I've been visiting Williamsburg, Virginia for 30 years. When I was a kid, we didn't have money for many vacations, but my father and stepmother took my younger brother, Mike, and I to Williamsburg for a memorable road trip one summer in my early teenage years, and I've loved the place ever since. I've been back countless times since as an adult to take in the history, test my game on the links, challenge my constitution on the coasters, and even to propose to my wife. Through the years, I often thought of playing the River Course at Kingsmill Resort, but it never seemed to work out. I'm so glad that finally changed this year, when my wife and I decided to spend part of our summer vacation staying on property at Kingsmill with our 7-year-old son.
I picked up the game of golf as a teenager in the early 1990s, and the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic, which became the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill in the mid-90s, was one of the PGA Tour events I always enjoyed watching. The biggest names in the game didn't always (or often) show up. I don't recall Tiger ever playing, though my memory may be faulty. But the River course always looked spectacular, especially after it moved from mid-summer to early October on the Tour schedule. And the golf was terrific, with guys like David Duval and David Toms dominating the tournament at the height of their careers. And when the PGA Tour's time at Kingsmill gave way to the LPGA Tour, the competition arguably got even better. Just look at the names of the women who won here in the 2000s: Grace Park, Se Ri Pak, Christie Kerr, Karrie Webb, Suzann Pettersen and Anika Sorenstam. I'm not sure you could put together a lineup of better champions for one tournament over a span of six or seven consecutive years. So, Kingsmill was always a place I knew I someday wanted to play.
But Kingsmill is significant not just for its history of great champions; it's even more significant for the role the region played in the history of America. Many people know that the first permanent English settlement in the New World was at Jamestown, just a few miles west on the James River from where Kingsmill sits today. But it was on the site now known as Kingsmill where the first Englishman set foot in what would become Virginia in 1607. That year, three ships from Great Britain completed their voyage of nearly 150 days across the sea, and though they ultimately settled at Jamestown, one of the leaders of the expedition -- Gabriel Archer -- first suggested that they settle in the bucolic lands atop the bluffs above the James, where today we find Kingsmill resort. It was only for the practicality of being better able to defend and anchor ships at the Jamestown location that the English decided to settle there instead.
In the years that followed, as more settlers from England and were granted land within the colony, Richard Kingsmill of the Virginia Company received 300 acres on the northern shore of the James. Over time, the land changed hands and was eventually inherited by Col. Lewis Burwell III, who built a thriving plantation and named it Kingsmill in honor of the original English owner. As the nearby town of Williamsburg developed and grew, with all of its importance in early American history, Kingsmill Plantation continued to grow as well. By the mid-18th century, the Burwell family had acquired adjacent lands, and the plantation had grown to more than 1,200 acres. And when the Anheuser-Busch Corporation acquired the land in 1969, it had grown to more than 3,450 acres.
In the process of developing the land to include a major east coast brewery, a brand-new Busch Gardens theme park, and Kingsmill Resort (among other developments), Anheuser-Bush devoted significant resources into investigating and preserving the rich history of the land. As one walks the grounds, and as I discovered playing the River Course, there are monuments and educational materials devoted to the history of Kingsmill and early America everywhere. The picture above, taken just aside the 17th tee, includes a Civil War-era cannon and two prominent plaques dedicated to that history. Just beyond the green, there is another that depicts the foundations and layout of an early period public house, and near the 18th tee is a monument dedicated to sharing the history of native Americans on this land. Artifacts from early settlers and the indigenous peoples of the area are on display within the primary buildings of the resort and at the Smithsonian Institute.
I love history -- particularly early American history. But let's be honest; I came to Kingsmill to play golf. And though I don't think my pictures do the course justice, I got a spectacular day for it. I was scheduled to play in the second tee time of the day, paired with a couple I didn't know. But I arrived early, and even though I didn't ask for any special consideration, the starter gave me a wink and a point at the empty first tee and told me to "Fly!" I love playing with other people, but there is something about heading out solo and being the first off the tee -- especially when I'm on vacation -- that I cherish. Being able to play 18 holes in two-and-a-half hours, even taking time to take photos and appreciate the architecture, is something I always appreciate.
