Golf Course Photo, Tradition Golf Club At Royal New Kent, CLOSED 2017, Providence Forge, 23140
Tradition Golf Club At Royal New Kent, CLOSED 2017
Played on March 2014
5300 Bailey Rd, Providence Forge, Virginia, 23140
1 Ranking
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Golfer Bob
Providence Forge
2014-03-13

$36 (cart included), played on Thursday, March 2014 at noon

Played here 3-13-14, as part of our retreat from the wintry north. Temps were in the 40's, but there was a serious wind blowing, so it was not the most pleasant of rounds, even considering the beauty of this wonderful golf course.

We paid $40 with the Tee Time book, which is a good deal on a course of this quality.

Can't say enough good things about the design, despite some unusual routing on the back nine, winding thru houses. Very good use of the rolling terrain, and this is one of those courses where familiarity will bring better scores. For us first-timers, lots of questions about where to try to land the ball, and there are lots of hidden "surprises," most of them unpleasant. Sadly, the scorecard does not help very much, since the only hole diagram is so tiny as to be of little value, and we did not get a yardage book, thinking our GPS would be good enough. It wasn't! We recommend that if time permits, you drive up to the landing area and scope it out before hitting your tee shot: it's worth the trouble to do so. Lots and lots of bunkers, and all of them are tough: deep, big overhangs, and fluffy sand. It's a very good round if you can avoid them, as they are everywhere!

Greens are quite large, and most have some serious contour, with a few having "steps" between front and rear of more than ten feet: place your approach shot carefully! Fairways are pretty generous, with some mounding and slope, but if you're in the short grass, you generally have a clean shot. Lots of doglegs in the design, too.

#18 is one of the most difficult closing holes I've seen short of Doral and Pebble. It's longish drive up the left side to avoid a large water hazard on the right, then an approach over that water to a shallow peninsular green, which has that same water behind it. With the wind we faced today, none of us were able to reach: very tough hole for us humans.

Staff was minimal today, but the ones we met were very cordial, and the facilities are above average.

Course is not walkable due to VERY long distances from green to tee: I was a little concerned that the carts would run out of gas, we drove so far!!

Great layout: we highly recommend!

Would travel: 0-10 Miles
Bottom line: I would play again
 
Condition of Course, Difficulty, Layout, Ambiance, Pace of Play, Staff, Clubhouse, Pro Shop
Layout/ Challenge
Fairway conditions
Greens conditions
Course ambiance
Pace to play
Overall rating
Value
Rank ID # : 021609