land. There are uphill and downhill shots and even some flat lies. Long, forced carries over water or wetlands are features you can't miss.

Trying to avoid some of the long carries is one of the reasons Robbins drew up 14 or 15 routings before choosing what's there.

Robbins said at the grand opening in 2006, "I did the best with what the Lord gave me."

The Manor Club has teeth. It stretches from 5,367 yards (long for a forward set of tee markers) to 7,214 yards where only the best players should go. Picking the right markers for your game is a must here. Women and high handicappers will find the course taxing.

The fairways are wide but you still need to place the ball properly off the tee to have the best approach angle. For example, the first hole demands keeping the tee ball to the right to avoid water that pinches the fairway. A 3-metal may be a better choice than driver. The farther you go right, though, the longer the carry over water to the green.

The course is well-marked (yardage on the sprinkler heads). The practice range is large and includes a putting course.

Golf Digest recognized The Manor Club as one of the best new, affordable public courses in the U.S. for 2007. The club is running an April special where a foursome plays for $140. Green fees, including cart, range from $39 to $49, and few places will make you feel more welcome.