Royal New Kent Golf Club

*This is an updated review. For more thoughts on this course, see my full review from 6/11/17*

Anyone who has spent this summer near Providence Forge, VA knows how dry it has been and perhaps this course has been affected more than any other. But if ever there was a course that could overcome a bad hand dealt by Mother Nature, this is it.

Royal New Kent is, afterall, a true links-style course, with rolling fairways, fescue-covered dunes and even gorse to hit into. So when a course like this goes brown and dry from the summer heat and drought, it merely adds to the raw, unpampered character of British links golf. To their credit, RNK management have continued to water the greens and at least the thin strip of grass between the tee box markers. Fairways and rough, and the rest of the tee boxes, however, have become hard, brown, and crispy.

I rather liked the playing conditions, though many may think it looks unappealing. The unique, creative, and still beautiful layout will distract many from the dryness and it’s best to just focus on hitting a good shot as this remains one of the toughest courses in the country.

The twilight Golf Now rate of $32 is still a great value and with the variety of the holes here, you can come back dozens of times and never grow bored of playing this gem.

This is the toughest course that we play in the central VA area. It takes a course of this magnitude to make a 20 handicapper like myself appreciate the other courses that we play regularly. It has been several years since we played this one and yes it plays a whole lot easier from the member/quest tees than the longer tees but it is still almost impossible at times. we were all successful in hitting two digits with one in the eighties and yes we will be back. A really fun butt kicking.

Challenging!! Course layout is very unique. Fairways and greens were in very good shape. We had a great day of golf. Great course for the money.

This golf course is ranked #9 in the nation in course difficulty and it doesn’t take more than the first hole or two to understand why. From drastic elevation changes to uneven lies, blind tee/approach shots, a plethora of bunkers, and thigh-high fescue just feet from the fairway, this course will challenge you from start to finish.

That said, those features which make Royal New Kent such a hard course are also what make it so beautiful and awe-inspiring. I’ve played many courses claiming to be “links style”, but this one truly is. The design not only is incredibly attractive but also wills you to be good enough with your game to truly enjoy the landscape. The fairways appear to be scooped out of the hills of tall grasses, with many of the greens nestled away in corners making it tough to hit both in regulation. There are exquisitely shaped pot bunkers framing many of the raised greens, giant mounds on nearly every hole, and even gorse-like bushes sprinkled throughout. From 1st tee to 18th green, this is the most picturesque course I’ve ever played.

Such a fantastic layout demands equally fantastic course conditions, but the course fell a bit short during my round. Hard, dry tee boxes, weeds mixing in with fairway grass, different sand in different bunkers, and bouncy greens from heavy use and a lingering signs of aerification were all minor annoyances, but given the rack rate I would have expected near-immaculate conditions. Perhaps it was just the fact that I arrived late on a hot Sunday.

The staff was very friendly and accommodating for my visit and the course has both putting and chipping greens (plus driving range) for practice players. The gas carts come in handy on some steep inclines and there are signs in the carts giving first-timers tips for having an enjoyable (if not quick) round.

Ah yes, the always thorny issue of pace of play! Look, we all complain about it at any heavily booked course and in full disclosure: I didn’t see another soul on the course during my round, never mind being held up by anyone. But I’ve never seen a course less conducive to a reasonable pace of play. Limited access fairways, cart-path-only par 4s, long distances between holes, cart paths that double-back several hundred feet, even a par-3 12th that is tucked away off in the corner of a housing development. Add to this the aforementioned blind shots and fescue that swallows every ball you hit into it and you have the perfect recipe for a 5.5-hour round. I played on my own and was chasing daylight and still needed 3 hours to finish. Ye be warned!

In all, I do recommend everyone give this course a try, especially if you can luck out like I did and have the place to yourself (and have a dozen balls you don’t mind losing), you will truly enjoying this golfing experience. It really is like no other in Virginia.

I play here often. Most recently, I played first and alone on a Tuesday morning, and it still took me three hours to play (more on that below). The fairways are mostly Bermuda, so given the season the fairways were dormant, but still in very good shape, considering. The greens were running a little slow, as I believe they had recently punched with small tines without over-seed. The tiny holes in the greens barely impacted the roll, if at all.

