The Elite Golf Courses in Williamsburg

With 40 rounds played in the Williamsburg area since the fall of 2008, I have found some great golfing deals. My perspective is that what I am really measuring is great value to me - this takes into account not only price, but course layout, course conditions, and ease of play. It is subjective but I believe helpful to others when put into context.

On vacations I tend to play between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. I like to sleep in, enjoy a leisurely  breakfast, catch-up on the news, and take a stress free drive over to the course. In the fall I want to be out no later than 1 pm to ensure enough daylight to finish the round and if it is really hot in the spring I might play earlier or later in the day to avoid the heat. I am reasonably flexible and therefore can take advantage of time of day discounts that others might not.

There are some very tough courses in the Williamsburg area as measured by slope and yardage. In some cases the courses can be played by less proficient golfers by going off the forward tees; reducing the yardage and slope to more reasonable levels. Some of the the courses I think are just too tough for a novice or erratic golfer due to layouts that demand precision ball-striking; i.e. par 3s over deep ravines, narrow treed fairways and lots of long shots over water hazards etc. Playing a tough course if you are not up to the challenge is a disaster waiting to happen; high scores, slow rounds and lots of lost balls!

The two premier courses in Williamsburg I believe are the Kingsmill River Course and the Golden Horseshoe Gold Course. I have found the rack rates in April and October significantly more expensive than other area courses and so far I have not found any great deals that would otherwise compel me to play there. That said I did play the River Course in April 23rd 2009 a couple of weeks before the LPGA tour came to town.

Typical Lush Green Fairways

Was this the best course we played on this trip to Williamsburg? Absolutely! The fairways were uncharacteristically green for the time of year compared to many other area courses. The course was in fabulous shape, no doubt gearing up for the Michelop Ultra Open (now called the Kingsmill Open) which was played May 7th-10th.
 

View from the 17th Tee

The 17th hole is a beautiful par 3 with the large expanse of water down the right side (The James River I believe), trees along the left to an undulating plateau green. An errant shot to the right could bounce down the steep slope into the water or end up in the partially hidden bunkers on the side of the hill; note the partially built stands in the background.

View from the 18th Tee

For a brief moment walking up the fairway on the 18th hole, one can only imagine the feeling that the pros must get with thousands cheering their finish. On this day there were only two people in the stands as I walked the final hole; workers having their lunch I suspect.

The View from the Stands

Once we got to the 18th green we could clearly see the scoreboard being assembled behind the immaculately manicured Kingsmill logo and flower garden.

The View from the 18th Green

One of my favorite shots is the view from the 18th green back to the tee area.

Overall I enjoyed the round even though I shot in the mid-90s (as I recall); the course was not busy so we were able to take our time. I liked the course layout; it has a lot of natural beauty and is very picturesque as well. I was not playing great golf on this trip but I did par the first two holes on my round before falling apart. I think that Kingsmill is a fair test and could be played from the forward tees by less experienced golfers and not be too frustrating. The issue is more price than anything. 

At $190 a round these days it is a little rich for me. That said, they do have a twilight golf rate and I believe we teed off at 2:10 pm when we played there for $75 each. Visitors now pay $125 for twilight. although if you were staying at the Kingsmill facilities the resort rates are $149 and $110 for twilight. I am glad I played the course once at least but I am not sure I would go back even for twilight at the current rates.

I do plan on playing the Golden Horseshoe Gold course sometime in the future but rates there are also pretty steep as well. I am saving it for a future trip in March or late-November when they run winter specials (check out their website); play all-day Monday through Thursday for $65/day is the current deal. From everything I have seen and read (photos) it is an elite course as well.

 My final thoughts are these two courses are likely the finest in the Williamsburg area. If you have unlimited funds for golfing, want the best and you are a good solid golfer that appreciates a challenge you should be playing these courses.For the rest of us there are alternatives that can test your abilities or provide an enjoyable round at a fraction of the cost. Nevertheless I would highly recommend playing Kingsmill and Golden Horseshoe at least once if you have the opportunity - they are that good.