The River Course was designed by Pete Dye and opened for play in 1975. It currently ranks 96th on Golf Digest's ranking of the top 100 public golf courses in America. the course is relatively short by modern standards, stretching to just 6,831 yards from the tips, but it does sit at near sea level, which can make the course play longer. The day I played, I opted for a combination of the Black (championship) and Blue tees that put the course yardage at 6,549 yards. Yardages mentioned throughout the rest of this blog post will be from the relative black or blue tee that I played from the combo set as laid out by the scorecard.
Hole No. 1 - Par 4 - 369 Yards
The River Course opens with a fairly straight par-4, but most will play it almost like a left-to-right dogleg, aiming their drive down the left side of the fairway to avoid the bunkers that dominate the right side, beginning about 235 yards off the tee. There is water to the left for those who hook it off the tee, but it really only comes into play on severely mis-hit tee shots. From the back tee, there's nearly 325 yards of fairway open down the left side, and the landing area is wide, offering up plenty of opportunity to get your round off to a strong start.
From the fairway, Dye has given players the option on this hole to run your approach shot in between two large bunkers or to fly it in to the green, which is nearly half a football field deep. Knolls on the left side of the green introduce a bit of random luck into the approach and add to the undulation of this putting surface, but balls played to the right side of the green will tend to feed back toward the middle and offer a flatter putt for your birdie opportunity.
Hole No. 2 - Par 3 - 177 Yards
Guarded by three deep bunkers, the green on No. 2 requires an accurate mid- to long-iron tee shot. Balls played to the front-left of this green will feed toward the center, but shots that find the back half of the green risk running through and off the putting surface as the green begins to slope away, off a small knoll on the left-hand side. When the flag is up-front, this is a green-light birdie hole. When the pin is back, there's no shame in playing safe to the front of the green and being satisfied with a two-putt par.
Hole 3 - Par 5 - 518 Yards
No. 3 is a really fun par-5 -- a three-shot hole for all but the longest bombers. The tee shot requires that you play farther out to the right than you might like to avoid the slope of the fairway feeding your drive left and into the thick rough or the fairway bunker at the bend. It's a solid 260 yards to carry the right side of that bunker and another 15 or so to actually reach the fairway on that line. As tempting as it might look from the tee to try to cut the corner and try to shorten the hole, that route is fraught with peril.
A tee shot right of the bunker will leave most players with an average of 260 yards or more to the green, likely from a hook lie on the side slope. There's water left of the green complex. For those who try to get home in two, a slight draw, pull or even hook that just misses the green to the left won't kill you. But it will make for a very difficult third shot up a steep embankment to reach the green. For most of us, the smart play is simply to hit a mid-iron down the right side of the fairway and let it feed to the middle to set up a wedge shot into this elevated green.
The green on No. 3 slopes from right to left. If the pin is on the right side of the green, aim a few yards right of the flag, and let the green feed the ball to the hole. If the pin is on the left side, play at the right-center of the green. Avoid flirting with the possibility of pulling your ball left and winding up in the collection area far below the green.
Hole No. 4 - Par 4 - 379 Yards
The fourth hole is a sweeping dogleg left. Play your tee shot well out to the right of the long fairway bunker to take the left side trouble out of play. the house in the distance is a good line. Balls played out in that direction will catch the slope of the fairway and run from right to left, setting up a mid-iron approach.
From the fairway, it remains important to take the trouble to the left out of play. This long, narrow green slopes from right to left, giving players the option to run a low ball in from the right side and using the contour of the green to feed the ball toward the hole. Two very deep bunkers sit well below the hole on the left side. Escaping them can be a multi-stroke affair. Better to bail out right and chip or pitch the ball onto the green than risk playing from below the green on the left.
Hole No. 5 - Par 3 - 173 Yards
I lucked out the day that I played the River Course because I think the pins on the par-3s may have been in the easiest positions. I should have thanked the superintendent for that after my round. On hole No. 5, the simple rule off the tee is aim left. No matter where the hole is cut on the green, aiming anywhere farther right than the middle of this green is just asking for trouble as the green gets really narrow and requires that you carry more of the hazard as well as the long bunker that snakes its way all along the right side of this hole. The left side of the green offers a generous landing area, and balls hit to the left will funnel back toward the middle of the putting surface. Even playing from the hillside above the green to the left is better than hitting the ball right and contending with the trouble that awaits.
Hole No. 6 - Par 4 - 369 Yards
I love courses that offer wide-open views. I'm a fan of what's been done at courses like Oakmont, Inverness and elsewhere, where tree removal has created different sightlines and brought more wind into play. But I've also got a deep affinity for courses that have been carved out of the forest ... places where you stand on one hole and don't see another in any direction ... where the trees frame the layout of each hole, and you really feel like it's just you and the golf course. I experienced a lot of that on the River Course, and the sixth hole is a great example of it.
