[ed_getka]

I'm going to get together with my brother for a day of golf somewhere between Richmond Virginia and Chapel Hill, NC. I'm thinking of one of the Strantz courses in the title. Other recommendations?

[Adam Warner]

I'm not a fan of Royal New Kent. It's been a while since I played but had some tricked up holes. Stonehouse is a good design and I would also recommend Golden Horseshoe gold in Williamsburg. One of the best set of par 3's around.

[Ben Carey]

I was at RNK earlier this week and it was in pretty bad shape. I've only played one other time (roughly a year ago), but was amazed at how bad the maintenance on the course was this time out. Most of the bunkers were in really bad shape. It was bad enough that I probably won't play it again.

I haven't played Stonehouse and I don't know of any stand-out courses between Richmond and Chapel Hill - at least not on the public side.

I'd love to hear if you find something that you enjoyed. I do a similar drive every few months.

[Tom_Doak]

Sorry to hear about the condition of the two Strantz courses.  My choice between them is exactly the opposite of Adam's -- I thought Stonehouse had some unforgivable holes.

Sounds like you are a bit too far away to go check out my course at Riverfront, which is about an hour SE of Williamsburg.

[cary lichtenstein]

Royal new kent , bad condition is still a gem

[Mike Hamilton]

If you haven't played Royal New Kent, I would also consider...despite apparent maintenance issues.  I agree with Tom and Cary that it's the better of the two.  Although a lot of warts, esp the housing on the back 9, I think most of the front 9 is very good and Strantz best work.

Closer to Kings Dom, Mattaponi is also worth a round and usually in good condition.

[Chris DeToro]

Hey Ed, I went to college in Williamsburg and played a lot of golf down there...

I haven't been there in a few years, so I can't speak to the condition of the courses, but here are a few others to check out:

I agree RNK is definitely worth checking out.  

I'm a little biased since I worked there throughout college, but the Golden Horseshoe is one of my favorites.  You can stay right across the street at the Williamsburg Inn if you're staying the night (plus they may have a decent package).  The Gold course is my favorite, the Green is good and for fun you could check out the Spotswood course.  Cozy clubhouse at the Gold course and chat with Del Snyder, the lead teaching pro there who worked with Sam Snead at the Greenbrier back in the day.  He has tons of great stories.  

Kiskiack was an interesting course

The Kingsmill River course is fun though I haven't played there since they did some renovations

Williamsburg National recently opened a second course which was highly awaited while I was in college, but opened after I left--has anyone been there?  

I never got to play Tom's course when I was down there, but as he mentioned, it's about 45 min to an hour from Williamsburg (so almost 2 hours from Richmond)

[Tim Gavrich]

GCAer and Williamsburg resident CJ Carder wanted me to mention that Viniterra is worth consideration among these courses, too. Very strong Rees Jones track.

[Ben Carey]

To follow on to my prior post, although RNK is in bad shape, I do have a deep respect for the course. It's extremely interesting and there are some great holes. It's a shame that it's not being managed well.

FWIW - I walked the course. The pro told me it's 12 miles of cart path, but it was probably only an 8 or 9 mile walk. I was able to get around in 4 hours, the course was mostly empty. Despite what they tell you about the course being unwalkable - putting a walking bridge here or there would make a big difference and make it very walkable.

There are quite a few pics (10 or so) in my Instagram feed that show some of the course from this past Tuesday. The photos hide the condition of the course, but show how interesting it can be...

http://instagram.com/freshgolf

[Will Lozier]

If you have never played RNK....play it regardless of condition.  It is a must see of modern architecture!

[Mike Tanner]

Ed,
If you're sticking close to I-95, RNK is worth playing. We've had an unusually high amount of rain during the last 7-10 days which may have exacerbated exisiting maintenance issues. Wouldn't pass on it, tho.
The Golden Horsehoe (Gold) is definitely the must-play if you can only play one round in the 'Burg. Classic RTJ. The par-3s always get mentioned as a high point, but for me it's the way he routed the course in about 120 acres (I think) that never feel cramped.
And if you get all the way to Suffolk on the southside of the James River, T. Doak's Riverfront should be on your list. Although I look for the days when the housing hadn't closed in.  

[Chris DeToro]

I always felt the bunkering and greens were understated features of the Gold course as well.  Granted I've probably played that course 100+ times during college.  Plus Colonial Williamsburg is beautiful this time of year and you can stop at the Cheese Shop in CW for a post-round meal

[Jonathan Mallard]

Ed -

I guess the question I have is: what are you trying to accomplish?

Play golf with your brother on a well conditioned golf course?

Or, play golf with your brother and discuss the interesting architecture as presented to you?

If it is the latter, I concur with Tom for your immediate area that you will not find anything more interesting than RNK. Stonehouse is also interesting and bold for its time (with some tees having been abandoned years ago). If I had to guess on the better conditioned of the two today, I would guess Stonehouse.

Another option might be Kinderton in Clarksville. It's a Donald Ross course that shouldn't be too far out of your way. I have not played it.

If your objective is the former, there are plenty that have already been mentioned that will fit the bill nicely.

[Jerry Kluger]

Golden Horseshoe is really outstanding for its generation but conditioning can also be a question with thin fairways and bumpy greens but still worth it.

