(WILLIAMSBURG, Va.) – Colonial Williamsburg’s premier golf course, the Golden Horseshoe Gold Course, closed on May 9 to undergo a complete renovation of all grasses and bunkers and will remain closed until spring 2017.
“Colonial Williamsburg’s board of trustees has approved a significant investment for the renovation of the Gold Course,” said Mitchell B. Reiss, Colonial Williamsburg president and CEO. “It is vital that we take care of the precious assets left in our stewardship so that we can offer our guests the premier resort experience today’s travelers demand.”
When it reopens, the Golden Horseshoe Gold Course will feature new and improved varieties of turf grass on the greens, fairways and surrounding rough. The bunkers will be rebuilt using new drainage techniques and new varieties of sand, and the practice facilities will be expanded. The renovation will not be a re-design, although elevations on the greens on 2, 6, 12 and 18 will be altered. According to Colonial Williamsburg, the improvements will ensure the Golden Horseshoe remains one of the top golf resort destinations in the nation.
Over time, even the finest golf courses change and age as trees grow, native grasses and plants spread, streams ebb and flow and players themselves place wear and tear on the course. The game has also changed in the past 50 years, with today’s players using equipment designed to hit the ball long distances and send putts speeding across greens on fast, sure-playing surfaces. Gone are the days of wooden drivers and metal spikes – replaced by space-age materials and computer-generated dimple patterns on golf balls.
In addition to the renovation of the Gold Course, Colonial Williamsburg recently entered into a partnership with ValleyCrest Golf Maintenance for comprehensive maintenance of the entire Golden Horseshoe Golf Club grounds. The nation’s leading company in golf course maintenance expertise and operations, ValleyCrest has a reputation for providing exceptional conditions that provide players with a memorable golf experience.
“We are very impressed with Colonial Williamsburg’s strong commitment to excellent golf courses, world-class playing conditions and maintaining its position as a preferred destination for East Coast resort golf,” said John Crowder, ValleyCrest Golf Maintenance vice president. “We’re excited to join the Golden Horseshoe team.”
The Gold Course opened in 1963 and was designed by golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr., who called it, “a natural arboretum upon which a great golf course has been built.” Over the
years, the Gold Course has been recognized with numerous awards of excellence from players and the golf press. The Golden Horseshoe has hosted multiple USGA championships in addition to the 2007 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, which was played on the Gold Course.
While the Gold Course is closed, golfers can enjoy the Golden Horseshoe Green Course, designed by Rees Jones and the nine-hole executive Spotswood Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones. The Spotswood includes some of the holes that were part of the original nine-hole Williamsburg Inn course built in the 1940s.
A contractor has not yet been selected to perform the renovation. Rees Jones Inc. Golf Course Design will serve as project architect and advisors during the selection process and renovation.
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