Royal New Kent Golf Club

Awesome course. Definitely one of the hardest courses in the state. Amazingly friendly staff. Will definitely return.

Greens were just punched in the last 5 days. Still rolled pretty good but a lil bumpy

Fantastic lay-out . Didn’t know ir being informed greens were aerated. Disappointed !Expected course and greens to be better shape since I looked very much forward to play this and drove 2 hours. Staff excellent and very friendly. Great practice facility and goid pricing on range balls

Played here about 10 yrs ago.....it was amazing...
Always love Strantz golf courses.
It closed for about 3 yrs,but has now re-opened....and it is IMMACULATE !!!!
It was a joy to play today !!

I became a huge fan of Mike Strantz after playing Tobacco Road and have made it a bucket list item to play as many of his courses as possible. Royal New Kent lived up to expectations and made for a fantastic final day of our Williamsburg Golf Trip.

Would say the course is a more forgiving, watered-down Tobacco Road (in a good way). Much less polarizing and fun to play the first time around without sacrificing what makes a Strantz course unique. Course conditions were maybe a half step below Tabacco Road, but don’t let that push you away from playing this course. It was still my favorite course of the week (including both horseshoe courses).

Side note: we played the day after tropical storm Elsa came through and 3 days after they aerated the greens. We had about as “worst case” of a scenario as far as conditions are concerned but still found the course in great shape. Greens were very playable and we were back in the fairway with the cart by the time we made the turn. I would love to give the course another go when she is firing on all cylinders, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play since Williamsburg isn’t on our normal golf trip rotation.

It never changes, that Royal New Kent is the best course in this area, but one of the grounds maintenance guys needs to find some common sense!! I had pulled my cart off the cart path because I saw his tractor coming, but it was so slow, I ended up pulling off before he got to me. He actually scolded me for being off the path by the tee!!! I told him not to be ridiculous, but it was still annoying!!

A visual feast. Entertaining, fun, tough. My favorite course. Always a challenge, but so much fun!!

Always a visual feast. Beat me up as usual, but boy what fun. My altime favorite course.

Course was in pretty good condition. Quite a good challenge. Pretty wide layout on most holes, so if you miss the fairway you're in for a tough recovery. Greens were fast and rolled nicely, and hitting the right tier of the greens was essential for scoring. Also, missing the raised greens on the approach shot typically made for a tricky up and down. Only complaint was that I was told I could go out early since they were pretty wide open as they had a shotgun tournament going on, but then the starter had me wait to go out behind a group of 4 that was playing extremely slow, around 3.5 hours on the front 9.

Along with Stonehouse, Royal New Kent is not what it once was and it's too bad. Golf is not as popular as it once was and intricate courses without play just can't be maintained to the old standards.

Great course and very difficult. Course of play was too slow. First time I ever had a 6 hour round.

Challenging, Fun, Links style, dog legs, some blind shots, spectacular views, undulating greens, excellent conditions and professional positive staff.

From the moment you arrive, and view the golf course, you know you are in for a exceptional and rewarding experience. The slope on this course commands you to choose the right Tee box, the right club and to hit accurate shots… If you are errant on any of those decisions, plan on some frustration or losing a ball… however, when it all goes right, this is one of the most rewarding and interesting courses I have played. From the moment we finished our round, I was determined to replay this course again (course knowledge will help) and to let my golf buddies know about this hidden gem.

The clubhouse sits high on a hill with sweeping views of hole one and eighteen. We were met at our car, with a cart, by the warm and friendly staff. After checking in and surprisingly affordable rates, we headed off to the practice range, which was on grass, with a chipping and putting area. If you are playing this course, for the first time, and without someone with course knowledge, the yardage book is helpful for the blind shots and appropriate landing areas. Being on the greens, does not guarantee a two put, being above the hole is a possible three putt.

Tee boxes, fairways and greens were in superb conditions, at times like hitting off a carpet. A plethora of greenside and fairway bunkers were in fair condition, hittable but evidently the recent rain made them inconsistent but playable.

The course meanders through rolling countryside, each hole unique from the other. Par threes present uphill and downhill challenges and if flag placement is at the most difficult area, plan on celebrating a bogey. From its high venue, the first hole is a strong uphill dog leg left, to an elevated green, protected by bunkers… typical of this course. The rolling grasses and rock walls caused one of our players (who grew up in Ireland), to remark that this course reminded him of the courses in Ireland. In fact the Irish flag tops the flag stick on most greens! Wayward shots can find tall grasses and well defined hills, slopes and forested areas, beyond the fairways. You are thinking on every hole and hitting a straight shot may not be the best choice on numerous left and right dog legs.
Long hitters may be tempted to cut the dogleg, but you better know your distance or you will be hunting for your ball. There are only two holes with water the 17th and 18th for a challenging finish, but numerous blind shots or uphill and downhill hole are included with the many doglegs

In short, play this course, and if you can… play with someone who knows the course. I can understand that the pace of play may be slow at times, especially on weekends, with individuals trying to find their balls, but this course was a treat that FAR exceeded my expectations. Will return soon.

10-18 pace of play was great.... 1-9 pace of play was terrible.... very slow.
Besides that.... this course is a difficult, challenging layout. It is not for beginners. From the tips you better be long and accurate. The layout is challenging at very tee box. Greens are undulating. Love the challenge.