“I found the atmosphere—The combination of topography, history and the scale of the place—to be both stimulating and relaxing.”

In the words once used by Woody Allen to describe his own state of mind, Americans are “at two with the universe”. On the one hand, constant change and the endless possibilities it implies are the engines of this culture. On the other hand, there is the fondness for the established, the traditional, the timeless.

Surely this duality is one reason—though there are many—for the immense appeal of Keswick Hall, a resort spread over 600 acres of wooded hills in Charlottesville, Virginia. For, while being home to cutting-edge sports facilities and an exciting new restaurant, it maintains its old-world singularity and the gentility of its 19th-century origins.

Epitomising this balance are the recent developments at the Keswick Club 18-hole golf course, thanks to an ongoing collaboration with Arnold Palmer. Constructed in 1939, during the “golden age” of golf-course design, and attributed to locally prominent architect Fred Finlay, the layout received its first tweaking from Palmer in the early 1990s.

Apart from specific revisions—most important, greens that are faster, larger and more contoured—the project was significant in nurturing Palmer’s affection for Keswick and for the area generally.