Golfing When Staying at the Williamsburg Plantation

On my first golfing trip to Williamsburg, October 24th to 31st 2008,  I exchanged a week at our timeshare for a week at the Williamsburg Plantation. One of the reasons for choosing this particular resort was it belongs to the Interval International Golf Resort Program.; this means there is a course on or near the facilities and they offer special services to golfers.

The resort has a dedicated Activities Desk and staff that provide information on local area attractions including golf courses. On check-in we picked up a sheet with a listing of nearby courses, phone numbers, the rack rates and discounted rates for guests. On our first trip we relied heavily on the resort staff for our golfing needs; directions to the courses, checking on tee time availabilities and  making reservations. They were quite helpful and the convenience  made the trip more enjoyable.

We found that the best deal on the first trip was golfing at Ford Colony; a complex of three championship courses located just 2.2 miles away from the Plantation. The deal back in 2008 was pay $60 for the first round and get the next two for $40 each. The rack rate at the time was around $65 as I recall. Having arrived late Saturday night we didn't look for a tee time until Sunday morning. Ford Colony was booked until after 2 pm so we decided to play there later in the week. 

Instead we opted for another local course Colonial Heritage to play our first round. It is a short drive of 5.1 miles from the Plantation. As I recall we teed off at 11:30 and paid  $55 for the round; a $5 discount from the posted rate.

We did play each of the three Ford Colony courses, Monday through Wednesday, teeing off around 10:30 am each day. You never know what you'll see on these courses like our friend below. We got rained out on the 13th hole on the Wednesday and the weather was too inclement to play on Thursday.

From Ford Colony - Blackheath Course

When the rain finally stopped Friday morning we decided to play our final round at a course in Newport News called Deer Run. We were very happy with the course condition and while we paid the rack rate it was the least expensive round costing just $26 (including cart) for a 1 pm tee time. The drive was 22.9 miles and took 25 minutes. As a bonus we found out firsthand while the course was called Deer Run.

From Newport News - Deer Run Course

As I recall the average cost per round on that first trip was $44.20 US + tax with an exchange rate at the time of $1.27 CDN/US.  

I have stayed three more times at the Williamsburg Plantation and I have a brother who has stayed there a total of four times. On those trips I have called ahead to get a copy of the deals available and the staff have been kind enough to fax or e-mail me a copy. The other thing we have done differently  is book a tee time for our first golf game before leaving Ontario. The Plantation staff have been more than willing to do this for us which is a big help.

Not surprisingly prices have changed over the years, some courses have been added or removed and there are seasonal variations in discounts for mid-day tee times - which is why I like to see the deals before leaving. On my brother's most recent stay at the Plantation, October 20th to 27th 2012, the golf deals were as follows:

The Ford Colony discount rate was $69/round for tee times before 1 pm and $49 afterwards.

The 'discounted' Colonial Heritage rates seem to be the same or only $5 off the rack rates and vary depending on the time of day and time of week;

                             Mon - Thu      Fri-Sun

Before noon             $60                $65
Noon - 3 pm             $45                $50
After 3 pm                $30                $35

Kiskiack was part of the Traditions courses is now on its own with a graduated discount schedule; the first round is $58, the 2nd $48 and all subsequent rounds are $40 each.

The remaining Tradition courses, Stonehouse, Royal New Kent, and Brickshire also have a graduated discount schedule with the first round costing $59, the 2nd round was $49, and all subsequent rounds $29.

The Williamsburg National with its Jamestown and Yorktown courses had a $60 rate for the first round and $40 for each subsequent round. This deal is available to anyone staying at a timeshare in the Williamsburg area.

Everyone is different so these rates might be very attractive to some and less so to others. For instance my brother and his buddies typically prefer to play earlier in the day when the rates are higher (and the courses are busier) and enjoy the challenge of tough courses. Before leaving he had tee times booked for the first five days at the Tradition courses and was ecstatic at the Plantation deal (and convenience). Their last round was played at Newport News - Deer Run for the $24.50 senior rack rate which brought their average cost down to $36.58/round + tax; very reasonable for the quality of courses!

I on the other hand prefer to play mid-day; I am a nighthawk by nature and prefer to sleep in - after all its a holiday. On my last two trips I have been golfing with a relative newbie and we tend to play easier courses or off the front tees of the harder ones. I did not find any of the Plantation discounted rates to be particularly attractive for our needs. The Tradition courses would be just too tough and frustrating for my buddy. Since I have been to Williamsburg many times and have a pretty good idea of what is available I prefer a different approach to where and when I play.

Our average cost was only $27.60 US + tax. With a Canadian dollar at a slight premium to the US dollar my cost was significantly lower in 2012 than on the first trip in 2008; less than 1/2 the cost in Canadian dollars. By the way we played some very good courses as well: Blue Heron and Marsh Hawk at Ford Colony, The Yorktown course at Williamsburg National, Kiskiack twice, and The Cardinal course at Newport News. We teed off on our Sunday round at 12:30 and the remainder of the rounds we teed off between 11:15 and 11:45 which was perfect for our needs.