Looking for feedback, suggestions, hints, tips, etc. to play the best I can when I go there next weekend.

Thanks

HAWK

We played there a few years ago and it is a difficult course. You really need to play target golf and hit your spots. There are a lot of doglegs that temp you to cut off a lot of the yardage but if you miss, you will be in the high weeds and it can make for a long day. The first hole is a dogleg to the left. When I played there, I hit it through the fairway and into the weeds with a 3 wood so you'll either need to hit an iron off the tee or cut off a lot and take an agressive route. Good luck. It is a difficult course but probably it had a lot to do with playing it for the first time.

I agree it is a tough course...not many places to play "safe." I remember it being challenging but very fun.

Liked this course! Superb condition with very swift greens. Hole 18 was a beast.

Played there last year in a college club golf tournament..... Tough track, I believe was number 16 on last month's Golf Digest 50 toughest in America. However it was very fun to play, as the above have stated pick your target and hit it and you should be fine. Try not to bite off more than you can chew on some of the holes. A rangefinder of some sort will come in handy for sure. Have fun and good luck!

-Ben

If you Love golf and Love great architecture, you MUST play here. I played it in late July 2 years ago and it was phenomenal. If you play from the proper Tee's (they have 4 sets of tees), you'll be ok. Its like nothing you've ever played before.

has anyone played it this year? i heard last year that it was never in good shape.

If you have ever played and liked, Tot Hill or Tobacco Road in NC, you'll also like this course. Same designer stood them all up. Also did Caledonia and True Blue in Myrtle Beach.

I played it in early april. It was not in great shape. Some of the bunkers - I think it was the 2nd or 3rd hole (par 5 that does a u turn) had an empty bunker. You could see the drainage pipes or whatever the big black pipes were. Greens rolled pretty well if i remember correctly though.

Williamsburg is a great golf destination and this is a wonderful course. Yes, watch the doglegs and stay out of the high grass. I have also encountered snakes--rather large snakes--on the course on more than one occasion. (I HATE snakes!) Part of the local environment, but they're out there and I understand they're poisonous.

You should also play Stonehouse. Sometimes in not the best shape, but it's a huge, magnificent, dramatic course.

Down the road are two of my favorite courses anywhere--Golden Horseshoe Gold and Green.

Being from Richmond, my buddies and I play there quite often. It is probably one of the most fun tracks I have had the pleasure of playing. Last time I played around a month ago, the winds were swirling and it was playing like a true links course, however playing in mid to late May you should be fine. The greens were lightening fast as well. The rough wasn't as bad as usual tho (case in point, on #2, there is a deep ravine along the right side of the fairway and in front of the green and usually if you hit it in there, you are a goner, however, this was all mowed out and my friend was actually able to hack his ball out of there quite easily).

Like everyone else said, keep the ball in play (easier said than done obviously). Lots of blind shots, so be sure to stroll up when possible to see what you need to do. I would recommend not trying to overpower the course your first time out because if you are off, your score will be ridiculous. Take calculated risks. You have to play smart to score.

Some of the greens are multi-tiered and you are basically hoping to not three-putt if you are on one of those "wrong" tiers. Hopefully they won't have the sunday pins out like when I played or those greens become a whole other monster.

But like I said, the course is very sweet. You have fun regardless of your score because of the difficultly level and the number of creative shots you might find yourself using. Have fun!

That ravine on no. 2 is one of the most halarious obstacles I've ever seen on a course. Its great actually. I'll have to get the pic and post it.

1- buy the yardage book.
2- don't get scared by what you see, pick a yardage and hit that yardage
3- on #2, the farther you hit it off the tee, the farther you get from the green. hole is shaped like a boomerang. i'd hit a 5 or 6 off the tee and go for the green in two.
one of my all time favorite courses, i am officially jealous.

The ravine on #2 is not the worst place to be. It is a place where I saw one of those big black monster snakes though! LOL!!

Love the course...had my one andonly hole in one there on #3. Have fun...

Congrats on the ace on #3. Funky looking hole with that long, thin green.