Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection

Let’s just get this out of the way: the collection of par 3s at the Gold course are as advertised. I would like to shed some light, however, on some of the other aspects of the course that solidify it as a Top 100 American public track, yet they are hardly mentioned.

The par 5s are vastly underrated, even if there are merely three. The best of the bunch - the second hole - makes the risk/reward scenario of going for the reachable green in two a risky proposition so early in the round, especially with a watery grave beckoning. The sixth hole plays only 471 yards from the blue tees, making it reachable and not quite as menacing as the second hole, since there is no hazard to carry. It is punctuated by a tee shot that plays over the crest of a saddled fairway and an approach to an elevated green. And the lone par 5 on the back covers more than 600 yards.

While several of the par 4s are too similar (4 and 14; 8 and 9), there were some standouts. The 11th plays through a seemingly tunnel of trees off the tee to an infinity green. The short 13th has some serious Augusta vibes. The 17th plays long uphill and the finishing hole is demanding in its on right. Drives must be exceptionally long if going down the left side or approach shots will be blocked out by a stand of trees. Going down the right opens up the hole, but requires a longer iron. A large bunker guards the front right of the green and water lurks behind. Par is a fabulous score on the 18th.

Now, for those par 3s. All play over water, but they are very distinct holes. The third hole reminded me of Spyglass. It is overshadowed by its other three siblings but would stand out on most other courses. The seventh is the toughest of the lot. It plays 185 yards slightly uphill and the green looks so small from the tee. An RTJ signature tongued bunker fronts the green, while adjacent bunkers left of and behind squeeze the target even more. The 12th and 16th are similar in that play downhill over ponds and you have to accurately gauge how much club to take off. 16 is obviously the signature hole. I hit four different irons to the four, which I valued.

Be sure and take a moment when you reach the 14th tee and walk all the way to the back of it. From there, take in one of the best view of an inland confluence of holes that I can recall in my travels. You can see the 16th, 12th, 2nd and 7th greens. It is fantastic.

The Gold course has gained its reputation largely on the collection of par 3s, and rightly so. But, there is so much more that it has to offer.

A lot will be said about the four par 3's, and it's all true. For a 16 Handicap, the white tees are challenging but not overwhelming. Beautiful layout. Looking at the google map, the holes are very close together but you'd never know it and only rarely see other golfers on other holes. Carts were quiet and fast. Will definitely come back and play again in the summer. Greens and fairways were in great shape for mid March.

With apologies to the River Course and Royal New Kent, this is the best course in Tidewater. RTJ crafted a course that has stunning visuals while still looking like he barely moved any dirt. It feels like New England in the heart of Virginia.

The front nine serves as a good warm up, as it plays much shorter and narrower. A good wedge game will really allow you to score, if you an avoid all trees. Once you get to the back, especially from 14 in, the course opens up. Of course, it also gets really long and difficult, so your driver better be working. 16-18 are up there with courses like Pinehurst #2 and Bethpage Black (well, maybe 14-17 at the Black) for best finishing holes on the east coast. I can't say I notice a difference since they replaced the grass with a new breed a couple of years ago, but the bunker work they did was top notch and has really improved the conditioning.

Post round, make sure to make the short trip to Colonial Williamsburg for great food and beer (Hi, Precarious!). It's the perfect end to a day made perfect by getting to play the Gold Course.

Since it is mid November and the grass is dormant, the course wasn't as luscious as I am sure it is during the rest of the year. The fairways were in great condition and the greens were fast and overall in very good condition. If you get the chance you should play the course.

Enjoyed this course, even though it was a bit cold (no wind). Great group of par-3s. Multiple tee boxes and greens were in good shape. Fairway's too.

Having played this course in the spring it’s amazing what a season of neglect can do to a course. What was once a great course is now a second tier municipal that isn’t worth the $60 they are charging. I’d be ok paying $30 for these conditions. But clearly the goal of Golden Horseshoe this year has been to spend “ALL” of their money on the Gold course, which is a shame since it’s usually $175 to play.