From the tee, the safe play is to the left-center of the fairway, avoiding the two fairway bunkers about 240 yards out on the right side. The bunkers aren't score killers unless you find yourself right up against a lip, but playing from the short grass will definitely make for an easier second shot on this potential birdie hole.
The rolling terrain on this hole can bring some uncertainty into every shot; it's not unimaginable to see a well-struck ball get a bad bounce or to see a marginal shot made great by the contours of the land here. On the approach, the green is guarded by two bunkers short and left. The green itself slopes primarily from right to left and front to back, so balls played to the right side of the green to avoid the sand are more likely to settle in the heart of the putting surface, setting up a possible birdie putt and an easy par.
Hole No. 7 - Par 5 - 525 Yards
The 7th hole is a really interesting par-5, playing about 480 yards straight away and then taking a near-90-degree turn to the left. The farther out from the tee you get on this hole, the more the terrain begins to slope from right to left, steering you in the direction of the hole. With your driver in hand, the goal is simple -- keep it in the fairway and avoid the fairway bunkers that begin on the right side, about 215 yards off the tee.
For all but the longest hitters, getting home in two on this hole is going to be more risk than is likely worthwhile for the potential reward. Balls hit at the green and short will wind up in a deep bunker, sunken into the thick rough well below the green, or -- worst of all -- in the hazard area left and below the green. Safer to just play a mid-iron down the right side and set up a short approach.
I happened to yank my layup left, but because I'd only played a mid-iron, the mishit didn't really hurt me. I wound up still playing from the fairway and hitting just a short-iron into the green.
The back half of this green slopes away, while the front half slopes primarily from back to front. Playing the approach off the right greenside bunker will help feed the ball to a back-left hole position.
Hole No. 8 - Par 4 - 401 Yards
No. 8 may be the most difficult driving hole on the course. Left is just dead as the hazard cuts in and runs right up to the edge of the fairway. The bunker on the left is only about 220 yards out from the tee box. Balls played just right of it will likely run through the fairway but have a chance of remaining playable from the rough. Anything directly over or left of that bunker is probably in the hazard. Meanwhile, deep bunkers down the right side can be the equivalent of a penalty as reaching the green from any of them will require a heroic effort. Getting your tee shot into the fairway here is going to be far more important than the distance of your second shot, so you may want to play something other than driver that you know for certain you can keep down the middle.
From the fairway, the approach is straight uphill, up a relatively narrow chute between the encroaching hazard area on the left and the bunkers and trees to the right. The hole does open up a bit as you near the green, however, so laying up off the tee and leaving yourself a long-iron or hybrid may not be a terrible play. So long as you can fly your approach beyond the hazard area left of the fairway and land it in the vicinity of the green, playing from the fairway, rough or even the bunker left of the putting surface is not the worst thing in the world.
Hole No. 9 - Par 4 - 445 Yards
The front nine finishes with a long uphill par-4. At 445 yards, I basically think of a hole like this as a par 4-and-a-half. With a handicap floating around an 8 and knowing that I'm not nearly as long off the tee as I used to be, I think of a par on a hole like this (like the 443-yard 9th hole at my home course) almost like a birdie.
The tee shot on No. 9 plays to a relatively wide landing area. Fairway bunkers left and right both more than 250 yards off the tee and are relatively easy to avoid. A drive down the left-center of this fairway will set up an ideal angle to go at this green.
Whatever you do with your approach shot, avoid the four bunkers to the right of this kidney-shaped green. If you aren't confident you can play for the left side of the green and hold your line, stay left and play short. Better to pitch onto this green from the left than to risk having to play from one of those deep bunkers to the right. This isn't exactly a punchbowl green, but most balls that make the putting surface will feed to the middle, and on a hole of this length, the middle of the green is a great place to be no matter where the hole happens to be cut.
Hole No. 10 - Par 4 - 405 Yards
The 10th hole wraps from left to right around trees and a pond, which can make it feel longer than the 401 yards on the scorecard. From the tee, it requires a good drive carrying a small valley and pond. It'll take about 215 yards in the air to carry the first couple of fairway bunkers down the right side, and it's a good idea to play a bit left of those to avoid the rough and to stay away from tree trouble on your approach. Don't stray too far left, though, as a series of fairway bunkers on that side stretch from about 215 yards off the tee to nearly 260 yards -- virtually the entire length of the landing area for most of us.
