PHOTO GALLERY

KINGSMILL RESORT (RIVER Course)

Course Architect: Pete Dye (1975, re-design, 2004),
                  Ault, Clark & Associates (re-design)
Year Opened: 1975
Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
Slope: 139. Rating: 74.7
Par: 71
Yardage: 6,831
Hole-by-Hole: 1 - Par 4 369 Yds    10 - Par 4 413 Yds
                       2 - Par 3 198 Yds    11 - Par 4 408 Yds
                       3 - Par 5 518 Yds    12 - Par 4 396 Yds
                       4 - Par 4 439 Yds    13 - Par 3 175 Yds
                       5 - Par 3 173 Yds    14 - Par 4 374 Yds
                      6 - Par 4 369 Yds    15 - Par 5 503 Yds
                      7 - Par 5 525 Yds    16 - Par 4 458 Yds
                       8 - Par 4 419 Yds    17 - Par 3 177 Yds
                       9 - Par 4 467 Yds    18 - Par 4 450 Yds
                       Par 36  3,477 Yds      Par 35  3,354 Yds

Key Events Held: Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic (1981-95),
                 Michelob Championship at Kingsmill (1996-2002),
                 Michelob Light Open (2003),
                 Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill (2004-09),
                 Golf Channel's Big Break III (2005),
                 Kingsmill Championship (2012-17), Kingsmill Championship presented by GEICO (2018), Pure Silk Championship (2019-21).

Awards Won: #8 America's Best State-by-State Public Access (Golfweek) 2006,
            4 1/2 stars by Golf Digest Best Places to Play 2005,
            Silver Medal Resort (Golf Digest, Golf Magazine),
            Top 100 Places You Can Play (Conde Naste),
            Top 100 Resort Courses (Golfweek) 2005,
            Top 100 Residential Golf Courses (Golfweek), 2005,
            Top 75 Golf Resorts (Golfweek, Golf Digest).

Website: kingsmill.com

HISTORY: The Kingsmill property dates back to the early 1600s, where the first Englishman  dropped anchor  in the James River. Although they settled upstream in  Jamestown,  the Virginia Company  of England  granted 300 acres to Richard Kingsmill,  a member  of the organization. Col. Lewis Burwell III, a member of the  Governor's Council,  inherited the land from his grandfather and named it Kingsmill  after the original owner. Burwell's Landing was an integral part of the American Revolution and can be seen from the 17th hole.

Fast  forward  to present  time. The  Kingsmill Resort  and Spa  is one of the Anheuser-Busch  Companies  in Williamsburg, part  of the 2,900 protected acres along  the James River.  The Resort features 63 holes of golf, tennis, a full-service  spa and marina, numerous restaurants, indoor and outdoor pools and of course,  Busch  Gardens Europe and  Water Country  USA. The signature venue at Kingsmill  Resort is,  without a doubt, the River Course designed by legendary architect Pete Dye.

One  of  the most innovative  course designers, Dye has  left his mark on many tracks  around the  world. In the United States alone, Whistling Straits, Pete Dye  Golf Club  (WV), The  Golf  Club (OH),  The  Honors Course  (TN), TPC  at Sawgrass  (Stadium Course)  and the  Ocean Course  at Kiawah  Island, are  all ranked  in  the top-20  of America's  Best top-100  Modern Courses by Golfweek magazine.  Let's not forget Blackwolf Run, Harbour Town Golf Links, Long Cove,
Crooked  Stick, Bulle Rock and Oak Tree, all of which have hosted professional and amateur events.

In  2004, Dye  returned almost  30 years  later to  supervise a  multi-million dollar  facelift, as  he recontoured the greens, reshaped fairways and rebuilt bunker   complexes.  The  River  Course  at  Kingsmill  has  held  some  lofty tournaments over the years.

After  staging  the event for  years in California, Anheuser-Busch brought the tournament  to Kingsmill  Resort for  the first  time in  1981. John  Mahaffey outdueled  Andy  North by two  shots for  the sixth of  his 10 career PGA Tour wins.

Calvin Peete became the first player to win back-to-back at Kingsmill with his victories  in  1982-83. Peete won  the weather shortened  event in 1982 by two shots  over  Bruce Lietzke  and then  captured the  '83 event  by one over Tim Norris.

Ronnie  Black set a new tournament record score of 267 when he titled in 1984, as  he edged Willie Wood by a stroke. Attempting to become a two-time champion at this event, Mahaffey lost in a playoff to Mark Wiebe in 1985.

