​South Wales Golf Course
The South Wales property, originally named Rosedale, was settled in the early 1800's by the Parr family. They built what is known as the "Manor House" around 1840 and shortly thereafter established the Rosedale Stock Farm. The Parr's were the first in Virginia to import "Aberdeen Angus" cattle, which most of the Black Angus cattle in Virginia today are descendants of.
The Parr's sold the farm to the Armstrong family in 1921. Mr. Armstrong presided over the building of the bridge on old Jeffersonton Road, which is still in place along the left side of the 12th hole. Mr. Armstrong ran the farm from 1921 to 1929 when it was then sold to Colonel Albert Pierce.
Colonel Pierce was from Chicago, where he had owned the Public Utility Company. When he took possession of the farm in 1930, he purchased the adjacent properties to Rosedale. Since the cattle had been sold prior to his purchase, he had to acquire new stock to continue the operation. During his ownership of the farm, Colonel Pierce employed many of the locals to build the small white houses near the Manor House. The employees who built the homes eventually came to live in them during the Great Depression.
In 1945, Colonel Pierce sold Rosedale to the Clark family out of Richmond, Virginia. Mr. Clark was a writer, director, and producer of radio and television programs and spent much of his time in New York City. Two of his better known T.V. shows were "The Plainclothesmen" (a predecessor of Dragnet) and "Famous Jury Trials". He supervised the renovation of the Manor House and the resurrection of The Tavern.
The farm was then sold to the Officers of Bolling Air Force Base in 1958. Ed Ault and Al Jamison were hired to build the 18 hole golf course. The golf course opened in 1960 and was sold to Parkwood Associates in 1965. It was during this time that the property was renamed South Wales. In 1988, South Wales LP acquired the property, at which time extensive renovations were made to the Golf Course and Pro Shop in which Tom Clark, a partner of Ed Ault’s assisted in that program.
​
In 1988 Ken Thompson became one of the partners in South Wales and eventually the sole owner of the golf course. After 27 years of dedication to the golf course, Ken passed away in 2015. South Wales Golf Course continues to be owned and operated by the Thompson Family.
