Royal New Kent Golf Club

Humbling Golf Course! The course has a great challenge to it. Greens are crazy but very true with good speed. Placing yourself in a good position off the tee for your approach shot is the key to scoring well. Leave your ego in the car and the Driver in the bag from time to time, big hitters can get in trouble of your not smart.

Course is in amazing shape. It’s in true links form with hard rolling fairways and the fastest greens in VA. It’s the only course like it I’ve played in VA.

This course has always been the most difficult in the central Virginia area. It has been reopened with the fastest greens going.

Very beautiful.

Very difficult.

I recommend it to anyone who is up for a challenge.

I played RNK last month and enjoyed it greatly. It is a beautiful and challenging course. I played again today and again had a great experience. I can’t recommend this course more highly. If you are looking for a bland, easy course go elsewhere. If you enjoy the beauty of a well designed and superbly maintained course that presents a fair golfing challenge then this is your course. In addition, it is a GREAT value.

First time playing this course since it reopened and it did not disappoint. Course was in great condition! Make sure to practice putting because the greens are lightning fast!

I have played RNK 4 times since it reopened. I was there opening day early too. I travel 60 miles to play here. Why? I love links golf and this is the best representation of that near me. I love the fact that as of now nobody has figured out RNK has reopened. I show up and go out and it's like the place is mine. I have walked 3 of the 4 rounds. It is an arduous walk. I had a trip planned for England and coming here was the best way to get prepared both physically and game shape wise. The greens are immaculate. I have played near 800 courses and most of the top 100 in the world. These greens are challenging in all the aspects...false fronts, tiers, massive slope and undulation...Firm. Fast. A Mike Stranz gem. Thank you for your diligence in reopening it with precision to original detail in the details. If you go to play RNK, bring your game....or bring a lot of balls. The edge areas are lost ball outcomes quite often. You are shown the potential right from the first hole. If you hit it straight and keep it in play...You will have fun. If you stray you will encounter lies of which you have never experienced. A ball 2 feet above or below your feet. I had one of each of those today. There will be maintenance challenges. The severe bunkering washes out. Today nearly 1/2 of the bunkers were in wash out shape. Staying on top of that will be a chore. There are at least 10 holes here which are fabulous take to the grave holes. 1,2,5,7,8,10,11,14,16. and 17 and 18 are excellent holes but not unique. All the other holes are very good holes. There isn't a weak hole out there. So unique and memorable. On one hand I love that I can just show up and pay and play and literally feel alone out there. Alternatively, Why have you not gotten out and played here yet? Shame on you.

When Royal New Kent shut down for about a year and a half, I was devastated. The golf course beat me up as a kid but I had never before played a course so good that I could forget about my score and just enjoy the place I was playing. To this day, the list of courses that I am willing to accept a bad score at because of how awesome they are is a very short one. It includes the likes of courses such as Streamsong Blue, Pikewood National, Shoreacres Golf Club, and other courses that you can find in the top 125 in the nation. As far as layout goes, I put Royal New Kent right up there with those courses. Of course, Royal New Kent can't yet compare to the conditioning and the legacy that those courses hold, but give it a few years and we may be having a different conversation. It wasn't but a decade ago that Royal New Kent was ranked as one of the top 100 courses in the nation, and that can't be forgotten. This is an amazing layout, created by a golf course architect who is widely renowned to be a revolutionary figure in his field. I don't care how many balls you lose, how many strokes you take, this golf course creates a new challenge on each hole and is one of the only courses that can keep any golfer, no matter what skill level, interested in what lies around the next corner. The greens are some of the best in the state, and while it is still rough around the edges in terms of overall course condition, you won't find better conditions in Virginia unless you want to pay an arm and a leg to get it. The fact that this course is only $95 for Prime Time on a weekend is a steal. Its little brother, Tobacco Road in North Carolina, charges up to $200 for a greens fee, and this course is just as good of a layout. Long story short, this is an amazing golf experience, one that you won't find anywhere else in Virginia. As someone who has played some of the best courses in the U.S., YOU NEED TO PLAY HERE. Losing a few balls is worth it to be a part of this experience.

I played and reviewed this course in the past. If you don't know, it closed and was renovated.

Bottom line, this place is truly unique. If you've never heard of this course, or if you are from out of the area, do NOT miss this course. It's once in a lifetime experience. An unknown bucket list course. Every bit as challenging as a course you'd see on any major.

The price was a tad high....95 dollars at noon on friday.....but.....I literally did not see ONE other golfer on the course. Framed another way...I rented one of the great courses in the USA for the day for only 95 bucks. It was a three hour round. Incredible design...amazing greens (meaning undulating, two or three tiers, fast champion bermuda)........please spread the word......I wouldn't want this course as a home course, it's too tough.....but if you ever wanted to participate in a golf version of a Braveheart battle scene......play this course.

I heard this place got a face lift that would return the course to its original glory. It had deteriorated over the years: particularly the bunkers and greens.

The sand in the bunkers was replaced with new usable sand which is a plus. The greens were in excellent shape and fast. They held the shots played in from the air but if you bumped them on they ran like crazy. The fairways were in good shape given that we hadn't had rain in weeks.

If you are familiar with the place, the course is a target layout. If you hit the targets you can score. If you miss the targets, bogies and doubles await. Count on a 5 hour round just based on the course.

I am disappointed that with these renovations, the price increased significantly. Without significant discounts I can't afford to play here. I guess either can anyone else because there couldn't have been more than 100 people there all day.

To many Bline shots To greens and tee boxes need help

The other reviews are spot on, this is a must-play for any avid golfer and especially fellow Stranz fans. Slopes/Ratings are accurate: play the right tees for your index! Hitting fairways is not the challenge here, but hitting greens (or just getting near them) in regulation is another story - and then you have to putt. Every hole is an absolute masterpiece; I felt like it was Tobacco Road meets Erin Hills (with nods to Bethpage Black as well, albeit with much more reasonable yardages). And yes, bring an app or interactive GPS. Great staff and clubhouse and practice facilities: spend some time on putting green! Enjoy the experience and your successes - and don’t sweat your overall score.

Bucket List Course: must see and play. So glad it’s back!

This course is in great shape, super fast greens. If you haven’t played here before you need to know it’s very challenging and requires gps. Choose your tee wisely. Staff was great and food is excellent.

This golf course has been brought back from the dead, and in my opinion it is one of the best golf course layouts in Virginia. I am a huge fan of the work of Mike Strantz as and Artist and an Architect, and having played some of his other designs such as Tobacco Road and Tot Hill Farm, I can say that Royal New Kent is some of his best work. For anybody who wants to play a golf course where on every hole you’re legitimately excited to tee it up and after each hole you’re excited to see what the next hole brings. I can’t stress enough how much fun this course is to play, even with the challenge that it presents on each hole. If you’re looking to play an amazing golf course with perfect greens, Royal New Kent is worth your time. Not only this, but compared to other Strantz designs the daily fee is way lower and is very reasonable. I would 10/10 recommend this golf course as someone who has played some of the top courses in the nation. Hopefully we see this course restored to the once great reputation is had back in the late 2000’s.