Our 2013 Williamsburg Fall Golfing Trip

Our latest golf trip to Williamsburg is over, much to my disappointment, but as usual we had a great time even if the weather was a bit cooler than normal.

We left Mississauga, Ontario at 7 am on Saturday October 19th under heavily overcast skies and a temperature of 47 F. The trip to the border was uneventful but the wait to cross into the US was not. We were held up on the bridge and it took a good 35 minutes to cross - about 20 minutes longer than normal. Our first stop was in Springville NY to fill up on gas @$3.609 US per gallon, grab a coffee and breakfast sandwich for the road at Tim Horton's and switch drivers for the next leg.

There are a few things to note regarding current gas prices. The first is that in relative terms the price in Ontario is significantly higher that in the US states we traveled. Using a 12-month chart and picking representative reference cities it is pretty clear that in Canadian dollars per liter the gas cost around home is the highest - Toronto is roughly $0.29 CAN per liter more than Buffalo and $0.43 CAN per liter more than Richmond.

The second major point is that relative to our last trip in 2012 (October 20th - October 27th), gasoline prices in Ontario are currently higher but in the US they were lower as the chart below illustrates! Our first fill-up in NY state was $(0.24) US per gallon lower than last year whereas our second tank in Virginia was $(0.20) US per gallon lower.

The third point is that there are pockets of higher and lower prices in the different states we traveled through but in general NY is the highest cost and Virginia the lowest as illustrated by the map generated from the Gas Buddy website.

 
We paid $3.609 and $3.199 on the way down, $3.149 in Williamsburg and $3.099, $3.359 and $3.609 on the way back. I made sure I had just enough gas to make it to the first stop as gas at home is the most expensive. On the way back we topped up in Pennsylvanian to back out some of the more expensive NY gasoline  and made sure we were pretty full crossing over into Canada.

Year over year our gasoline cost was $20 US lower and we bought more gas this year which was a nice bonus. Driving a 2006 Ford Freestar van about 2,500 kilometers and making some adjustments we spent about $240 US on gasoline; (we actually spent $260 US but ended up at home with more in the tank than when we left).

We continued to make short stops for restrooms, drinks, gasoline, food, and to change drivers. Traffic was smooth and there was no rain.

 

The scenery along the way is beautiful and we were fortunate to get the occasional  burst of sunlight through the overcast skies to add some highlighting. 

 

Fall means changing colors for the trees. There are large stretches where we travel through the mountains and are treated to the fall colors; a pity that the day was for the most part overcast. However from a driving perspective it makes it a lot easier on the eyes without the glaring sun.

 

We followed our new route down to Williamsburg staying away from the Washington traffic and road construction and traveling towards Winchester Va before taking highway 17 back to I95 around Fredericksburg Va. This was the second time down and back using this route and what a joy to drive it on a Saturday.

We arrived at our timeshare complex at 6:45 pm. Check-in was quick and uneventful; less than 10 minutes later we were unpacking the van at our unit. The Colonies of Williamsburg remains our preferred base and once again we had the upper floor consisting of two, 2-bedroom units.

 

After check-in we took a quick trip down to the local Food Lion for some groceries, bottled water, and snacks and then dropped in to the adjacent Rite Aid Pharmacy for a couple of bottles of wine. A 1.5 liter bottle of Yellow Tail Chardonnay was $12.67 and $6.69 for a 750 ml bottle of Yellow Tail Merlot.We then hit the Pappa John's outlet in the plaza for some take out pizza.

I had been looking very closely at golfing deals before we left on the trip. After scoring big last year getting Ford Colony for $22 and $25 and the Williamsburg National for $34, I was disappointed to find that neither facility was using the GolfNow service this year. So it was on to Plan B.

GolfNow did have two deals of interest and with a favorable forecast I booked Monday at Kiln Creek for $12.60 (11:00 am tee time) and Tuesday at Kiskiack for $31.24 (11:40 am tee time); taxes and cart included. I was going to book the National for Sunday for $45 for a 1:05 pm tee time but decided to wait and see if our timeshare had any discounted deals at Ford Colony. Ultimately we did play the Black Heath at Ford Colony on Sunday, paying $49 for a 1:35 pm tee time. While it was by far the most expensive round of the week it was still a discount from the rack rate on a high quality golf course.  What a difference a year makes though.

