Golf enthusiasts will have to take a break from teeing off at one of Colonial Williamsburg’s Golden Horseshoe courses beginning this May.
The greens, fairways, roughs and bunkers at the Gold Course close down for a yearlong renovation.
The Gold Course, which first opened in 1963, has been recognized with numerous awards of excellence from players and the golf press and played host to multiple USGA championships as well as the 2007 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship.
In order to maintain the course’s national reputation for excellence, Colonial Williamsburg has made the decision to undertake renovations from May 2016 through spring of 2017.
“Over time, even the finest golf courses change and age as trees grow, native grasses and plants spread, streams ebb and flow and players themselves place wear and tear on the course,” a news release reads.
The updated course will feature new varieties of turf grass on the greens, fairways and roughs as well as rebuilt bunkers that will utilize new drainage techniques.
Though the renovation is not a re-design of the course, elevations on the greens on hole 2, 6, 12 and 18 will be altered.
In addition to the on-the-course changes, the practice facilities will also be expanded.
The updates are a response not only to the natural wear and tear that has occurred but also to the ways the game of golf has changed in the past five decades. More powerful clubs and ergonomic balls have increased demand for fast, sure-playing surfaces – a shift the renovations will reflect, according to the release.
“Colonial Williamsburg’s board of trustees has approved a significant investment for the renovation of the Gold Course,” said Mitchell B. Reiss, Colonial Williamsburg president and CEO. “It is vital that we take care of the precious assets left in our stewardship so that we can offer our guests the premier resort experience today’s travelers demand.”
While the Gold Course is closed, golfers can still play on the Golden Horseshoe Green Course and the nine-hole executive Spotswood Course.
