My main round on Sunday was over on the Yorktown Course at Williamsburg National. There are two courses at Williamsburg National and I hadn’t played either one!
For many years I avoided Williamsburg National because it wasn’t in the best shape, at least by most reports. Then, in the middle of 2017 the club changed owners and things started to improve. Since then, I started to read good things and finally checked it out on Sunday!
I booked an afternoon time on the Yorktown Course, which is the newer of the two courses on the property. Yorktown opened in 2007 and is a Tom Clark design. Jamestown is the original course on the property and it is a Nicklaus group design. I’m not sure which one is supposed to be the premier course, but hopefully I can play Jamestown in 2019 and tell you then! As you probably noticed, the courses are named after historic areas nearby.
The sole reason I picked Yorktown over Jamestown is that Yorktown is overseeded with ryegrass. It sounds silly, I know! However, after six years now of living in an area where the bermuda fairways go dormant I miss the “green” look of a course during the winter!
I also love the contrast of the green ryegrass against the yellowish-brown of the dormant bermuda. Yorktown is one of the few courses in Virginia that overseed, at least when it comes to public courses. So, if you are like me and enjoy some green grass then come play Yorktown!
The new owners have done wonders when it comes to the conditions! It is hard to believe that these courses were getting terrible reviews just a couple years ago. I can only speak for Yorktown, and I’ll say the course was in great shape, especially during the off-season.
The overseeded fairways were full and played just as good as they looked. The rye isn’t as lush as you might find in Myrtle Beach during the winter, but it won’t affect play. The tees were full and most were overseeded as well. With all the rain we’ve had the course was soft so it played long and it was cart path only. The greens on Yorktown are bentgrass and were beautiful! Putts rolled smooth and at a medium pace. The bunkers were wet and heavy, but playable.
Regarding the layout, Yorktown is a community course that is well-done. I played the blue tees which are 70.9/130/6415. The homes are set back from play and well hidden, expect on the 16th hole where they creep in on the right side. I’m sure when there are leaves on the trees the homes will be even less noticeable.
The front nine is fairly wide open and has some minor elevation change. You can play your stray shots on the front, and I found it to be a good warm up for the more challenging back!
The 7th, a 379 yard par-4 with plenty of water, is the most nervous hole on the front. Tee shots need to avoid a hazard to the right and then approaches need to carry more water to get on the green. Favoring the left side on the 7th is definitely the best option!
On the other hand, the back nine requires more precision and the closing stretch on Yorktown will need your full attention. All the fun starts on the par-3 14th!
The 14th is one of five par-3’s at Yorktown and it could be the most memorable hole on the course! It is only 150 yards from the blue tees but it has a crazy green with water surrounding it! The green is probably close to 80 feet long and the back quarter of the green sits about five feet below the front portion.
I ended up enjoying Yorktown much more than I thought I would! The course has a nice blend of fair and challenging holes to it. It was an excellent value too for $33. I’m usually not a fan of Tom Clark green complexes as they have too much slope for my taste. However, the greens here seemed to be a bit more player friendly.
If you live between Richmond and Virginia Beach and want to play an overseeded course, then come check out Yorktown!
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):