Kingsmill Resort River Course

The verdict

The River Course is the flagship of Kingsmill Resort and one of the most accomplished resort courses in Virginia. Pete Dye designed it on a tract of the old Kingsmill Plantation along the James River, and it opened in 1975 as a layout built for professional golf. It delivered: the course was the home of the PGA Tour's Anheuser Busch Classic from 1981 to 2002 and then hosted the LPGA from 2003 to 2021, a remarkable four decade run of tournament golf that few resort courses can match. That pedigree, combined with the fact that any golfer can book a tee time, is the heart of its appeal.

For the travelling golfer, the River Course matters as a chance to play genuine Tour ground in one of America's most historic settings, with colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown all close by. Dye threaded the holes between wooded ravines and the riverbank, and at 6,831 yards it proves once again that a great course does not need extreme length when the design is this clever. The resort built around it makes it an easy and rewarding base for a golf trip, with the par 3 17th on the James the photograph everyone takes home. As the anchor of a Williamsburg golf escape, it is a course you can count on getting a game at and remember long after.

The holes worth the trip

The par 3 17th is the hole everyone comes to play, and it earns its fame. It runs along the banks of the James River with the water all down the right, and it carries the longest green on the course, a putting surface that stretches some fifty yards from front to back so club selection swings wildly with the pin. Into a breeze off the river it is one of the most intimidating one shotters on the Eastern Seaboard, a hole where a committed swing finds a beautiful green and a tentative one finds the James. It is the kind of theatrical par 3 that made Pete Dye's name, and it has decided more than one professional event.

The rest of the course is a clever, varied test that builds toward that finish. Dye routed the holes through wooded ravines and along the river bluffs, using elevation, water and his trademark bunkering to ask constant questions of strategy rather than simply demanding length. The greens are exacting, pinched by trouble and full of movement, so finding the right portion of the fairway is essential to attacking the flag. The opening and middle stretches reward placement and a controlled flight, setting up the drama of the closing holes where the river comes fully into play and the margins shrink with every shot.

At 6,831 yards and par 71, the River Course is proof that resort golf can be both accessible and seriously good. The defense is ravines, water, riverside wind and Pete Dye's demanding greens, balanced by a routing that is a genuine pleasure to walk or ride. Multiple tees keep it fair for every level, and the sense of playing where the Tour played for forty years gives every round a real lift. It is the standout course of the Williamsburg area and the natural centerpiece of a trip to the region.

Where to stay nearby

The most natural base for the River Course is Kingsmill Resort itself, which sits on the James River with rooms, villas and dining on the property and the first tee a short ride away, ideal for a stay and play golf trip. Beyond the resort, the hotels of colonial Williamsburg put you close to the historic triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, a rare combination of great golf and great history.

The River Course is the bookable anchor of a Virginia trip, so pair it with the great courses of the wider region. The Robert Trent Jones lakeside design at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club up in Gainesville and the US Open history of the Congressional Country Club Blue Course over the Maryland line make a Mid Atlantic week with real range, built around a resort you can settle into.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around Kingsmill and Williamsburg.