Saturday
Apr042009
Golden Horseshoe - Gold Course
Saturday, April 4, 2009 at 11:18AM
The Gold course at the Golden Horseshoe club in Williamsburg, Virginia has long been one of Virginia’s premiere golfing destinations. The Robert Trent Jones, Sr design opened in 1963 to great acclaim. The par three holes, and in particular the 16th, the “original” island green, were roundly praised as one of the finest collection of one-shotters in golf. The course record is held by none other than Jack Nicklaus and has stood since the September, 1967 when Jack shot 67 in a pro v. amateur four-ball match to best Virginia amateur Marvin “Vinny” Giles by one shot. Since its opening, the Gold has been a stalwart of Virginia golf and has played host to numerous state and national competitions.
One recent blustery and bright spring afternoon I made my first trip around the Gold. Neither weather nor turf conditions were ideal. Winds gusted to twenty-five miles per hour and the effects of a recent aerification were obvious. The green surfaces, while quite playable, were spotty and still a bit sandy. Even so, the Gold provided an ample canvas for a stroll through Colonial Williamsburg.
While routed over a relatively small piece of property, the Gold is not an easy walk. For starters, the terrain is surprisingly hilly. Many greens are set in valleys or on the far side of ravines and necessitate quite a climb to the putting surface or the next tee. There are also several long hikes from green to tee. I expected the course to be more foot-friendly. But then again, it is a resort course and walking golfer should always be wary of those.
The famous par threes are indeed beautiful golf holes. However, there is a decided similarity to them. All require a forced carry from an elevated tee, and in the conditions I encountered all were mid-iron shots. Of the set, the seventh is the best. From the tips it plays just over two hundred yards and into a green protected by a trio of bunkers. But what makes the hole special is a large back-to-front ridge that runs through the left-center of the green. Even in the conditions I encountered, putts across the ridge were treacherous. A little local knowledge goes a long way here as a properly missed green will result in an easier par than a putt from the wrong side. As to the famous island green sixteenth, it is a lovely hole, but not one that inspires fear. The green is one of the largest on the course and there is an ample collar and five bunkers to catch a wayward iron shot. Compared to the more famous seventeenth at TPC Sawgrass, the hole is rather docile. From the tee at TPC, the green appears elusive. That green is also quite large, but it does not appear so. At the sixteenth on the Gold, the green appears huge and so the anxiety level is low. However, of the two famous island holes, the sixteenth is the more aesthetically pleasing.
What variety the par threes lack is made up by the par fours. In yardage they range from 337-466 yards and they bend every way possible. They test every part of one’s game and, to be played properly, require one to work the ball both ways and to control trajectory. Throughout, the greens complexes have interesting shape and pitch, and they are strategically protected by interesting and often severe bunkering.
Make no mistake, the Gold is an old-style, strategic golf course. The long, high-ball hitter has no particular advantage here. More importantly, each golf hole is interesting and memorable. Given the recent climate of golf architecture, the Gold seems somewhat dated. However, that is a good thing. A thoughtful, often intriguing course, the Gold provides an enjoyable, challenging round of golf. Given its setting amongst the understated grandeur of Colonial Williamsburg, one should expect nothing less.
One recent blustery and bright spring afternoon I made my first trip around the Gold. Neither weather nor turf conditions were ideal. Winds gusted to twenty-five miles per hour and the effects of a recent aerification were obvious. The green surfaces, while quite playable, were spotty and still a bit sandy. Even so, the Gold provided an ample canvas for a stroll through Colonial Williamsburg.
While routed over a relatively small piece of property, the Gold is not an easy walk. For starters, the terrain is surprisingly hilly. Many greens are set in valleys or on the far side of ravines and necessitate quite a climb to the putting surface or the next tee. There are also several long hikes from green to tee. I expected the course to be more foot-friendly. But then again, it is a resort course and walking golfer should always be wary of those.
The famous par threes are indeed beautiful golf holes. However, there is a decided similarity to them. All require a forced carry from an elevated tee, and in the conditions I encountered all were mid-iron shots. Of the set, the seventh is the best. From the tips it plays just over two hundred yards and into a green protected by a trio of bunkers. But what makes the hole special is a large back-to-front ridge that runs through the left-center of the green. Even in the conditions I encountered, putts across the ridge were treacherous. A little local knowledge goes a long way here as a properly missed green will result in an easier par than a putt from the wrong side. As to the famous island green sixteenth, it is a lovely hole, but not one that inspires fear. The green is one of the largest on the course and there is an ample collar and five bunkers to catch a wayward iron shot. Compared to the more famous seventeenth at TPC Sawgrass, the hole is rather docile. From the tee at TPC, the green appears elusive. That green is also quite large, but it does not appear so. At the sixteenth on the Gold, the green appears huge and so the anxiety level is low. However, of the two famous island holes, the sixteenth is the more aesthetically pleasing.
What variety the par threes lack is made up by the par fours. In yardage they range from 337-466 yards and they bend every way possible. They test every part of one’s game and, to be played properly, require one to work the ball both ways and to control trajectory. Throughout, the greens complexes have interesting shape and pitch, and they are strategically protected by interesting and often severe bunkering.
Make no mistake, the Gold is an old-style, strategic golf course. The long, high-ball hitter has no particular advantage here. More importantly, each golf hole is interesting and memorable. Given the recent climate of golf architecture, the Gold seems somewhat dated. However, that is a good thing. A thoughtful, often intriguing course, the Gold provides an enjoyable, challenging round of golf. Given its setting amongst the understated grandeur of Colonial Williamsburg, one should expect nothing less.
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Golf
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