The Tradition Golf Club at Royal New Kent - How to Make a Hard Golf Course Even Harder? Aerate!
Welcome to Williamsburg! Or in this case, lovely Providence Forge in New Kent County, Virginia. A scant 2 hour drive from the hustle and bustle of Northern Virginia. This is the first round of a three round weekend, and what better way to start than on the hardest course in Virginia!! It's like going to Pinehurst and starting on #2...
Date: Friday 5/30/2014
Location: Royal New Kent Golf Course, Providence Forge, VA
Score: 81
Excuses: Aerated Greens with HOUS's (Holes of Unusual Size)
Course Conditions: Awful! You could fit marbles into the holes in the greens. But the fairways were not in good shape and the fescue and what passes for rough was not fully grown in and looked terrible.
The Good: Hitting 11 out of 14 fairways
The Bad: An ugly 4 jack which only counted as a 3 jack because my first putt left the green
The Ugly: The four less than gentlemen who wouldn't let any single play through, even though I caught up to them at the tee box on a par five.
To say the course was in terrible shape was an understatement... I understand it was prime punching time for Traditions courses but it could not come at a worse time, at least from the Harry Sherman perspective... If you have never played Royal New Kent, I wholeheartedly suggest it. If you like tough courses, you'll love it. It is the hardest course in Virginia, rivaled only by Ballyhack in Roanoke, and the Nicklaus Course at Bay Creek Resort in Cape Charles. Royal New Kent is everything you love about links golf, provided of course you like links golf. Pot bunkers, fescue, gorse, heather, and that's just the first hole! You literally have to know where to aim and you must hit the fairway. Errant shots that leave the fairway are in for a myriad of trouble. If you're lucky, you'll find a bunker and at least find your ball. If not, then you're deep in the heather where you might as well drop or re-tee, depending on the color of the stakes.
Usually it is a lovely and striking course, that despite its near impossibility is a gem to play if you're in the area. Of course by the time I am writing this blog post, it is probably in its usual pristine shape and you must go play it. Just bring plenty of balls...
As for how I did so well. First when I learned about the conditions, I played it forward at just over 6,000 yards. Although the course rating and slope even from that distance was still a hefty 70.8 / 135. Not easy by any means. I think I'm guilty of either playing to my competition, or I manage my expectations better. Either way, harder courses bring out the best in me, or once in a while, kick me in the butt. It's the easy courses and the easy holes (which I generally think I should do well on) that I actually suck at statistically. But not bad for driving straight from work and changing in the clubhouse. Though I did hit some balls on the range before I went out. Overall, not bad. I don't exactly know how well I would have done had the greens been rolling as fast as they usually do...
But on to the next round! Until then, back to the RANGE, PRACTICE GREEN, and GYM!
Next Stop: The Tradition Golf Club at Stonehouse
Date: Friday 5/30/2014
Location: Royal New Kent Golf Course, Providence Forge, VA
Score: 81
Excuses: Aerated Greens with HOUS's (Holes of Unusual Size)
Course Conditions: Awful! You could fit marbles into the holes in the greens. But the fairways were not in good shape and the fescue and what passes for rough was not fully grown in and looked terrible.
The Good: Hitting 11 out of 14 fairways
The Bad: An ugly 4 jack which only counted as a 3 jack because my first putt left the green
The Ugly: The four less than gentlemen who wouldn't let any single play through, even though I caught up to them at the tee box on a par five.
To say the course was in terrible shape was an understatement... I understand it was prime punching time for Traditions courses but it could not come at a worse time, at least from the Harry Sherman perspective... If you have never played Royal New Kent, I wholeheartedly suggest it. If you like tough courses, you'll love it. It is the hardest course in Virginia, rivaled only by Ballyhack in Roanoke, and the Nicklaus Course at Bay Creek Resort in Cape Charles. Royal New Kent is everything you love about links golf, provided of course you like links golf. Pot bunkers, fescue, gorse, heather, and that's just the first hole! You literally have to know where to aim and you must hit the fairway. Errant shots that leave the fairway are in for a myriad of trouble. If you're lucky, you'll find a bunker and at least find your ball. If not, then you're deep in the heather where you might as well drop or re-tee, depending on the color of the stakes.
Usually it is a lovely and striking course, that despite its near impossibility is a gem to play if you're in the area. Of course by the time I am writing this blog post, it is probably in its usual pristine shape and you must go play it. Just bring plenty of balls...
But on to the next round! Until then, back to the RANGE, PRACTICE GREEN, and GYM!
Next Stop: The Tradition Golf Club at Stonehouse
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