As most reviews will mention, this is a difficult course. It's also impossible for a foursome to play in 4 hours because of the way the cart paths are routed, factor time into your decision to play here. However, it's an outstanding course. When it opened back in the 90's it was rated on the list of America's Top 100 golf courses (it was #86 on the list) and given the honor of "Best New Upscale Public". Conditioning through the 2000's is the reason it fell out of the rankings. However, the past few years the conditioning has improved and, in my opinion, this place deserves more attention from the magazines for inclusion into the rankings lists simply based on how much fun it is to play.

Bottom line here: If you're in a hurry, play somewhere else. If you're easily frustrated by difficult terrain, or haven't honed your golf skills yet, play somewhere else. If you gasp at the sight of a few washed out bunkers, play somewhere else. If you want to play a severely underrated and unique course, PLAY HERE.

This course is a must play.....but go out and enjoy the scenery and appreciate the difficulty of the course.....I scored poorly, but really enjoyed myself, which is a nice experience. I actually played well, but the wind was blowing 30 mph and the course itself is a brute. We do enjoy great variety in the area, and this course is very unique.

It is without question, the most dynamic course design in Virginia. While I haven't played Mike Strantz' Tobacco Road, nearby Stonehouse is equally unique.

RNK's Tee-to-Green conditions remain very good and at no point were we disappointed.

That said, we fortunately avoided all bunkers as the sand in many of them was rather thin and hard-packed.

Greens were in beautiful shape, rolled true but were of only medium speeds.

For $39 on a Wednesday, we played 18 with cart, hit excellent range balls and were treated to a hearty sandwich & a cold Vienna Lager at the turn! Unbeatable Deal!

Why don't more courses offer these daily packages?

Clearly, Golf has waned since Tiger's zenith and we thinning remaining players have to feel appreciated more.

Traditional Clubs did a great job of this..!

As far as suggestions, we felt:

- the bunkers should be re-raked at noon each day so as to match the premium up-market feel of the course design. [see Player Appreciation]

- the 20 year-old cart paths need significant repair on at least 4 holes. [see Player Appreciation]

- the driving range flags and yard markers are due a refresh. Painting in a "fairway" and a "green" at 150y would be of great help too. [see Player Appreciation]

- EVERY water jug should be checked mid-day as we played in 89F mid-October.

2 jugs were EMPTY by 2pm.

[again, see Player Appreciation]

In summary, combining an amazing design, good conditions and a friendly supportive staff equal the best value in Virginia Golf.

Here's to Another 20 Years of RNK!!

Definitely not your typical course. Every hole a a challenge and unique. Not a grip it and rip it course. Have to know your limitations here and when to challenge . Makes for a very interesting round , but yes bring plenty of balls. Beautiful, natural course that is in very good condition.. Pay close attention to yard markers, 200 -150 -100 poles throughout. Follow there lead until played a few times and know when to challenge.

Third time playing the course. It's been over 10 years since the lasts visit. Great layout and a very difficult course, but course is in a very bad shape. Fairways are burned out and greens were in not so good shape. Course condition needs to be improved greatly.

This is one of my favorite courses around central Virginia, I enjoy the challenge and uniqueness every hole offers. The course overall was in pretty good shape. It was obvious the heat had taken it's toll on parts of the course, but nothing major. A few brown patches in the fairways, but none were bare, still easy to hit off of. A few brown spots on the greens that were also not bare. Putts still rolled well and were at a fair speed. Bunkers were good, tee boxes were good, overall the course was in good shape, just not the great shape it's usually in. Only complaint was the water coolers. It was near 100 and none of the water coolers on the back 9 had any water in them. That's not the first time I've come across this here so make sure you fill up at the turn.

Last reviews spot on. We had to start on tenth tee and first time playing so my perspective little backwards with layout. Walked up to tenth tee and as earlier review said wasn't sure if should just take pictures or tee off. Every hole imaginative and interesting. Course not for those that just want to grip and rip. Thinking back may have used driver only once.. None of us had ever played and club selection critical. Elevation changes , numerous turns and openings for great shots or disaster. Luckily course pretty empty so could take time to visualize next shot. Course conditions ok , but they are watering hard. They do need two things, one more cooler per nine and more signage for course direction. Left 13th tee and with no direction and followed signs to keep carts on path for long while before found sign that said 14th one way 17 th the other. We had an old yardage book from friend that really helped, without would have been a lot of guess work. Now have played very interested in going back with more confidence in club selection.

