Historic Swings Through Williamsburg, Virginia

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Kingsmill Resort
The Kingsmill Resort has hosted 38 PGA and LPGA events. (Kingsmill)

Williamsburg has top-ranked premier courses that bring golfers to the area and great supporting courses that bring golfers back.

The region is home to more than 12 championship courses ranked 4 stars or better and is very affordable compared to similar golf courses in other golf destinations.

Several facilities have multiple courses on-site, allowing golfers to easily play two different courses on the same day.

Williamsburg National Golf Club

Williamsburg National Golf Club's Yorktown Course
Williamsburg National Golf Club’s Yorktown Course (Hole No. 3) in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. (WNGC)

Voted “Best Golf Course in Williamsburg” by the Virginia Gazette two years in a row, this open-to-the-public private club features two very different courses when it comes to layout and putting surfaces (Bermuda vs. bent).

The Jamestown Course, developed by Jack Nicklaus Design, is a 4-star Golf Digest winner. The par-72 course measures close to 7,000 yards from the championship tees with five different sets of tees appealing to golfers of all skill levels. It has received several awards, including being named “One of the Ten Best Courses you can play in Virginia” by Golf Digest magazine.

The Yorktown Course layout offers a great mix of classic course design with a few modern twists. In addition to being ranked No. 7 of the most-improved courses in the nation by Golf Advisor (now GolfPass) in 2018, it has the area’s most interesting back nine featuring three par-5s, three par-4s, and three par-3s. Bermuda fairways, bent-grass putting greens, and a course full of fun challenges await.


Golden Horseshoe Golf Club

The Golden Horseshoe Golf Club
The Golden Horseshoe Golf Club’s Gold Course in Williamsburg, VA, USA. (GHGC)

Just as Colonial Williamsburg brings America’s history to life, the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club honors the classic traditions of the game—while still creating an entertaining challenge for today’s player. Designed by the father-and-son team of Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Rees Jones, players will experience 45 walkable holes over three courses, surrounded by mature woodlands.

The Gold Course is a classic reimagined. Recently renovated by “the Open Doctor” Rees Jones, the Gold Course now features cutting-edge turf grasses, new grass on the fairways, greens and surrounding roughs, and utilizes “Better Billy Bunker” construction. Tees have been re-leveled and resurfaced, and the expansion of the practice putting green and range gives golfers plenty of opportunity to work on their long and short games.

Opened in 1991, Rees Jones drew inspiration from his father Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s iconic Gold Course to create the acclaimed Green Course. Carved from the same beautiful parkland terrain, the Green Course is longer than the Gold Course but also more forgiving—creating an enjoyable challenge for golfers of every skill level.

Perfect for networking or a quick golf getaway, the Spotswood Course is Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s updated version of the original 1947 Williamsburg Inn course. Called the “best short nine-hole course in the country” by Golf magazine, this par-31 course includes six par-3s, two par-4s and one par-5 to test your whole game. Spotswood is family-friendly and fun for beginners and juniors, but still presents a signature Jones contest for the more experienced golfer.


Kingsmill Resort

Kingsmill Resort
The Kingsmill Resort’s River Course in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. (Kingsmill)

Championship golf is the centerpiece of the Kingsmill Resort experience. It has hosted 38 PGA and LPGA events with golf legends Payne Stewart, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer among those who have played the famed courses. Additionally, the Kingsmill Golf Academy offers expert advice for all levels of players.

The River Course, a Golfweek “Top 200 Resort Course,” is designed by prominent architect Pete Dye and home to the LPGA Pure Silk Tournament. This course has welcomed presidents Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.

Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay designed the Plantation Course to test the skills of all types of players with its generous fairways, water hazards, and undulating greens.


Kiskiack Golf Club

Kiskiack Golf Club in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. (KGC)

Kiskiack Golf Club is home to one of the top-ranked 18-hole golf courses in the state of Virginia. Designed by John LaFoy, it’s nestled along a ridge of a natural bluff in Williamsburg.

Kiskiack’s public course features tree-lined fairways, gorgeous water features, and is easily walkable. While the course can be demanding even for the experienced player, the course’s open fairways and picturesque views will allow beginners to enjoy a round of golf as well. It’s the only golf course in Williamsburg with no houses on the course.


Stonehouse Golf Club

Stonehouse Golf Club Toano, VA, USA. (SGC)

The 18-hole golf course at Stonehouse Golf Club in Toano features 7,013 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par 72. Stonehouse was originally designed by one of the most innovative golf course architects in the business, Mike Strantz, a former protégé of Tom Fazio.

Strantz envisioned a mountain-style course that disturbed nature as little as possible. With deep bunkers and wide fairways, the par-72 layout features dramatic elevation changes and enormous putting greens perched on the edges of natural cliff formations with constant challenges for all levels. Williamsburg golf travelers looking for a unique golf experience will find it at Stonehouse.


Ford’s Colony Country Club

Ford's Colony Country Club's Marsh Hawk Course.
Ford’s Colony Country Club’s Marsh Hawk Course in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. (FCCC).

Located just minutes away from historic Williamsburg, Ford’s Colony offers some of the best resort golf in Virginia. This semi-private golf club features 54 holes with three distinct championship golf courses designed by Dan Maples. Each course brings its own challenges and highlights.

Blackheath is the most picturesque of the three courses with water coming into play on 13 holes. Every green on the course is guarded by bunkers and the course also features many doglegs with rolling fairways. The Blackheath course is the only course at Ford’s Colony that plays to a par 71.

Blue Heron is a continuous 18 that has long, challenging par-3s and par-5s. The Blue Heron has generous fairways carved out of dense wetlands. The course has new Champion Bermuda greens which provide the smoothest surfaces throughout the year. Blue Heron is the longest of the three courses and contains many different species of birds, fish, and other wildlife.

Marsh Hawk features traditional tree-lined fairways. It has small, undulating greens with strategically placed bunkers. The narrow fairways, well-placed bunkers, natural lakes, and elevation changes are the defenses of this course.

Marsh Hawk was the host of the 1998 and 1999 Virginia State Opens, a Monday Qualifier for the 2005 – 2007 Henrico County Open, and a Monday Qualifier for the PGA Tour’s Michelob Championship for 12 straight years.


Colonial Heritage Golf Club

Colonial Heritage Golf Club
Colonial Heritage Golf Club in Williamsburg, VA, USA. (CHGC)

Featuring the only Arthur Hills signature-designed golf course in Williamsburg, Colonial Heritage is open to the public and offers pristine playing conditions on an exceptional layout that winds through rolling hills, streams, and pine forests.

This artfully crafted masterpiece emulates the classic beauty and refinement of the natural terrain of its southern Virginia surroundings. Thoughtfully planned bunkers, undulating fairways, and well-arranged water features create an enjoyable golfing experience for novices and experts alike.

Each year since 2013, Colonial Heritage has been ranked “Best in Region” by Coastal Virginia Magazine.

Williamsburg Golf Guide

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2 COMMENTS

  1. These photos don’t match the courses. Captions under the photos are not correct. Williamsburg National photo is really Kingsmill #16 on the River Course. Kiskiak photo is definitely not Kiskiak. Not sure where that one really is.

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