For those who find the fairway, the approach on No. 10 shouldn't be terribly problematic. Aim your mid- to long-iron shot at the left side of the green, and let the slope funnel the ball toward the middle. Avoid the bunkers right of the green, though. They aren't large, but steep bunker faces can make for a tricky recovery shot. There is water farther to the right, but that shouldn't be in play except for the most wayward mishits on this hole.
Hole No. 11 - Par 4 - 408 Yards
No. 11 features a wide landing area for your drive. Take advantage of it, and stay well right of the 55-yard-long fairway bunker on the left side of the hole. A well-played driver -- or even a 3-wood or hybrid off the tee -- will set up a mid- or long-iron approach from far-enough right that it enables you to use length of the green to your advantage.
From the right side of the fairway, the pot bunker just short of the green becomes less of a challenge, and the putting surface opens up to allow you to either fly your approach all the way to the flag or to run it in low and use the terrain to feed the ball toward the hole. There are three other bunkers on this hole that will penalize shots that go long of the target. The key on this approach is to get the ball to the heart of the green in order to avoid falling off to one of the bunkers or one of the collection areas that can leave you with a very delicate chip or pitch as you try to save par.
Hole No. 12 - Par 4 - 378 Yards
I didn't play the 12th particularly well, but I came away really liking the design of this dogleg-left par-4. From the tee, the trees force you to play out to the right in order to set up a clear second shot. I hit an excellent drive that left me just 100 yards for my approach -- a perfect sand wedge distance for me ... and then I blew when I yanked that wedge left of the green and couldn't even get up and down for par. With no sand or water to worry about on our drive, it's definitely a gettable hole, though. Steer clear of the trees, and you should be thinking birdie.
There is a bunker back-left of this green, but that's the only real trouble on this hole, apart from the trees. The rolling terrain might make it difficult to predictably play a low, running shot into this green. But most folks will have just a wedge in their hands and will likely feel confident flying the ball into this green anyway. The putting surface slopes from right to left, and it drops off in every direction, so play for the center or just right of center of the green to keep it on the green and set up your birdie opportunity.
Hole No. 13 - Par 3 - 158 Yards
The 13th hole plays to a green that's angled from left to right off the tee with a series of bunkers set below the green on the right to keep balls from kicking down the hill and into the hazard area. Another bunker sits short-left of the green to snag poorly played tee shots as players attempt to bail out. The green itself will funnel most balls to the middle. Players who hit into the left side of the green will find that they can use the back of the green like a backstop to sling the ball around and reach pin positions on the right side of the green without flirting with the trouble short-right.
Hole No. 14 - Par 4 - 374 Yards
The 14th plays uphill off the tee, over a small valley to a generous fairway. Trouble lurks on the left with two fairway bunkers beginning about 235 yards off the tee. A ball played up the left side will offer a better angle to the green, but the safe play is a driver down the right side of the fairway, setting up a wedge or short-iron approach.
From the right side of this fairway, the shallow, elevated green can be difficult to hold and requires an accurately judged approach. Greenside bunkers right of the green will catch balls that come up short of the green, and balls that carry long of the green will bound down the hill beyond the putting surface, settling into the thick rough -- either of which will make for a challenging up-and-down. Fortunately, the green generally funnels shots into the middle so that balls that find the putting surface should generally hold them.
Hole No. 15 - Par 5 - 503 Yards
The 15th hole is a reachable par-5 that winds its way along a ridge with trouble down the entire right-hand side. The drive plays slightly uphill across a valley to an elevated fairway. A series of four fairway bunkers along the hillside just below the right edge of the fairway may keep wayward balls from kicking down the hill and into the hazard area, but playing out of any of those bunkers will turn this potential birdie hole into a challenging par. Another fairway bunker on the left side of the fairway makes for an ideal target line, sitting about 275 yards off the tee.
Players who want to go for this green in two will need have the best opportunity to find the putting surface if they play just inside the large bunker short left of the green, catching the mound and allowing it to redirect the ball toward the green. Anything right of the green is destined for either a deep greenside bunker in the best-case scenario or, the more likely worst-case, the hazard area below the green complex. For more conservative players, the smart second play is a layup down the left side of the fairway, setting up a wedge or short-iron into this shallow green.
