I was walking up the wooded fairway of the 383-yard 14th hole of the River Course at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA, in July (2000) when my host pointed out that golfers weren’t the first to use cart paths on this property. In Colonial times, farmers would transport their harvest in wagons to a mill over a path called the "Quarterpath Road" from the James River north over a line now marked by holes 13-17. The chimney of the old mill is visible off the terrific 13th, a picturesque 179 one-shotter from a tee box beside a creek and pond surrounded by thick woods to a heavily bunkered elevated green flanked right by a steep ravine.

Golfers who enjoy parkland courses that thread along and through magnificent scenery of old trees, rolling hills, creeks and ponds and a wide river, will find a bit of heaven on Pete Dye’s River Course, site of the PGA Tour’s Michelob Championship. Golfers who also love American history will have their imaginations fired as they walk over ground trod by Colonial settlers and soldiers of the American Revolution and Civil War.

Not many golf courses can boast having designated historical and archeological sites, but the resort’s River and Plantation courses, as well as other areas of the resort property, have a slew of them.

On the rise left of the River Course’s signature 17th, a 177-yard, tree-lined par 3 that looks high out over the James River, is the restored brick foundation of a tavern which was formerly called an "ordinary." Until it was burned to the ground in 1776, it was the Colonial version of the modern clubhouse, a place where local settlers gathered to discuss the affairs of the day over drafts of beer and shots of whiskey.

Immediately above and left of the elevated tee box on #17 is an earthen fortification used during the American Revolution and the Civil War. With a little imagination, players teeing it up on this imposing hole can hear the musket shots as Union and Confederate troops scramble for cover. Today’s "soldiers" are likely to be scurrying among the trees and in the tall riverside grasses looking for white "musket balls."

Archeologists excavating the river bluffs east of the #18 tee box found stone tools, pottery and other pre-historic artifacts of Indian dwellers. These and many other historical items are on display at the resort.

The close connection between past and present is a unique feature of Kingsmill, a Mobil 4-Star 2900-acre resort that offers 54 holes of the best parkland golf you will experience at any U.S. resort. In addition to the River course, a true championship test, and the Arnold Palmer-designed Plantation Course, the resort boasts the Woods Course, a Tom Clark-Curtis Strange collaboration which some say is the most popular layout on site. Tired of playing the "big" courses, the resort also has an excellent par-3 layout right on the river in front of the reception center and golf clubhouse.

Kingsmill Resort’s amenities don’t end with golf by any means. There is a superb tennis center, fishing, sailing, and a state-of-the-art health spa and fitness center with racquetball courts, a weight room, and services that include massage. A conference center can handle good-sized business meetings. There is also swimming at indoor and outdoor pools and at a riverside beach where the marina is located.

Miles of hiking and biking trails meander through the tall forests and around the ponds and creeks of this property rich in unspoiled, protected natural beauty. In addition, the resort, whose accommodations include luxury riverside suites with kitchenettes and rooms and villas near the tennis center, provides transportation to Williamsburg’s outstanding attractions including Busch Gardens (on site), a winery west of the city, and Colonial Williamsburg.

The River Course

As for the golf, the River Course is a typical Pete Dye design. At 6853 yards from the tips, only 6081 yards from the next forward tees and only 4646 yards from the front markers, the course is not overly long. My female playing companion actually scored better on the River Course than on the Woods Course.

But the course requires supreme accuracy. For example, the landing areas at #3 and #12 slope precipitously to the left and anything left of center can be fatal. On 12, I hit what I thought was a perfect tee shot, keeping my ball on the right side of the fairway and drawing it slightly around the dogleg. I found it in the first cut of rough on the left.

Hitting Dye’s greens is only half the battle. You still have to putt them, and they slope every which way. Many have imposing hogbacks running through them. On the 383-yard 12th, my wedge approach landed just two yards from the pin but unfortunately on the wrong side. It careened down the slope, leaving me with a nerve-wracking approach putt.

Dye often says he draws creative inspiration from the old courses in Scotland, but his green complexes belie the acknowledgment. There is not a single hole on the River Course that will accept a bump-and-run approach. Many of his greens are elevated and some sit high over deep ravines so thick with rough you are lucky to find your ball.

Dye, always a bit frisky, did overstep himself with the 18th green. It’s as big as a hockey rink and has more slopes and hogbacks than a ski area. I was above the hole with my approach and had little chance for a two-putt. My partner wryly asked, "Why do you suppose he left out the windmill?" What makes this treacherous green so unnecessary is that the hole, which measures 437 yards and requires a long drive over a lake to an uphill fairway, is already difficult.

In all fairness to Dye, the intent here was to create a venue for a PGA event. The par 71 course opened in 1975 and began hosting the Michelob Championship in ’81. The Tour players don’t seem to have much trouble with it and once Lanny Wadkins burned it with a mind-numbing 266. The problem is that for most amateurs it is a bit tough.

The course has only two holes (17 & 18) that touch the river. The rest of the layout winds over the beautiful rolling countryside with meandering creeks, ponds, and majestic pines, oaks and cedar. In addition to superbly conditioned fairways and greens, the natural areas have been planted with shrubs, love grass and small patches of sawgrass. Residential housing is evident on a majority of the holes but, with the exception of #10 and #11, are well back of the playing areas.

The Plantation Course

The Plantation Course is an ideal resort course for the casual and less serious or physically ambitious golfer. As such, it is a nice complement to the River Course. Yet, it has some stunning holes on it, with ravines, undulating fairways lined with dense forests, elevated greens, lovely ponds and streams, and a few wetland or environmental areas. Residential housing is very evident on this course, which starts from the main clubhouse and winds west of the River Course. The residences are tasteful ranging from modest size Cape Cod style homes and villas to luxurious 5- and 6-bedroom mansions. One such mansion is visible from the 16th fairway. Surrounded by opulent homes of the same ilk, it has an exterior not unlike the Governor’s Palace at Colonial Williamsburg.

Arnold Palmer's Plantation Course incorporates historical landmarks and natural terrain

Opened in 1985, the Plantation Course is the golf equivalent of a "lite lunch." It ranges from 4800 yards from the red tees to 6543 yards from the gold, and it is largely flat. The greens and green complexes don’t present super difficult challenges and the fairways, though tree-lined for the most part, are wide enough to accommodate an occasional wayward shot. Holes 8 – 12, 17 and 18 are among the more memorable holes.

The short par 5 #8 is in the area of thick forest that is the most "pristine" on the course. A tall oak tree stands on the left edge of the fairway of this fine double dogleg hole. The front 9 finished with a short par 3 over a wetland area, and it calls for your camera, as the entire hole seems completely isolated from civilization in "wilderness."

Holes 10 –12 continue to weave through some of the best terrain on the course site. The best hole on the course is arguably #11, a 436 straight-away behemoth lined in a setting straight out of the Leatherstocking Tales. Hole 12 is another short par 5 with a wetland area 40 yards in front of the green. The last house on your left as you approach the green is the new residence of native son and resort Tour pro Curtis Strange. Hole #17 is a longer version of # 9 with a carry over a marsh to an elevated green, and #18 is a delightful 402-yard almost 90 degree dogleg right.

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