Fuzzy  Zoeller won the  last of his 10 PGA Tour titles in 1986, as he defeated Jodie Mudd by two shots. Mark McCumber captured the first of his two Anheuser-Busch  crowns with  a one-shot win over Bobby Clampett in 1987. McCumber would later  title in 1994.  After making just three cuts in his previous 16 events, Tom Sieckmann shot four rounds in the 60s and then defeated Wiebe in a playoff for  his only PGA Tour win. Mike Donald closed out the '80s with a playoff win over  Tim Simpson and Hal Sutton in 1989. Donald closed with a 65 to reach the extra session, as he won for the first time in his career.

Lanny  Wadkins set a  new tournament record in 1990, as he shot four rounds in the  60s for a  total of 266 and a five-shot win over Larry Mize. Mike Hulbert parred  the first extra  hole in 1991 to defeat Kenny Knox. Hulbert's total of 266  tied  Wadkins' mark  set the  previous season.  Hulbert's victory was the third  and last  of his career. During  the tournament the course record of 62 was tied by Ian Baker-Finch, Knox and Brian Claar.

David Peoples won for the second time in his career in 1992, as he carded four sub-70  rounds to  defeat Bill  Britton  and Ed  Dougherty by  one shot.  Four strokes  off the pace after three rounds, Jim Gallagher Jr. shot a sizzling 65 on  the final  day to defeat Chip Beck  by two shots and win his second career title.  Local  favorite Curtis  Strange equaled  his best  finish ever at this event, as he tied for third with four rounds in the 60s.

Bob  Lohr opened the  event with a course-record 61, but was unable to sustain his  play, as he  faded into a tie for seventh, as McCumber won by three shots over Glen Day. McCumber shot rounds of 65-66 over the weekend for the win.

Ted  Tryba became a  first-time winner, as he posted a one-shot win over Scott Simpson in 1995. Tryba shot four rounds in the 60s, including back-to-back 68s over  the weekend.  Scott Hoch  led  wire-to-wire in  1996,  as he  set a  new tournament record of 265 en route to a four-shot win over Tom Purtzer.

David  Duval captured  back-to-back titles  in 1997-98.  Duval's first  career title  at  the Michelob  Championship opened  the floodgates,  as he won three times  in '97 and  then four more events in 1998 and in 1999. Three shots back in  1997, Duval fashioned  a four-under 67 to reach a playoff with Grant Waite and  Duffy Waldorf and  then birdied the first extra hole for the win. Duval's
1998  victory was less dramatic, as he won by three shots over Phil Tataurangi with four rounds in the 60s.

Notah  Begay III won  the second of his four career titles, as he defeated Tom Byrum  on the second  hole of a playoff in 1999 with a par. Third-round leader Mike Weir closed with 70 and finished one back.

David Toms continued the playoff trend at Kingsmill, as he clipped Weir with a par  on the  first extra hole in  2000. Toms trailed by two shots heading into the  final round, but  carded a 66 to force the playoff with Weir, who shot 64 on  Sunday. Toms  joined  the ranks  of the  back-to-back  champions with  his victory  in 2001.  He  started with  64  and  closed with  68  for a  one-shot
advantage over Kirk Triplett.

The  PGA Tour's  era at Kingsmill ended  in 2002, as Charles Howell III became the  sixth and final  first-time winner of this event. Howell led the event in par-5 scoring (4.08) and was 11-under on the 12 par-5 holes. Howell's total of 270  edged Scott  Hoch and  Brandt Jobe  by two  shots. In  20 appearances  at Kingsmill,  Hoch made 19 cuts, tying him with Curtis Strange in that category.
Hoch  also posted eight top-10s and six top-5s. Strange was the only player to compete  in  all 22 tournaments since  the event moved from California in 1981 and had recorded seven top-10s.

The  LPGA  Tour arrived on the  scene in 2003  with the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill.  They say that  the cream rises to the top and that is exactly what has  happened in this event, as Grace Park, Se Ri Pak, Cristie Kerr and Karrie Webb have titled here the first four years.

In  2003, Grace Park  rebounded from a double-bogey start on the first hole to shoot an even-par 71 and post a one-shot win over Webb, Lorena Ochoa and Kerr. Leading  by one  with two holes remaining,  Park got up-and-down for par on 17 and then sank a 20-footer for par on the last to secure the win.

Four  strokes  back when the  final round began, Pak  carded a six-under 65 to come  from behind and  defeat Ochoa and Juli Inkster by two shots for her 22nd career  title. With the  victory in 2004, Pak qualified for the LPGA Tour Hall of  Fame, although  she will  not be  enshrined until  2008. Making  her first appearance  at  this event,  amateur sensation Michelle  Wie finished tied for 12th.

