Flowing across 7,440 yards of windswept, rugged landscape, Royal New Kent can be one of the most difficult courses in the country if played from the tips (“Invicta” tees – means “unconquered” from the moto from Kent, England) with a tough 76.8/154 course and slope rating. Royal New Kent has been called “the truest representation of an Irish links in America” and is reminiscent of the Irish Landscape where links courses such as Royal County Down and Ballybunion were built. The landing areas are wide, therefore, played from the correct set of tees for different levels of ability the tee shot is not too dangerous. This is a course that requires focus and concentration on the second shots as there are varieties of danger and difficulty lurking, including 105 strategically placed bunkers, most of them large and/or deep. The newly transitioned Champions Bermuda greens are very large and provide inviting targets with bold swales and ridges. They are hidden behind sharp, grassy knolls, hand stacked rock walls and tall fescue grass. Each hole offers several playing options to fit a wide range of golfer abilities. The 282 acres presents golfers with open spaces and panoramic vistas unlike any other course in the east coast. The new tag line is “Golf Ireland in Virginia”.
My buddy Frank turned 55 last spring. The day after his birthday, he walked into our regular Thursday foursome, dropped his bag on the cart, and announced-with the gravity of a man who’d just discovered fire-that he was now officially a “senior golfer.”
“You know what that means?” he asked, eyes gleaming.
I figured he was about to complain about his knees or mention something about fiber. But no. Frank had done his homework.
“I played Stony Creek yesterday. Paid $23 with cart. Twenty-three dollars.” He paused for effect. “The kid behind the counter didn’t even card me.”