Hole No. 16 - Par 4 - 428 Yards
No. 16 is a long, dogleg par-4 playing slightly downhill in the direction of the James River. The hole has a different feel to it from most of the earlier holes on the course as it plays alongside the housing that is part of the Kingsmill community. As I made my way along this hole, friendly folks on the back patios and decks of a handful of these homes waved and wished me well as they enjoyed the cool of the early morning. I even got a polite golf clap from what appeared to be a mother and her adult daughter when I hit my approach into this green.
From the tee, it's important to favor the left side of this hole. A long fairway bunker stretches the entire length of the landing area and requires a carry of more than 270 yards from anyone who tries to challenge it. The left side of the fairway will funnel balls toward the center and set up the best angle of attack to this green.
From the fairway, the approach plays downhill to a green guarded by four bunkers. And the James River, beyond, offers a compelling visual distraction. The narrow green can prove a difficult target, and players may want to consider strategically playing their approach shots short-right of the green in order to set up an easy chip or pitch shot to the hole.
This view from the hillside right of the fairway and about 30 yards short of the green offers a view of the area just before the green from which many players will find their best scoring opportunity -- certainly a better chance at saving par than any of the 16th's greenside bunkers might offer.
Hole No. 17 - Par 3 - 177 Yards
The 17th is the hole that most people will remember from their years of watching the PGA and LPGA Tour events played at Kingsmill. A mid-iron shot for most players, the hole offers a real test of nerves and skill. The James River is impossible to ignore but shouldn't come into play on any but the absolute worst shots from this tee. However, the greenside bunkers just right of the putting surface, hillside short and right, and hazard area below are all very-much in play and make this a very challenging par-3.
The important keys to success on the 17th are proper club selection, sound alignment, and a confident swing. The green is very deep, at 50 yards from front to back, so distance control is imperative. Once you've chosen the right club, aim at the left side of the green, and swing away. The bank will bring the ball back toward the center of the putting surface, and even shots played left of the green will have a likely chance to ride the slope and finish on the putting surface. It's a fantastic, challenging hole in a beautiful setting -- another signature Pete Dye penultimate hole, guaranteed to bring the drama to any round of golf's closing moments.
Hole No. 18 - Par 4 - 362 Yards
If No. 17 is classic Pete Dye 17th hole drama, the 18th hole on the River Course should feel very familiar to fans of Dye's other works. Like the 18th at Sawgrass or even the 18th at my home course, Pete Dye Golf Club, the No. 18 on the River Course plays to a fairway that moves from right to left with water down the entire left side. Aggressive players willing to risk pulling their ball into the lake will need just about 215 yards to carry both of the fairway bunkers on the left side of the hole, high on the bank above the water. Aiming at the farther bunker, there's a real opportunity to shorten the hole and set up a wedge or short-iron approach and a possible birdie opportunity to close out the round.
More conservative players will aim their drives out to the right and settle for a mid- to long-iron approach. From the fairway, players have the option to play a low, running shot between the bunkers to this green. Doing so probably takes the water out of play but might also make it difficult to set up a birdie opportunity. What's more, the slip of fairway leading up to the green narrows as the bunkers pinch in, so any play on the ground must be very precise.
This narrow green is long from front-right to back-left, and the bunker left wraps all the way around the green on that side. Another near-50-yard-long green with multiple tiers and undulations that can make putting a real challenge, this green requires an approach shot to the right level, determined by where the hole is cut on any given day, in order to make even a two-putt par a matter of routine.
Twenty-five years or more after I first thought about playing the River Course, I'm so glad that my journey to play the great courses of North America finally brought me here. The course lived up to my expectations; it was beautiful, challenging and fun. And so many of the Pete Dye touches I've come to appreciate on so many of his other courses were present throughout. What's more, I can't say enough good things about Kingsmill as a family resort. My wife, son and I loved the property, the pools and the proximity to all of the Williamsburg-area attractions we wanted to visit. For those who have never been, Williamsburg is a wonderful place a family to explore the early history of our nation and the fun that's available from the ships at Jamestown Settlement to the roller coasters at Busch Gardens. Add in great golf, and I can guarantee it's a place we'll return to often.
Have you played the River Course at Kingsmill Resort? Let me know what you think of the course and this blog! Drop a comment below or shoot me an email at shawn@iputtaround.com.