Royal New Kent Golf Club

First the positives: The course is in excellent condition. The fairways are well maintained and the greens are like glass. Visually it is a stunning layout carved into a track of rolling hills and interesting land features. That being said it is one of those courses that due to the architect using what he had to work with wound up being aggravating to play. Most great courses have three or four holes that challenge every shot you have in the bag; risk/reward holes. This course has about 15 of those holes. It really doesn't matter what club you choose, you have as good a chance of hitting it somewhere that penalizes you as keeping it in play. On some holes you might as well aim for one of the 10,000 sand traps or waste areas rather than trying to hit a narrow path in the fairway. That being said, I shot an 86 (playing off a 8.2 handicap) so it isn't unplayable. Frankly I would suggest flipping the back nine with the front nine since it is the easier side and won't beat up the average player (like me) right off the bat. I guess my final thought is that if you are a once a month or 10

round a year player don't bother. If you are new to the game stay away at all costs until you are confident in your ball striking. If you are an intermediate player plan to score 5 or 6 stokes higher and lose a couple of balls. If you're scratch have at it!. I rated this course fairly high because every serious golfer needs to humble him or herself from time to time to remind themselves how hard this game can be.

Course reminds you of playing in Ireland. Staff was very friendly and informative.

Very challenging course. Beautiful course. Can't wait to see in in the spring! Food was great. Friendly staff!!

Stranzian lay out - challenging, visually pleasing with links characteristics but some holes run through residential areas. Several tee boxes available but make sure you play up. I am a low hcp but did not dare to play the back tees and I am glad I didn't. Course features a few blind shots but overall really challenging. First hole is quite difficult. Course conditions OK for this time of the year. Greens a little furry/slow but not too bad. Overall, a must play but if you are high handicapper bring plenty of balls.

Probably the best Mike Strantz design by far! Beautiful course layout, with multiple places to tee it up! If you are anywhere near the Richmond area, I highly recommend this course for anyones future rounds!

Every time I visit Williamsburg I play this course. This course shows it's teeth from the start,

make sure you put it on your play list.

Played here after a rain in the morning and was cart path only. Fairways were wet and matted down.

Greens in good shape. Looking forward to playing here again when weather is better and fairways have more grass to hit off of.

This was such a fun layout. Several holes were blind tee shots and the greens are huge. Although the are very large they have dramatic elevation changes in them which for a very difficult put when you hit the wrong part of the green. Several greens have false fronts which also adds to the trickery. I really enjoyed the layout and would play it again if I was back in the area.

I was fortunate to play on a day when the course was wet following a heavy rainstorm the night before. I took the golf pro's advice and picked a tee box to play based on the course slope and not the distance- which was the white tees. This made the course a little short for me and if I get to play next time I will play from the black tees.

Play the correct tees for your skills and you will have a great time, course makes you think on every shot. Good conditions, friendly staff and the great course all made for a really fun round.

Just way too tough a course for a mid handicapper. Blind shots, forced carries, uneven lies, and ridiculously tough greens. Hazards all ovrer and thorny bushes to boot. I can see why a scratch golfer would like the challenge and it is a visually stunning course. Played on a Sunday morning and the round took 5.5 hours! The pace was excruciating.