Royal New Kent is Royal Again 1

Thanks to local investor Willie Downs and Barton Tuck of the Wingfield Golf Management Company, Royal New Kent, one of the few Mike Strantz gems that he built before his unfortunate early death, reopened last year after the previous owners shut the doors in early 2017 due to financial problems.  Like many other Mike Strantz fans, I was ecstatic about this development.  My wife and I played Royal New Kent a few years ago before the closure and loved it then even though the conditions were less than pristine.  We had the opportunity to revisit Royal New Kent recently and in addition to playing it once again, we had the pleasure to spend some time with Mr. Downs after our round.  Along with his staff, he has done an outstanding job of bringing this special layout back to life and for having it into top playing condition.  Not only is the course once again grand, the staff from General Manager Chris Gossett on down did their best to make us feel welcome and appreciated.

Although the Bermuda fairways and rough were still dormant when we arrived in mid-March, the turf was healthy, the bunkers maintained and the greens were exquisite.  Royal New Kent was built as an homage to Royal County Down which is located in Northern Ireland.  Royal County Down is one of the top rated courses in the world and to be able to play a course with these design characteristics in Virginia is a special treat.  Playing an Irish links-like course in America may be a shock to a first time visitor to Royal New Kent, but like most other Strantz courses, you need to go around a few times to truly appreciate the strategy he lays out for you on each and every hole.  This is not like the typical American course where you simply walk up to every tee and wail away.  He does gives you plenty of room to hit driver as most fairways are much wider than average, but it is very important to hit to the proper side of the fairway if you want an approach shot that gives you the best opportunity for a birdie.  If you are out of position on your tee ball, even though still in the fairway, you would be wise to play conservatively or a large number may be in your future.  This strategy is difficult for most golfers as we always shoot for the pin, but having to make the tough choice to play away from the hole is part of the genius of Mike Strantz.

Strantz loves to both visually and mentally intimidate the golfer on many holes.  By incorporating several blind shots throughout the round, he challenges your ability to remain calm and focused.  The management provides a simple guide of hints for each hole that is very helpful to the new visitor.  Be sure to use it.  This is a nice touch as many courses make available a fancy, colorful book with pictures of each hole, but without much direction as to the proper strategy.  On top of that, they want to charge you $5 to purchase it.  Royal New Kent does this right by providing a basic yet very helpful sheet of paper for free.  Also, the starter was most helpful in suggesting that we download the YamaTrack mobile app on our phones which provided aerials of each hole with yardages.  If you normally use a laser like I do for determining yardages, this app is extremely helpful because of the blind shots that hide some of the hazards, flags and even on a couple of occasions, the entire green.

Many courses start you with a fairly benign Hole #1 but at Royal New Kent, Strantz smacks you upside the head on Hole #1 and then slaps you on the other cheek on Hole #2.  Two great holes and quite scorable if played correctly, but you could begin your round with a couple of big numbers if played poorly or more likely, played without much thought.  Hole #1 has a green that sits well above the fairway so be sure add one or two clubs because it also has a false front.  Miss short and you will find yourself, like me, many yards down the fairway in an area containing a graveyard of divots which tells you that you are in the company of the majority of golfers who overestimate the distance they can hit their approach shots.  Hole #2 is a wonderful risk-reward hole that is just the first of several on this layout.  Man up and go for the green and possibly end up with a large number or play it safe and you can record a birdie or par even though your ego may be bruised a bit.   Numbers 3 and 12 are two par 3 holes with many possible hole locations so check your actual yardage carefully.  Each has a very large double green and if the Superintendent chooses to cut the hole on the back portion of #12, you may not be able to see the pin from the tee as practically the entire back portion of this green is hidden by a large mound.  The fun never stops at Royal New Kent.

The routing of the back nine does not flow like you would want on an ideal site and you lose the Irish links feel while playing holes 11 thru 13 as many homes are nearby, but you quickly forget that inconvenience as you move on to the final few holes of your round.  I have read some criticism of Hole 18 for the reason that its design has much more of an American flair than the Irish-like features of the previous 17 holes.  This is true, but I say so what.  This may bother a golf architecture critic, but most golfers will not give it a thought.  It is an outstanding finishing hole (think #18 at Bay Hill) and as you reach the top of the hill after your drive, a beautiful but intimidating view  awaits you with the water guarded green below and the lovely clubhouse perched high above the green peering down on the action.  It may not be Irish in looks, but it is a memorable way to end your round.

Royal New Kent is indeed back and you want to be sure to place it on your bucket list of golf courses to play.  It is unique, interesting, challenging (slope of 142 from the whites), beautiful, in good condition and just plain special.  Keep score if you must, but try not to get too involved with the pencil and scorecard.  Just enjoy the strategic nature of each hole, remember the great shots and forget the bad ones.  You will be in for a most memorable golf experience.  Isn’t that what makes a golf course great?