Jacob Mast serves as the Head Golf Professional at Poplar Grove Golf Club in Amherst, Va., while his father, Dick Mast, is the site’s Director of Instruction. The Mast family moved to Lynchburg, Va. in the late 2000s, just before Jacob enrolled at Liberty University to play golf for its program in 2009. At Liberty, Jacob studied government, but falling into the family line as a third-generation PGA professional after his father and grandfather, Ken, seemed like a natural fit. The father and son work together at what Jacob calls the “best kept secret in Virginia.”

Jacob Mast is used to tagging along to work with his father, Dick Mast, although for many years, it was to various golf courses across the world while his father played on the PGA Tour, The News & Advance reported.

“I’ve been to a lot of places with him being out on tour,” Jacob said. “I got to travel and see a lot of nice courses all over the world. I mean Scotland, Spain, Canada, California, anywhere around the country and around the world.”

These days, the two drive into work at what Jacob calls the “best kept secret in Virginia:” Poplar Grove Golf Club in Amherst, Va., where the father-and-son duo still hone their own games while working on elevating the club to become one of the premier golf experiences in Central Virginia, The News & Advance reported.

“This property is special,” Dick said on the front porch of the Manor House, which originally was built in 1773 and now serves as the clubhouse overlooking the sprawling course.

“We’re very fortunate to have Poplar Grove here.”

At Poplar Grove, the final design of World Golf Hall of Famer Sam Snead, Jacob serves as the club’s Head Golf Professional, while Dick is the club’s Director of Instruction, The News & Advance reported.

The Mast family landed in Lynchburg in the late 2000s, moving to the area just before Jacob enrolled at Liberty University to play golf for its program in fall 2009, The News & Advance reported.

At Liberty, Jacob studied government, but falling into the family line as a third-generation PGA professional after his father and grandfather, Ken, seemed like a natural fit.

“He stayed in the golf business and he’s good at it,” Dick said to The News & Advance. “He’s steady in there and does a good job. But he’s a good player as well and he’s continued to develop his own game.”

Since before the Masts joined Poplar Grove in 2019, the property has been in the midst of a $3 million renovation project to spruce up the course itself, as well as welcome in a new fleet of golf carts, adding “comfort stations” to the course, The News & Advance reported.

Additionally, the club is expected to break ground in the near future on a new restaurant, which will sit adjacent to the Manor House and provide golfers and area residents with a place to grab a bite to eat, The News & Advance reported.

“[The restaurant] has been in the works for a long time and our members are really itching to have that finished so we can have the capacity,” Jacob said. “We’re optimistic that in the next two years we can get that finished.”

On the other end of those two years, in 2025, the course will play host to an NCAA Division I Golf Regional in conjunction with Liberty University, adding to the list of championships the club has hosted, such as the Mid-Atlantic PGA Southern Chapter Championship, and numerous other professional and amateur tournaments, The News & Advance reported.

Nestled into the rolling hills of Central Virginia, Jacob said the course is perfect for weekend getaways from larger cities such as Richmond, Va., Washington D.C., Baltimore, Md. and Greensboro, N.C.; providing them with an opportunity to welcome locals and tourists to their course.

“It’s really not too far to get away and get to see a great golf course with a great experience,” he said to The News & Advance. “It’s a really cool place up here.”

He added the club has about a dozen out-of-town members included in their 180- to-190-member roster.

While the course has a “generous” layout that can “challenge a good player” but still be playable for the average golfer, Jacob said he wants Poplar Grove to be known for its customer service, The News & Advance reported.

“At our price point, that allows us to give a great experience to every golfer who comes through, whether they’re a member or a guest,” Jacob said. “We’re not looking to do 200 rounds a day. We’re looking to make sure that the 50 to 60 golfers that play here, or even 70 to 80 on a busy day, get the best experience and are not pushed around.”

While the golf course stands out as the gem of the property, Jacob said getting instruction from a veteran of the PGA Tour who made 650-plus starts across four PGA-affiliated tours, including eight major championships, might be the best part of coming to the club, The News & Advance reported.

“It’s just an unbelievable thing to have access to someone who played with Tiger Woods, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer, I could talk for hours about my dad and his game,” Jacob said.

“In my opinion, if you’re a player in Central Virginia, you’ve got to come see him for a lesson.”

Still making the trek to the golf course daily after all of the years, Dick, who made his debut on the PGA Tour in 1974, is still a formidable challenger for Jacob, The News & Advance reported.

“He’s so consistent and if his health is doing well, he’s hard to beat,” Jacob said.

And while it’s not on the grounds of famous courses such as Pebble Beach Golf Links or Turnberry in Scotland, the pair are proud to arrive at Poplar Grove each day, The News & Advance reported.

“It’s kind of like the Pebble Beach [Golf Links] of Virginia,” Dick said.

“I’ve played all the golf courses of the world on tour for 20 years and on the Champions Tour, and this is as good as any other.”