After playing Kiln Creek we decided that this was a fabulous deal. Where can you play a well maintained and challenging course for that kind of money? Needless to say we returned Monday night to our unit and I proceeded to book our rounds for Wednesday (noon tee time) and Thursday (1:30 pm tee time) for just $11.55 through GolfNow. For Friday we decided to wait to see on the weather before booking. Playing last minute on a Friday usually means trip to a local municipal course. We we able to get a noon tee time at The Hamptons and the cost of $20.48 for their senior rate (cart and taxes included) was very reasonable.

The drive time from our timeshare to each of the courses varied greatly; Ford Colony was 7 minutes, Kiskiack 12 minutes, Kiln Creek 30 minutes and The Hamptons about 40 minutes. One of the dangers in booking outside of Williamsburg is traffic and we learned that first hand coming back on Friday from The Hamptons. Due to three separate accidents it took us 1 hour and 45 minutes to drive back. 

In 2012 our total cost to play 6 rounds of golf was $165 US and I never thought we would ever beat that and play such nice courses. Well our 6 rounds this year cost just $136.42 US - less than $23 per round!

Our dining included a trip to the Olive Garden, the Manchurian Peking Restaurant and a couple of highly anticipated dinners at Sal's by Victor; it is after all not just about the golf. I also confess to a couple of fast food nights as well but what the heck - its a vacation.

The only disappointment was the weather being a little cooler than normal but nevertheless a lot warmer in Williamsburg than in Mississauga. 

Some of the shots from the different course we played...

Ford Colony

Kiln Creek

 

Kiskiack

The Hamptons

 

On this trip we learned that the Kingsmill course is going private next year - I am glad I had a chance to play there at least once. Also we were told at the activities desk in our timeshare that the Traditions had bought out Ford Colony. This could make for some interesting changes for 2014.I have not played the three Traditions courses since 2011 (Brickshire, Royal Kent and Stonehouse) as they would be a little too difficult for my playing partner - maybe next year if he continues to improve. Our timeshare had a nice deal for the Traditions courses; $49 for the 1st round, $38 for the second and $25 for the third and subsequent rounds. That is a great bargain. My brother and his group played four rounds on these courses and they were extremely satisfied with the conditions and the value.

Will the Traditions incorporate Ford Colony into that deal next year or will the takeover result in higher prices and fewer deals? I guess time will tell.

My buddy was very happy with the vacation; this was his third fall trip. My brother and three of his friends stayed at the Williamsburg Plantation and they also enjoyed their fall vacation. My brother has been down six times since 2011, two of his buddies four times and one three times.

Sadly we left for home on Saturday October 26th - checking out and on the road by 7 am. It was a much nicer travel day with mostly sunny skies for more than half the trip before the clouds started to roll in. We had no traffic whatsoever until we hit the border and had to wait an hour and 20 minute to cross over. Nevertheless I dropped off my buddy and was safely home and unpacked by 7:30 pm. 

   

Ford Colony - My Best Golf Deal Yet in Williamsburg

It was on Monday October 22, 2012 and day 2 of our fall trip that I enjoyed my best Williamsburg golf deal yet. We were at the Ford Colony Country Club home to three beautiful 18-hole courses: Marsh Hawk, Black Heath, and the one we played that day - Blue Heron.

We were staying at the Colonies of Williamsburg Timeshare complex and the golf club was a very short 3 miles (5 km) away; a drive time of about 8 minutes!

On my first trip to Williamsburg in October 2008 I played each of the courses as part of a timeshare deal at the Williamsburg Plantation. We paid $60 for the first round and $40 for the other two. On my second trip in April 2009 we played the Blue Heron course paying the $60 charge but opted not to play any of the other courses due to generally poor conditions.

