When
the Brits arrived at Jamestown in 1607 to establish the first permanent English
settlement in North America, they could not have had golf on their minds.
Four
centuries later, golf still doesn’t necessarily spring to mind at the mention of
Williamsburg, Virginia, but it’s at least gained a foothold in a region more
renowned for its early American history, which includes not only the Jamestown
settlement but also the Battle of Yorktown, where Lord Cornwallis surrendered to
George Washington, effectively ending the Revolutionary
War.
At
Colonial Williamsburg’s official Historic Area, more than 500 buildings
represent a colonial village, circa 1775. Actors portraying the likes of Patrick
Henry and Thomas Jefferson roam the streets, artisans produce and sell their
wares, and militiamen march through town. The Historic Area is truly an
interactive museum, right down to colonial-era taverns with food to satisfy
modern appetites.
Like
the rest of Colonial Williamsburg, the Gold course at Golden Horsehoe is a
living part of American history—in this case the modern golf design era that
Robert Trent Jones Sr. was pioneering when he laid it out in 1963. The Gold
Course recently underwent a well-deserved renovation at the hands of Trent
Jones’ son Rees, also designer of the Green Course.
Carved
from thick stands of trees, the Green has a more secluded feel. The signature
touch is a series of pot bunkers situated on one edge of nearly every fairway,
just inside the mounding, encouraging players to think strategically from the
tee. The course finishes in dramatic fashion with a par 5 that plays uphill over
a ravine to a green set in front of the clubhouse.
Golden
Horseshoe sits just a few brisk steps from the Williamsburg Inn, the highlight
of nearly a dozen lodging entities at the resort. Originally a pet project of
Abby Rockefeller, the inn features her original furnishings and paint
schemes.