First off, I want to emphasize that this is a 4 1/2-star course, not just four stars. If it were in a little better shape I could have given it five stars because this is one of the most imaginative and most memorable golf courses I've played in the last couple of years. It's also another example of why golfers should seek out Mike Strantz-designed golf courses. At every tee, there are twists and turns you don't see on 99 percent of the golf courses you play. It's also helpful is you're playing with someone who knows the course, by the way, because there are a few blind shots and layups you need to know about. In essence, though this isn't a links course, it has many links elements, including a variety of interesting bunkers, mounds and wild greens shapes. This a golf course that plays differently every time you play it, and it's a different golf course from every set of tees. In short, it's never, ever boring.

The design and layout are fantastic. Very challenging and offers tees for all abilities.

However, the conditions were not much better than I'd expect from a muncipal course. I understand the Bermuda hasn't come in yet as it's still kind of early. However, that doesn't excuse or explain bare patches and hard pan on many fairways.

One hole in particular had a 15 foot tall drainage pipe coming out of litteraly the middle of the fairway.' The unplayable area around it was at least 20 feet wide.

Many other holes had craters or sink holes in the fairway.

I don't understand how at the beginning of the season a course can be in this type of shape.

Bunkers were full of mud and water, and it hadn't' really rained too much in the area for the past week.

Also the restaurant ran out of burgers at 5:00 on a Saturday afternoon. Not something that should happen at this level of course,.

overall disappointing day.

BEEN PLAYING HERE NEARLY 20 YEARS..
Played here in 1997 when I believe we paid nearly $145... Paid just $45 on Labor Day 2015 and STILL LOVE this course!
Teed from 6,650 yards and drove it very well (265 yd avg) thereby hitting mid to short irons in.
Teeboxes were B+ considering we are at end of summer. Fairways were B- with some weeds and bare spots.
18 years ago this course's conditioning and "Irish flora" were amazing. Today's "au naturel" approach to weeding means that RNK now hosts every known species of Virginia weed.. er, wildflower.
Greens were B- with month-old aeration bumps and rather longish to keep them alive thru the Virginia heat.. No course complaints considering the high season of Autumn is soon approaching.
This course is just stunning in Fall colors.
Bunkers were B+ as each had decent sand.
Staff are A+ as always.. Cafe', Proshop and Cart staffs make you feel appreciated.. very rare in today's world.

No marshals on Labor Day and the yahoo foursome in front of me took 51 MINUTES to play the first 2 holes.. Never waived me up so I skipped ahead a hole. Playing well, I soon ran up to another foursome of non-golfers. By the 9th hole, I'd had enough and called it a day... Sad.

The $5 Range bag was an insult as only 8 balls still had Surlyn left on their covers. The range was a dirt patch with tiny spots of dead grass to hit off and some sad flagsticks. Unreal!

The incredible Strantz design, beauty and course routing struggle to overcome today's financial shortcomings of Traditional Clubs.
Oh, how I miss the 90's..

If you like Michael Strantz-designed courses, you'll like this one too. You'll not forget this course, it has interesting and unique holes. And it is a literal arboretum when it comes to tree varieties, flowers and general plant life. Play the right set of tees and you will have a ball playing this course. Play the wrong tees and I guarantee you'll have a miserable time, so swallow your pride and play the front tees if you are not a good golfer. Members of Brickshire are also members here, but in talking to them they generally fear this course. But there is nothing to fear, really…Royal New Kent is so scenic and interesting I can't see how people don't want to play it.

A big, challenging course that I really enjoyed. The second Stranz course I have played and it didn't disappoint, very unique layout. Staff was the best, allowed my son to tag along with me at no charge (A+). Course conditions were good, bunkers in need of attention.

The most picturesque course we played on our 6 day romp through Virginia.

A makeshift links layout with many tantelizing carries that in a return visit I may try but initially I would not recommend.

After lots of rain the night before we had many cart path only holes which made for a very long round ( 5 hours ) in very hot weather (95).

The scenery was awesome and the course was in good shape despite the weather.

A definite must but play the correct tees and bring some extra balls...lots of extra balls.

the front nine may be one of the toughest in the mid-Atlantic.