I played two of the courses again in the spring of 2010 on the timeshare deal. In April of 2011 we played the Black Heath course on a Big Hit Ticket deal through VirginiaGolf.com. The cost was $32.50 per person (booked as a foursome) which included a cart, range balls and one sleeve of balls for the foursome. This was a pretty sweet deal considering the course made a mistake and gave each of us a sleeve of balls but we were still not impressed with the shape of the courses. So yes, it was a pretty inexpensive round, but the course was pretty brown which made for a less than enjoyable game.

First Tee on the Black Heath Course at Ford Colony - April 2011

So on my last trip in October 2012 I was a little nervous about playing there but pleasantly surprised to find that Ford Colony was on GolfNow and offering some decent prices. With a favorable 7 day weather forecast I took a look at availabilities and decided to give them another chance. I came across a tee time for the following Monday at 11:44 am; at $25 + tax it was just too good a deal to pass up!

We drove to Williamsburg on Saturday and played our first round at the Williamsburg National on Sunday October 21st. On the way back to the timeshare we dropped in to have a look at the Ford Colony courses to get an idea what kind of shape they were in. Boy was I pleasantly surprised at what we saw.

Black Heath Course at Ford Colony - October 2012

The courses looked to be in just fantastic shape - the photos looking down the first tee of the Black Heath are the best way to illustrate the difference between visits. I was able to sleep better Sunday night knowing we were in for a good time on Monday.

Ford Colony Club House

The Ford Colony complex is an award winning master planned community consisting of the three championship golf courses, a country club & dining room, surrounded by neighborhoods and parkland. As you play the courses you can't help but experience the beauty of homes, wetlands and forest areas integrated into the local community. I have always enjoyed the course layouts and you never know what you will see when playing.
  

Birds and Other Wildlife Abound

We did not know which course we were going to play when we pulled up to the bag drop-off area. The staff were great in helping us get the clubs out of the van and onto a cart; my buddy headed into the pro shop to take care of the paperwork while I parked. On this day it was the Blue Heron course and after 20 minutes on the putting greens we headed off to the first tee. The course was not overly busy at the time and we were able to tee off as a twosome. This was a bit of a bonus as my buddy is a novice golfer and a little self-conscious playing with people he doesn't know. I like playing without waiting on every shot and the group in front was a hole ahead when we started so we were both pretty happy.

Blue Heron Scorecard

[Note there is an error on the scorecard - the pars are reversed for the 8th and 9th holes].

On previous visits I used the gold tees and generally my scores were in the low to mid-90s. I can also say that in 2011 and 2012 my handicap has declined as a direct consequence of playing more regularly. We chose to use the silver tees at 5,695 yards and a slope of 120 making it a tough challenge for my buddy and something a lot easier for me; or so I thought.

First Hole Layout

The overhead for the first hole illustrates how the community is integrated with the courses. The Marriott timeshare units are on the right side of the fairway (facing out from the tees) with trees on the left leading to a sharp dogleg to a green that is surrounded by more trees. Of course playing off the silver tees did me absolutely no good on this hole as my drive went through the dogleg and left me a partially obstructed second shot. You only need a drive of between 185 to 210 yards from the silver tees to find the ideal position or hit a longer drive with a fade around the corner; unfortunately my attempted fade came out dead straight. Lesson learned that this course requires course management to score.

Overhead of the 4th Hole

There are quite a variety of holes on the course. The par 5 fourth hole while relatively straight away does have a small bend to the right near the green. Teeing off over water puts the pressure on not to mis-hit the drive. The large water hazard down the right side provides a significant obstacle as do the trees down the left side underscoring just how narrow the fairway gets the further down you go.

Looking Down the 4th Hole Fairway

The view looking down the 4th hole fairway is visually deceiving - the bunker can be seen on the right but the only indication of water is the fountain spray behind.

4th Hole Green

 The green is no easy target as anything to the right will bring a very large trap into play. The green is not overly large and any errant shots, left, right, or long could find the trees that surround the green.

Fifth Hole

 The natural beauty of the course can once again be seen from this shot of the par 4 fifth hole with water on the right side and lots of surrounding trees. To add a little more complexity the green is uphill from the fairway.

