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The Woods Course

The Woods Course opened in 1995 and was not immediately popular, as some golfers said it had too many short par 4’s. In time, many players discovered how good it is. Located east some two miles from the main clubhouse and reception building, the Woods Course with its own small clubhouse is in the least developed part of the plantation. No housing mars this outstanding, visually impressive layout and none are planned.

The par-3 8th at the Woods Course

The course measures from 5140 yards to 6784 yards and plays to a par of 72. After two short par 4’s of little distinction, the course catches fire with the very long 3rd, a 463-yard slight dogleg right around a small lake. Like all of the par 5’s on the Woods Course, #5 is a gem at 542 yards. The bend of the left dogleg shaped hole is out about 260 yards from the back tee. The elbow is guarded by a fairway bunker behind which is thick woods with a steep drop-off. A tall pine tree sits at the left-hand edge of the fairway to catch ambitious second shots or careless thirds. The green is spectacular. It sits above a steep ravine and is guarded by two bunkers. For all but the most bold and long off the tee, it is a sure 3-shot hole.

The 6th is the first of a set of par 3’s which are the strength of this parkland style design. The fairway of this 196 yarder falls off steeply to the left and the bunkering says, "Hit it on, or else!" A steep ravine is the outstanding feature of #8, a 146 yard nerve wracker and a stunner of a hole with an elevated tee box, the ravine (which is more like a canyon) and an elevated sloping green that is quite narrow front to back.

After a strong opening hole of some 400 yards with another elevated green over a ravine on the right, the back 9 winds out through completely forested land that seems as unspoiled as the day it was created. Holes 11-18 include one of the finest par 4’s you’ll ever play. It is 423 yards of awesome challenge and beauty that requires a precise long drive to a plateaued landing area that looks like a dime from the tee box but is actually more generous than you think.

The par-4, 462-yard 18th at the Woods Course

If there is a signature hole on the Woods, it is #12, measuring 195 yards to a double green shared with #15. A bunker on the green (a la Riviera’s 6th hole) splits the two halves of this huge green, which is dramatically lower on the par 3 side. The pond with cattails and other aquatic plants guards the green complex, which is perhaps the most scenic on the entire resort property. Like #5, the 16th has a right-to-left shape with a 100-foot tree on the left side in front of the green. The tee shot on this stunner is from an elevated tee box down to a crest from where the hole continues to slope downward to the green guarded in front by an imposing bunker. The 516-yarder can be reached even from the back provided you hit two career shots and you avoid that tree. The entire hole is enshrouded in thick woods, and on the left side of the landing area is terrain more suited for hide and seek, featuring tall and impossibly thick reedy grass. The course finishes with a monster par 4 that is fairly open. The green sits behind a pond that also guards the 9th green.

The Woods Course has plenty of challenge but does not require the same degree of precision as the River Course. People seem to love the idea that there is no housing around it, and the layout has become a real favorite because the holes are so interesting and distinctive. This is one course where you are liable to remember many of the holes even after one round.

In Closing:

The Bray Dining Room offers regional and contemporary cuisine in a sophisticated setting overlooking the James River. .

Kingsmill Resort is named after Richard Kingsmill, who established a plantation on this site in 1736. In 1969, August Busch, then CEO of Anheuser-Busch, decided to site a new brewery outside Williamsburg and bought 3900 acres along the James River including 3600 acres purchased from Colonial Williamsburg. As part of the purchase agreement with Colonial Williamsburg, Busch agreed to build a theme park (Busch Gardens) on the site to help boost tourism in Williamsburg. The brewery opened in 1972.

Kingsmill Resort opened in 1975 to  coincide with the opening of the Kingsmill Golf Club, of which there are 1200 members who first played the River Course and now have the additional layouts to choose from.

From the clubhouse dining room (one of two outstanding restaurants on the resort), or the outside terrace, you can look out over the 18th green and fairway which runs down toward the majestic river. Several of the holes on both the Plantation and River courses are visible from this vantage point where, if you happen to sit there at sundown, the setting becomes even more romantic and tranquil, a wonderful spot to be during any weekend or vacation.

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Alan B. Nichols is a professional golf-travel writer residing in Bethesda, MD.
He is the featured golf-travel writer for GolfLink. Alan appreciates your
comments on his features and the courses he has written about. 
E-MAIL ALAN NICHOLS

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