[Tommy Williamsen]

There really is not very much good golf between Richmond and Raleigh/Durham.  Royal New Kent, regardless of conditioning, is an adventure not to be missed.

[Wade Whitehead]

Play Royal New Kent.  Period.

WW

[ed_getka]

Thanks for the feedback guys. The primary objective is to spend time with my brother. If I can do it while enjoying interesting architecture then so much the better. My brother and I have played Golden Horseshoe before so that is not on the list. I didn't know Tom had a course in the area, so it sounds like it will be Royal New Kent or Riverfront. Any maintenance feedback for Riverfront?

[Chris DeNigris]

Thanks for the feedback guys. The primary objective is to spend time with my brother. If I can do it while enjoying interesting architecture then so much the better. My brother and I have played Golden Horseshoe before so that is not on the list. I didn't know Tom had a course in the area, so it sounds like it will be Royal New Kent or Riverfront. Any maintenance feedback for Riverfront?

Ed,

Riverfront's not exactly in the area...not even in the same area code  Although many would detour a long way to putt on those greens.

Some pretty knowledgeable guys have said RNK is not to be missed and I will jump on that bandwagon with glee. The front is amazing, the back used to be amazing as well but the massive housing and condo development has dampened most people's enthusiasm on 4 or 5 holes.

I think Stonehouse gets a bad rap here because of walkability issues and what many have accurately described as some questionable holes, mostly on the back. The front is in my opinion outstanding.

So....If I were you I'd play the front nine at RNK, drive about 10 miles and play the front at Stonehouse. A great Strantz mini-doubleheader  

[Michael Whitaker]

Ed,

Think about playing Providence Golf Club, a Lester George design. It was the big surprise hit of the 2011 Dixie Cup. Loads of really good holes at a great price. I think you would love it.

Mike

[ed_getka]

Thanks for the feedback guys. The primary objective is to spend time with my brother. If I can do it while enjoying interesting architecture then so much the better. My brother and I have played Golden Horseshoe before so that is not on the list. I didn't know Tom had a course in the area, so it sounds like it will be Royal New Kent or Riverfront. Any maintenance feedback for Riverfront?

Ed,

Riverfront's not exactly in the area...not even in the same area code  Although many would detour a long way to putt on those greens.

Some pretty knowledgeable guys have said RNK is not to be missed and I will jump on that bandwagon with glee. The front is amazing, the back used to be amazing as well but the massive housing and condo development has dampened most people's enthusiasm on 4 or 5 holes.

I think Stonehouse gets a bad rap here because of walkability issues and what many have accurately described as some questionable holes, mostly on the back. The front is in my opinion outstanding.

So....If I were you I'd play the front nine at RNK, drive about 10 miles and play the front at Stonehouse. A great Strantz mini-doubleheader  

My brother is actually in Chesapeake, but I figured most people wouldn't know where that is. So Riverfront is a contender.

Michael,
   Thanks for the advice. I will look into Providence.

[Scott Weersing]

I played Stonehouse a couple of months ago and they lost some of their bent grass greens. They may have been overseeded and come back with the good grass growing weather.

Riverfront is in great shape. It was fast and firm for the first time in a year when we had three weeks without rain here. But it rained all last week and so I expect it to be soft when I play there this afternoon. The greens are in good shape.

RNK is good but can be hard for a bad golfer who can't hit it straight.

I did play Belmont Lakes, which is the newest name of the course, in Rocky Mount, NC. It has some good holes and no poor ones.

http://rockymountgolfclub.com/sites/courses/layout9.asp?id=927&page=52880

Other courses to consider are Viniterra. I don't like Rees Jones courses but you might.

[CJ Carder]

I'm a little biased since I worked there throughout college, but the Golden Horseshoe is one of my favorites.  You can stay right across the street at the Williamsburg Inn if you're staying the night (plus they may have a decent package).  The Gold course is my favorite, the Green is good and for fun you could check out the Spotswood course.  Cozy clubhouse at the Gold course and chat with Del Snyder, the lead teaching pro there who worked with Sam Snead at the Greenbrier back in the day.  He has tons of great stories.

Chris, I hate to say it, but Del passed away earlier this year.  He was definitely a great guy and his stories were so much fun.  The world of golf certainly lost something with his passing.  I don't know where to find it now, but there was a short documentary on his life recently.  The Horseshoe had a special showing during the opening weekend this year but it was produced by someone else.

  
Williamsburg National recently opened a second course which was highly awaited while I was in college, but opened after I left--has anyone been there?

I've played there once or twice.  It's about like the first course - some ok holes, but largely nothing to write home about.  

[Bill Gayne]

Kris Spence completed a renovation Jefferson Lakeside about two-three years ago. He did a nice job.

http://www.jeffersonlakeside.com

[Craig Disher]

It's a little north of Richmond but consider Mattaponi Springs. It's walkable and has some great holes over a great site. RNK is cart only - by necessity. Mike's suggestion of Providence is also a good one.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Craig,

RNK wasn't cart required when I played it and walked it.  Walked Stonehouse, too, a tougher walk than RNK (and each of these was the 2nd round of the day).  In fact, I've never ridden at a Strantz course.  His re-do of Silver Creek Valley in CA is about as tough a walk as the 2 VA courses.

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()