Sixth Hole

More water again; this time on the par 3 sixth hole. Similar to other holes on the course the water really shouldn't come into play but it still proves intimidating for those less experienced golfers or for those having a bad round.

Eighth Hole

The next par 3 is the eighth hole utilizing a more straight forward layout - larger green with traps on the right and left sides of the green. The green does slope right and a bump and run approach can be used for a pin placement tucked in behind the front right trap. 

Tenth Tee

Tenth Green

Local Residence

The tenth hole is a nice break as it looks and feels less intimidating with some color in the trees and scrubs along the fairway. Yes there are trees and three bunkers to maneuverer around but the tee shot opens up as you come through the chute area. I find the view appears more open as a result.

Eleventh Green

The eleventh hole is a par 4 and requires a drive that is reasonable straight and ideally center to left side of the fairway (looking out from the tees). The green is rectangular in shape with water bordering the right hand side.

Twelfth Tee

The par 5 twelfth hole is a dogleg left with a little of everything including heavy vegetation off the tees, water (out of view on the right) and a couple of fairway bunkers straight out on the right side. The hole is played uphill with another fairway bunker to get past on the left side and a couple of traps around the smallish green.

Thirteenth Hole

There is nothing lucky about the par 4 thirteenth hole; the 2nd hardest ranked hole on the course. This is another dogleg left hole with multiple hazards: a fairway bunker straight out, water on the left and water on the right. It plays downhill with the green tucked in the bottom left corner behind the water.

Thirteenth Green

 The angle for the approach shot from the fairway favors the right side but remember the water and trap are strategically located on that side.

Fourteenth Hole

The par 3 fourteenth hole looks innocent enough. The water on the left side is hidden from view and will come into play on any mis-hits off the tee. The green-side bunkers are large and will find balls that are hit short or too long.

Fifteenth Hole

The fifteenth hole is a par 4 that starts from a narrow chute with water on the right. The fairway opens quickly and as long as you are not too far right the green is readably accessible.

Sixteenth Hole Fairway Views

The sixteenth hole is a par 5 with a sharp dogleg right near the green. There is, like many of the holes, water in front of the tees that really shouldn't come into play. There is a fairway bunker on the right side before the sharp turn right; the green is relatively open with one small trap guarding the front. Course management is again the key to scoring well on this hole.

Overhead View of the Seventeenth Hole

Seventeenth Hole - Views from the Tee

The seventeenth hole is a nice little par 3 that tests your fear of water - there is a lot of it on the left side and it finishes in front of the green. A sloping green and a couple of traps make this a decent challenge worthy of the view.

Eighteenth Hole

The par 4 eighteenth hole is a dogleg left that is uncharacteristically free of water hazards. It has a  tight tree-lined fairway of medium width before the sharp turn to a green protected by a couple of traps. Once again ball placement is critical to leave a shot to the green.

I shot 84 which was the lowest I have shot on any of the courses at Ford Colony (up until then) while my buddy was well over 100 and then some. We both agreed the course was in the best condition of any course we had played in 2012 and the cost was extremely reasonable. For me it is all about value. Clearly this was one of the most inexpensive rounds I have ever played in Williamsburg while the other factors I judge to be important, location, course conditions, easy of play, and layout, were all outstanding. On that basis I have judged this to be my best golf deal yet in Williamsburg.

Now for the bad news. It appears that Ford Colony is not part of GolfNow in 2013 so the cost to play in the fall could potentially be much higher. Would I pay the non-resident rack rate of $89 - probably not; there are other area courses that offer better value on a full cost basis. Ford Colony offers Virginian residents a rate of $55 and military/first responders a rate of $39. I have no problem with the support for the latter but I am dead-set against any course charging visitors a higher cost than residents and typically will not play these courses on principal if I can't get a similar price.

Would I consider doing the timeshare deal again at $60/40/40? Yes if the courses are in the same condition this fall. That said, I am looking forward to trying some of the courses that have joined GolfNow in 2013 - you never know when another great deal will come along like the Blue Heron course at Ford Colony did in 2012.