With  chances to  win in '03 and  '04, Kerr finally broke through at Kingsmill with  a  five-shot win over Jill  McGill in '05.  Kerr, who tied for second in 2003  and  tied for sixth  in 2004 after holding  the third round lead, opened with  three consecutive 68s. Despite a fourth-round score of 72, Kerr was able to cruise to her fifth career title.

Webb  dominated this event in 2006, as she posted a tournament-record score of 270 for a seven-shot advantage over Ochoa and Hee-Won Han. Webb shot four sub-par  rounds for her wire-to-wire victory, her 32nd on the LPGA Tour. Defending champion  Kerr  finished tied for  fourth. In  four appearances at this event, Kerr  had four  top-six finishes,  nine rounds  out  of 16  in the  60s, is  a
cumulative 29-under-par and has earned over $600,000.

Winners of this former LPGA Tour event read like a who’s who’s, as victors include Annika Sorenstam, Suzann Pettersen, Lexi Thompson, Ariya Jutanugarn (twice) and Kerr (three times).

REVIEW:  What  a perfect  opening hole. Not  too hard, not  too easy, just the right  kind of start to ease you into your round. Just 369 yards from the gold tees, the first features a two-tiered fairway with plenty of room to the left. Stay  clear of the deep pot bunker in the right-center of the landing area, as to  leave  yourself with  a short  iron to  a fairly  large green. The putting surface  is not too  tricky, however a bunker short-left and one right must be avoided.

Although its considered the 17th handicap hole, the second is the longest par-three  on  the course, just under  200 yards in length.  A mid to long iron is needed  to  reach the green that  is protected on  the right by two long, deep traps.  A  high fade toward  the left should produce  the best results in your effort to make par.

A wonderful par-five, the third is a tempting dogleg left that the big hitters can give it a go to get home in two. After a successful tee ball down the left side, the player is left with roughly 225 to the green. The difficulty here is that the green is elevated and a narrow target. Water looms left of the green, not  to mention a long, trench-like bunker. The smart play is to lay up in the left  fairway, thus  leaving  yourself  with a  little  wedge  to the  putting surface.  Nothing tricky  on the green, so you should have a reasonable chance at birdie.

The hardest hole on the course, the fourth is a bear of a par-four, stretching 439  yards  from the  back tees.  Doglegging to the  left, the  key is to play toward  the right-center of the fairway, as the landing area falls hard to the left  toward deep rough, sand and a creek that runs down the entire left side. A  medium iron remains  to a fairly long green, with a pair of very deep traps on the left side. Par is a wonderful score here.

One  of the signature holes at the River Course, the fifth is a beautiful par-three  of  173 yards. A  meandering creek and a  50-yard trap cover the entire right  side  through the green. Spectator  mounding supports the left side and behind  the green, along with a very deep trap. A back-right flag could be the toughest pin placement on the hole, which makes club selection so important.

Playing  from an elevated  tee, the sixth plays uphill to a wide open fairway. The  difficulty on  this fairly short par-four is the second shot, which plays to  an elevated  and undulating  green. Only  32 yards  in depth,  the putting surface has numerous levels, which could make two-putting quite a chore.

Another  risk-reward par-five, the seventh necessitates a solid drive down the fairway  to have any  shot at getting home. Three fairway traps, two right and one left guard the go-zone. A drawing, fairway metal will be required to reach the green, which sits left of the fairway. Any shot missed left and short will sit  well below  the green in deep  rough or worse, two tough traps. The right side  of  the green  is no bargain  either with two  traps guarding the narrow putting surface. This hole can be had, but err with caution.

The  eighth is a  solid, dogleg right par-four from an elevated tee box. Three deep  pot bunkers guard the right side of the landing area, while one trap and deep  rough flank  the left. Not only  that, any shot missed left will trundle down toward water which sits well below the fairway. The second shot will play uphill  to  an elevated green with  sand right and left and spectator mounding deep.  The narrow putting surface slopes from back to front, so play below the hole for the best results.

The  opening nine closes with the longest par-four on the course, 467 whopping yards.  The hole  bends slightly to the  left and requires a massive blast off the  tee to have  any shot at getting an iron on the ball. Sand left and right guards  the landing area, but the difficulty arises by the green. The elevated surface  is  protected by a series  of well-defined traps right, one short and one  left. Any shot  offline to the right will be well below the green, making for  a difficult up-and-down. The kidney-shaped green is one of the longest on the course at 44 paces, making two-putting a real chore.

