Ford's Colony Country Club - Blue Heron Course

There is no shortage of great golf courses (public and private) in Williamsburg and Ford’s Colony offers three very good ones. If you are looking to spend a day in one place and get a good mix, this might be the perfect place.

A short drive from Colonial Williamsburg, Ford’s Colony offers three very nice courses: Blue Heron (currently closed for renovations), Marsh Hawk (the member’s course), and Black Heath. I was fortunate enough to be selected by the friendly starter to tee off on Marsh Hawk despite not being a member of the country club. He promised my playing partner and I that it would be drier than Black Heath, though sogginess proved to be a consistent aspect of my playing experience. This is less a fault of the course maintenance crew and more a fact of recent weather patterns that have inundated the area with copious amounts of rain.

Mudballs and squishy stances aside, the course played beautifully with impressively smooth and firm greens, well-maintained bunkers and good overall condition of the fairways and rough for mid-February. Perhaps because it was a members-only course, I was surprised at the lack of ball marks on the greens though the tees had plenty of grass missing, which is to be expected this time of year.

The layout of Marsh Hawk is memorable though not exactly breathtaking. There are some decent elevation changes and a couple of extreme doglegs but nothing too quirky or tricked up. Having never played here before, I was never at a loss of where to aim my tee shot though a couple approach shots required a peak over a hill or around a corner. Bunker design and placement is forgiving but not a layup, the evenness of the sand in them certainly helps.

I paid $30 after the pro shop staff matched the GolfNow Hot Deal my playing partner had tried to book unsuccessfully. That’s a very good value for this course and the staff here really makes you feel at home.

There are a few other courses nearby that I like the design of a little better so I’m not sure how often I would return but I still highly recommend this course, it’s a good value and an honest golfing experience

Played Marsh Hawk. Good course, short but a good layout. Lot’s of risk reward holes. Front nine had a lot of water holes which were fun. Back nine was kind of boring. Course was in good condition for the time of year. Greens were great, rolled true and good speed to them. Overall a good course.

Thoroughly enjoyed this prcturesque Blackheath course. A bald eagle flew right over the first tee. Starts with a challenging par 5 with water all along the left. Nice elevation changes, water carries, dog legs and mixture of long and short par 4’s. The finishing hole has a neat island green. There are homes lining the fairways but are non obtrusive. Pace of play was excellent. Course conditions was good for this time of year.

Still cart path only. Would definitely play again.

The check in was really easy. The bag drop had 2 guys working and they were really friendly and helpful. The pro shop lady was kind and also very helpful. The range was open and well maintained, with workers around helping if need be. The putting green was half under repair, but plenty of space to putt. The starter was another friendly fella, nice man. The course was in pretty good shape, with a little wet areas throughout the 18 holes, but overall a good 50 degree winter day!! The bar had cold beer, and also very friendly employees!!

Course was in good shape for winter golf... little wet in the low areas of the course. Cart path only but played in 5 hours. Greens were rolling at a good pace a little bumpy. Overall good value at this time of the year.

Great course for intermediate golfer. Great staff. Very Helpful. Would certainly play again.

Rained a ton the day before so the course was soaked. Lift, clean and place. Casual water everywhere but still enjoyable as long as you kept in the fairway. Lots of trees shed their leaves so easy to lose ball in the rough. Greens rolled well. Not too many ball marks. Receptive. Very scenic course with a fair amount of elevated tee boxes. Better not be scared of water because there's plenty to carry. About 9 times off the tee box so play the right set of tees.

The course was in good condition in spite the wet. We had to stay on the car path but that supported the course to be in such a good condition. The greens were in good conditions. Not to fast and consistent.

This is one of three courses, at Ford's Colony. I played Black Heath and Marsh Hawk. The courses wind around housing, but it rarely comes into play, except for shots struck way off line. Both were great layouts, with many memorable holes. Both courses were well maintained and the greens were in great shape and putted well. The pace of play was great in the morning round (4 hrs), but afternoon was a little slower (4-1/2 hrs), however still on a good pace. This is a great value for the cost/versus the caliber of course. Hitting fairways was a premium, as the Bermuda rough tends to hide the balls well. At times you had to be right on top of them to find them. Keep your eye on where they land! This is one of my favorite facilities in the area. The staff is helpful and friendly The courses are challenging, interesting, and in great shape, and the dining areas are super, with great selections. I would highly recommend.

The Fords Colony courses never let me down. They may beat me up at times, however, they are always in great shape. Pace of play, a little long, however, the marshal's did their best to keep things moving. Great Job guys!!!

Interesting layout. Late season play will see the rough higher than expected. Although well tree lined, fairways are generous enough to keep your ball in play. Played Marsh Hawk two days ago and Blackheath today. Greens in ok shape. A number of greens had sections marked GUR. Top marks for staff friendliness. Power cart maintenance less than acceptable, rough riding and dirty both rounds. Both layouts will challenge any walker.

An outstanding layout. Quite a few doglegs, but very interesting. Water comes into play on a number of holes. Course was in great fall shape. Greens a little slick, but ran true. Played from the white tees which gave the course a nice length for my handicap. Definitely recommend this course. Great price deal through Golfnow.com.

Fords’s Colony is a must play. Having said that, all we needed was a course ranger. Bag drop, terrific! Counter staff, terrific! Course in very good shape. Started behind a foursome that slowly lost contact with the group ahead. This led to an over 5hr round. We had played a previous day on Blackheath, perfect. Today Blue Heron would and should have been perfect. Still a great course at a great value, would certainly return.

Great layout and in great shape. Rough made the day worse than it needed to be. Spent to much time looking for balls and getting out of rough. Played with 2 members and even they complained and quit after 16 holes

The rough was extremely difficult to find balls just inches off the fairway. Starter warned us about the rough and to pay close attention as to where it enter the rough. At the end of the round the cart attendant said every fishing the round was committing about the rough. Pace of play was slow because of this condition. Everyone at some point was looking for balls in the rough.

Played Blackheath. Friendly, personable staff, inside and out. Course was in very good condition considering the weather that just blew through, trees down and power out in the area. Great value, would keep it on the play list for next trip.

Played the Marsh Hawk course. Challenging, picturesque and fun to play.

The Greens did not hold shots unless you could really spin the ball. Ball marks and pitch marks were numerous because people ignored fixing them!

Played Blue Herron today. Course was in great shape. Greens were very nice.

My concern is allowing walkers to play on a crowded weekend. I like to walk at times too but not on a weekend when it’s booked. Got behind 4 walkers until they finally let us play through only to get behind 2 groups of 4 that took forever. I like all 3 courses but it’s getting harder to play there because of the waiting. I know we wasted an hour just sitting during our round.