That being said, I will not be returning any time soon, playing bunkers filled with water (from rain that fell 4 days ago) and “some” sand in the ones that were dry. The weeds are taking over, it won’t be long until they loose the greens to quickly spreading crab grass everywhere. For me, I’ll take my money elsewhere….

The Gold course is special and very demanding. The scenery is spectacular. When you get there you are treated like royalty from the bag guys,to the starter, the pro shop staff, the bartender, everyone makes great effort to treat you like a member. I’ve played some of the best courses in the country and the Gold course takes a backseat to none of them. We had a great day, even though the wind played havoc with a few shots. Play from the correct tees ( shorter than you think you should) and you’ll have a great day, and so will the group behind you!

We had three players in our group and had a threesome in front who were rather slow and did not offer us the chance to play through. After about five holes a ranger appeared and asked them to let us play through. We had no hold ups after that and enjoyed the rest of the round. The slow threesome was 5 holes behind us when we finished!

This is a very scenic course very similar to its sister course The Golden Horseshoe. You want to stay in the fairways here rough can be challenging. There are some pretty good carries on some of the holes. I really enjoyed this course and will play again. The day I played the course was in excellent shape. The greens rolled well and as I mentioned the scenic views on the course are great.

Although the course was pretty. The fairways were terribly wet. Soaked! Been in a drought for 6 weeks and they must of left the water on the whole time. The greens were t nice either. Very disappointed. The Golf course is always great and we decided to try the Green course since we couldn’t get a earlier tee time. Will never play a round there again.

First time to play Golden Horseshoe Green Course. Bag drop & check in couldn’t be friendlier or more helpful. Great pace of play. Will certainly put it on the return play list.

Can’t say Enough about this course. Staff was super friendly! Free range balls before round! Fantastic practice facility. Starter was great! Course was in fantastic condition. Greens were fast and true. No leaves on the course. Played in 3 hours so pace of play was exceptional. Cost is high but the experience and course layout is why it’s worth it..at least once a year! If you haven’t played here yet, do yourself a favor and play.

Golden Horseshoe GC - Gold Course by Robert Trent Jones Sr. is offers on of the best golf experiences using the least amount of acres. The Gold course is a near-perfect use of the hilly terrain. All fairways are framed with tall mature trees making hitting the fairway very important. The course has one 4 amazing and fun par 3s which all required you to hit over water, including 16 which is an island green that proceeded the island green at TPC Sawgrass (I prefer this island green over TPC in design and beauty). While the course is on a smaller plot of land than many courses, you feel isolated on each hole because of the large trees. While the Gold Course has one of the best foursome of par 3s, the entire course is outstanding especial how it is routed amongst the rolling hills, Robert Trent Jones Sr at his best. My favorite hole was the par 5, 6th hole. The course located in Williamsburg, VA as apart of the Colonial Williamsburg Resorts. The course is a classic offering fun and challenging holes and outstanding conditions.

Beautiful setting. Long course, some length needed, but forgiving. Super friendly staff. Would play again.

The pros ,were nice greens and layout. Plenty of space between holes. The cons, were very wet saturated fairways. Almost ridiculous. You’d hit dead center 260 on the fly and have a 3 yard roll. 80% of bunkers were packed wet sand, and we been on a dry spell . They must of had sprinklers on way to long. I was only in 2 bunkers but dad was in several. Half the tee boxes were in bad shape as well. Luckily it only cost $60 a person to play but even at that price, it wasn’t worth it. The staff were absolutely great though.

Played the Green course today at fair clip for Saturday (4: 20). But the conditions were far from desirable. Yes, it rained the day before but the drainage was so poor that the grounds were very bad. Plus weeds on / around the greens tell me groundskeepers aren’t on top of the needed maintenance. And it could be me but the course layout stinks: 575 par 5 w 335 par 4s with lots of swails seems poorly designed. Not thrilled to return and just put my boys into school in area so was hoping for a regular spot.

Nice course to work on your short game, nice layout with different looks. Can easily play in under 1.5 hours.