The  inward nine features  four par-fours over 400 yards and three of the best finishing  holes in golf. The 10th is a solid par-four that bends to the right with numerous traps guarding both sides of the fairway. The green is protected only  on the right  side by three bunkers. The putting surface is fairly flat, so birdies can be made.

Eleven  is another of those 400-plus holes, this time bending to the left. The key is the tee shot. A wide fairway is there for the hitting, however any ball toward  the left side will be gobbled up by a 55-yard long trap. A medium iron will  remain  to a putting surface  that is protected by numerous traps, seven within  40  yards of the  green. The  short grass is  long and narrow with the bailout area to the right. A tough hole to get it close.

Just  under 400 yards,  the 12th doglegs to the left, devoid of sand until the green.  The defense  on the hole is the tree-lined fairway. Three metal should be  plenty to  split the landing area,  leaving just a short iron to a sloping green.  The  putting surface features  only one  trap, deep-left. The green is slightly  raised  and any  ball right of  the green will  kick down toward the rough and trees. This is no time to lower your guard.

The  first one-shotter on  the back nine, the 13th is a great par three. Lucky if  you err  left, unlucky if you miss  right. A mid iron must avoid the three bunkers  that  sit below the  putting surface on the  right side. The green is fairly  wide with  mounding behind the green,  so play left and below the hole and  two putt for  par and move on. Who knows, you might just roll one in from 25 feet for a deuce.

A  breather of sorts  as you reach the 14th. One of the shorter par-fours, the hole  is fairly  straight off the tee  with a pair of fairway bunkers down the left.  The left  side is the play off  the tee however, as this will set up an easier  approach  to the green,  as two bunkers protect  the right side of the surface. Although the green is narrow, with a wedge in hand you should be able to get close.

The  home stretch at  the River Course is outstanding. Start off with the par-five  15th,  reachable in two  and certainly a  birdie chance. The hole snakes from  the tee in  an S-shape and requires a 200-yard shot to clear a ravine to the  fairway. A handful of bunkers protect the right landing area off the tee, so favor the left side, thus setting up the best look toward the green. At all costs,  avoid the right  side, as trees cover that side through the green, not to  mention a  deep ravine, short and  right of the landing area. The green is very  receptive and could  be had with a good wedge play. Look for birdie, but accept par.

One  of the  finest holes in the  Williamsburg-area, the 16th is a rugged par-four,  stretching 458 yards.  Usually into the wind off the James River, a big tee  ball down  the left side will set  up the best approach to the green. The fairway is quite wide, however any shot down the right, might drift off into a long  fairway trap. Your  second shot, with a medium to long iron and with the river in the background, plays down to a large putting surface. Bunkers short, left  and deep  are well-defined and difficult to maneuver in. Mounding behind the hole makes this one of the most viewed spots on the course come tournament time.

The most recognizable signature hole at Kingsmill is the par-three 17th. Along the  banks of  the James, this hole  features the longest green on the course, some 50 yards in length and one of the widest. But don't let that fool you, as with  the  wind coming in  from the left,  this could play  as one of the most difficult  greens to hit.  One pot bunker and one 30-yard trap guard the right side  of the  putting surface,  while mounding  left and  deep frame  the hole wonderfully. Three putting is a common occurrence, making club selection quite key.

Slightly  reminiscent of  the TPC  at Sawgrass'  closing hole,  the 18th  is a sweeping  dogleg  left par-four. Water down  the entire left side makes for an unnerving tee shot. A draw from the tee to a wide fairway should leave nothing more  than a mid iron to another large green. The putting surface is protected left  by two  long trench-like traps and one deep trap, right-front. The green is  two-tiered,  with  a  back-left  flag  quite  diabolical.  An  outstanding finishing hole.

FINAL  WORD: Kingsmill Resort  and Spa has so much to offer, that you'll never have  to leave  the property. From Busch  Gardens and Water Country USA to the fabulous golf courses and amenities.

There  is  no doubt that  the River  Course is the  crown jewel of the resort. Beautifully  conditioned, well maintained, accommodating staff and one heckuva layout, make the River a great destination.

Although  not long by today's standards at 6,800 yards from the back tees, the River  Course has  all you can handle for  a par of 71. The course is also for all players, not just the single-digit player, as tees begin from 4,800 yards. It's not a killer, but a course that will give and take shots from your score.

With  all of  the  different vacation  packages available,  from  golf to  spa treatments,  tennis, the  marina and even a "Kid's Kamp," you'd be foolish not to  make a  trip to Williamsburg. There  is no question that Kingsmill and the River  Course will once again be in my family's future vacation plans. Make it yours.