Review: Royal New Kent Golf Club (Part 1)

I've been playing golf for 20 years, and over that time, I've played a decent number of golf courses, especially in the past few years. When 2020 started, I was at 98 golf courses, and I had plans to play something special for my one hundredth golf course. Hitting three digits was a big deal to me. Then coronavirus happened, and it made my quest a lot more difficult. My initial thoughts were either Bethpage Black or Bulle Rock just north of Baltimore (former site of an LPGA major). Unfortunately, both New York and Maryland closed their golf courses. As I mentioned last month, Virginia kept its courses open. That brings us to Royal New Kent, located southeast of Richmond.

Mike Strantz was declared as one of the "Top 10 Greatest Golf Architects of All Time" by Golfweek on the grounds of just nine golf courses. That's an impressive credential, and he was probably destined for even better things before dying of cancer at only 50 years old. Royal New Kent is one of those nine, and was designed as an Irish links. Mountains of earth were moved to make that happen. It's quite a spectacle, and it's been through quite a bit. The course actually closed at the end of 2017, but was bought up at the last minute and was restored, saving one of Strantz's few courses from extinction. So, what's Royal New Kent like? Is Mike Strantz's reputation deserved? Let's find out.

The first hole wastes no time in introducing the golfer to the offbeat strategy and look of Royal New Kent. Playing 370 yards from the middle set of tees, which is where I played from (it's 6,700 yards from that set, but the course can play as long as 7,400 yards ... no thanks), this par 4 doglegs 90 degrees left along a valley of faux-dunes. You can play the hole with a 3 wood out to the right, leaving a longer approach, or you can cut the dogleg at virtually any point. The green is actually not that far away and is almost drivable. Certainly you can leave yourself just a short pitch. But that second shot will be tricky, as the green is very elevated and any shots left even slightly short will roll back down the hill. The green, by Royal New Kent standards, isn't anything special, but when you're playing it for the first time, it's a bit of a shock. The adventure doesn't end at the greens, I'll say that much.

The first hole.

The semiblind approach to the first green. Don't miss short!

The first green.

The second hole is a rare example of an actually decent rendition of the fishhook hole. What do I mean by fishhook? It's a hole that features a dogleg greater than 90 degrees, so that you're almost doubling back after the tee shot. Most of the time, doing this is a sign that you've routed poorly, but this is apparently a bit of a Strantz template, as similar holes exist on some of his other courses. The hole is 560 yards from the middle tees, which sounds quite long. The landing area is blind from the tee, but you'll want to stay out toward the left. Once you ascend the ridge you'll find out why: There's a massive chasm to the right. I'm assuming that balls hit into there are lost during the summer, but since I played here in early April, the grass hadn't had time to grow much, so if you did hit a drive in (which I did), you could find it and hit it out (which I also did). But assuming you do hit the fairway, you're left with a choice. You can go out to the left around the pit, or you can go for broke and go for the green. It's a long shot, but it's definitely possible. Just don't end up short or right.

Not much to see on the second tee, but there's plenty going on past that ridge.

If you're willing to negotiate the chasm, the second green is reachable in two.

The second green. You'll probably want to miss left here.

The third hole is the first par 3 at Royal New Kent, 160 yards from the middle tee. The green is long and thin, and there are multiple tiers. This is a green you'll want to hit, short isn't good, left isn't any better, and right is actually the worst. There's a really deep pit over there. Like I said, you really do want to hit this green, which is not an easy task considering how narrow it is. A little extra width would make the hole a lot better, in my humble opinion.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a mid-length par 4 from the middle tees, and when you're standing on the tee, there's a tiny little sliver of fairway weaving through the faux dunes. It looks like a tough tee shot, but there's actually a huge amount of fairway over the mound on the left side. Like, 50 or 60 yards worth of fairway. So there's really no reason to miss right when there's so much room left unless you're a colossal idiot (I'm a colossal idiot). The green is small but it's located in a punchbowl of sorts so shots hit slightly astray will tend to funnel back in toward the hole.

There's more to the fourth hole then meets the eye.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a big par 5, 570 from the middle tees, playing uphill through a valley to a fairway guarded by several bunkers. A cluster of three bunkers cuts the fairway in two, though it's far enough away that you can use a driver without fear. The second shot will be a lay-up (unless you're really long), and once again, there are quite a few bunkers in the lay-up area. The third shot is a fairly easy pitch shot, but the greenside bunkers are not fun places to be if you're coming at the green from further out.

The fifth hole.

The second shot on 5 is blind.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is 380 yards from the middle tees, and the most obvious feature when you're teeing off is the gigantic bunker to the left side. It's really just for show though, since it's pretty close to the tee. You'd have to hit a pretty bad shot to end up in it. And no, I'm not speaking from experience this time. No, my bad drive ended up in the deep pot bunker to the right. The green is bunkerless, but it doesn't need any protection. This is one of the most extreme greens I've ever seen; the surface is small and the back right section is about 5 feet above the rest of the green. End up in the wrong place and have fun getting anywhere close to the hole.

The sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is a mid-length par 3, 170 from the middle tees, playing to a long green diagonal to the line of play. There's a narrow stream in front and left, and a couple bunkers to the right. The green is wavy, rising and falling then rising again over the course of its 50-yard length. A draw is the best shot to hit into the green. I do like the hole, but much like the third, I wish the green was a bit wider. Not a lot of wiggle room.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is 400 yards and plays almost like a mirror of the first hole. The hole bends 90 degrees to the right, but while I suppose it is theoretically possible to cut the dogleg, I wouldn't recommend it. I did just that, and the fairway is incredibly narrow. I got away with it, but I imagine I wouldn't get so lucky next time. If you're not a long driver, then you don't need to use a 3 wood or an iron, but if you are, then a lay-up is probably for the best. The fairway does run out fairly quickly. The green is partially behind a mound and there's a big knob in the back right corner, though not as big as the sixth.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is fairly short from the middle tees, only 350 yards, but there's a pretty good reason not to use driver off of the tee. There's a stream right of the fairway, and a pair of bunkers narrow the fairway nearly 300 yards from the tee. The green is elevated, long, and narrow, and is best approached from the left. The same stream extends to the green, so there's a big drop to the right which is a less-than-ideal place to be.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

That's it for the front nine, next week we'll look at the back nine.