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. 

   

Golf Courses in the Williamsburg Virginia Area

I have enjoyed every golfing trip to Williamsburg since I started going in the fall of 2008. Through my latest trip in October 2012 I have played 40 rounds on 16 different courses so I have a sense as to what courses are available and some idea of pricing, course conditions, etc.

To help facilitate the process of planning out a trip I put together a spreadsheet of courses in the Williamsburg area. With the Williamsburg Plantation as the starting point I used mapping programs to determine mileage to the different courses and sorted the list using travel time.  I used course websites to get the Yardage, Par and Slope from the furthest set of tees and added the course phone number and website address for easy reference in the future. In most cases the courses have posted their rack rate and I have recorded these when available. 

The screen shot I have included below is a part of the spreadsheet model. I have a total of 41 courses that I am tracking; the furthest about 72 miles from the Williamsburg Plantation.

• Within a 55 mile radius and drive time of less than 65 minutes there are 34 courses; two being 9-hole courses and one that has 27 holes that I count as two. 

• Average slope of these courses is 129 and average yardage 6,635 from the furthest tees. Three of the courses are incredibly challenging with slopes of 147 and five of the courses are geared to those that prefer an easier test with slopes of 116 or less  

•  Of the 16 courses I have played so far all have been within 30 miles and a travel time of 35 minutes or less.

The posted rates were for the most part updated in early October 2012 but the reader is cautioned that these can change seasonally as well as annually; for instance many courses offer cheaper winter rates.

I built the spreadsheet to help me keep track of the golfing options available in the Williamsburg area. I have links to the course websites within the model that allow easy access when updating the information each year. I also keep tabs on any deals at these courses for future reference. Since I have turned 60 I pay attention to senior rates; most of the local courses offer senior discounts but not much if any is offered at the resort courses. Generally I find that weekend golf is more expensive and Fridays are sometimes at a premium to Monday through Thursday. Some of the courses offer different rates for different tee times during the day.  These can be twilight rates (tw on the spreadsheet) or mid-day rates usually from 11 am until twilight rates kick-in. 

If you are a Virginia resident some of the courses offer a special resident rate and if you are in the military there are also discounts available. I fully support the latter but I am totally against the former - here or anywhere else; on principle I tend to avoid courses that offer them unless I get a discount that is equivalent to the resident rate.

I would like to believe that doing some homework and knowing what is available can pay off in getting great value for our golfing dollar. On our latest trip in October 2012 I proved that to myself.

We played six rounds of golf with a cart and the total rack price for those rounds was $359.50 US (just under $60 per round) + tax; our actual cost was $166 US ( $27.66 per round) + tax. 

 

  

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.