Review: Royal New Kent Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Royal New Kent, go here if you haven't seen the front.

The tenth hole is the longest hole at Royal New Kent, playing 620 from the tips and an equally impressive 580 from the middle tees. When you're standing on the tee, the most obvious feature is the line of four bunkers that seem to be taking the place of the fairway. Now, there is a sliver of fairway left, but that also quickly disappears over the hill. Rest assured, there is fairway beyond the bunkers, and a huge one at that. It may actually be 100 yards across at its widest point. So wide that even I was able to hit it. Now unless you've hit a huge drive, you'll probably be laying up, which is where things get interesting. There's a big waste bunker where the hole doglegs, if you want to avoid it, your third shot will be longer, but if you go over, you'll have a much shorter shot. Either way, you'll be approaching a green fronted by a native area and sand. The green itself is high at the front, low in the middle, and high at the back, so you'll want to end up on the correct level.

The tenth hole. There is fairway out there, the hole isn't just bunkers.

 

Approaching the tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a 380 yard par 4 from the middle tees and is fairly unremarkable from the tee. Oh sure, there are quite a few bunkers, but otherwise, it's not a tough tee shot, but not as wide open as the last hole or some others. There's a lot of elevation in the fairway, so have fun finding a level stance. The second shot is right back uphill to a semiblind green. Now, interesting thing about the green, at first it doesn't seem all that impressive, compared with a couple others, but this is perhaps the most treacherous green on the course, which is saying something. There are no easy putts, and downhill putts are incredibly fast. I hit my approach to only 15 feet and my second putt was from nearly that same distance. So don't count on making birdie here.

The eleventh hole.

 

The semiblind approach to the eleventh green.

The eleventh green is a tricky one.

Royal New Kent has some pretty crazy greens, but the twelfth hole stands head and shoulders above them all. Perhaps not in terms of actual difficulty of putting, since there's not as much elevation change as some others, but when it comes to sheer scale, it can't be beat. The green on this "175 yard" par 3 is nearly 90 yards long. So long, in fact, that, when the hole is in the back of the green like it was the day I played, the hole actually played over 200 yards. And I'm sure the hole becomes quite short when the flag is cut on the front portion of the green. If you end up on the front side when the hole is in the back (or vice versa) ... well, all I can say is have fun with your 200 foot putt.

Oh, and in case that wasn't enough, this green is pretty well bunkered, and the entire hole is a victim of rather poor routing. You see, the thirteenth tee is right next to the eleventh green; to get to this hole, you have to go in the opposite direction from the thirteenth and cross a road. And when you finish this hole, you go right back the way you came, cross back across the road you just crossed in the exact same spot as before, and head to the thirteenth. Royal New Kent is carts only, but still, there had to have been a better solution than that.

The twelfth hole, with the world's longest green (probably not quite, but it's pretty up there).

 

The twelfth green. As you can see, the green gets very narrow.

The thirteenth hole is a short par 4 at 340 yards from the black tees, and it's a fairly classic strategic hole. There's not much trouble left, so drives hit over there will be safe, but the second shot will be a complicated pitch over bunkers to a narrow target. Go right, flirting with the massive bunkers, and the second shot will be from a much better angle. Not a complicated hole, but a solid one.

The thirteenth hole.

 

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is the shortest par 4 at Royal New Kent, measuring 330 from the middle tees and 340 from all the way back. Looking at the hole from above, the fairway almost resembles an amoeba in the process of undergoing mitosis. There's a big wide blob of fairway that you can lay up into that narrows to almost nothing about 250 yards from the tee. That 250 goes pretty quick too, because for whatever reason, this fairway seemed to a lot firmer than the others. The approach, if you've hit the correct portion of fairway, is semiblind to a somewhat elevated and rather shallow green. Even so, this is a good birdie opportunity.

The fourteenth hole.

 

Approaching the fourteenth green, sheltered among the faux dunes.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is the longest par 3 on the course from any tee, but from the middle tees it's 210 yards. And for once, the green is a normal size and shape, though it's definitely not the easiest target in the world, being elevated on pretty much every side. But hey, the hole seems easy when the green's as big and not ridiculously narrow as it is.

The fifteenth hole.

 

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a long par 4 from the back, and an especially long one from the middle, weighing in at 450 yards. No mercy on this hole. If you can hit a draw, you'll be at a distinct advantage, since the hole doglegs quickly and there's a big slope that, if you catch it, your drive will run a long way, making the fifteenth much more manageable. And you'll want as short an approach as you can to this green, which is flanked by big bunkers. And yet, that's not the green's greatest defense. Basically, don't go long, as the back of the green is 5 or 6 feet higher than the front. Go past and you'll have lots of fun with that next putt.

The sixteenth hole.

   

The sixteenth green has some very severe slope from back to front.

 

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is the final and shortest par 5 at Royal New Kent, but at 530 yards from the middle tees, it's still not exactly easy to reach in two. The fairway is very wide and framed by trees, and the undulated fairway provides most of the challenge, though a small stream right is something to think about. If you do want to go for the green in two, you'll have to go down the left side, which lengthens the hole. Then you'll have a fairway wood to a very small green fronted by that same stream from before. My opinion: Play this as a three-shot hole. It's much simpler that way. The green is pretty flat, so a good wedge should give you an equally good birdie opportunity.
 

The seventeenth hole is framed by trees.

 

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is also a departure from the rest of the course, much like the seventeenth, but in no way is that a good thing. For whatever reason, the course ends with a long par 4 with water everywhere. Sure, it doesn't come into play too much on the tee shot, but since you do have to carry the pond on your tee shot, it's never far from your mind. The second shot is a different story. It's a mid iron to a peninsula green that's also the shallowest target on the golf course. There's water short, long, and right. If you don't hit a good drive, I honestly think the best play is to bail out left. The green is set in an amphitheater and shots hit left will funnel toward the green. That's what I did and I actually managed to get up and down for par, which was a more than satisfactory score on a hole like this. This is an over-the-top hole, but not in a positive way like the rest of the course, and it's a definite letdown that Royal New Kent ends in this way.

The eighteenth hole.

The eighteenth hole presents a very challenging second shot.

 

The final green.

There is no denying that Royal New Kent is an extremely memorable golf course. It is intensely creative, over-the-top, and there's never a boring hole over the course of the round. Royal New Kent always throws something at you, some new challenge. But that strength, that intensity, is also the course's weakness. Royal New Kent doesn't really do breather holes. There's no easing into the round either; the second is probably the most ridiculous hole on the entire golf course. A fishhook par 5 with a 30-foot deep pit? That's not something you see every day. Even the easier holes like the thirteenth aren't actually all that easy. Disaster can befall you anywhere because of the punishing nature of the bunkers and hazards. Often, if you end up in a bunker, you'll struggle to advance out of it.

That's not to say I disliked Royal New Kent, far from it. I'd put it in my personal top 10. But I think it would be better if it was a bit ... worse isn't the right word, gentler is better. It's just so much, such a handful. If there were a few holes where you could relax, enjoy the good things Royal New Kent has to offer instead of worrying, I think this would be a top-tier golf course. That and if the lake on the last hole was filled in, lakes on final holes almost always ruin what comes before. P.B. Dye was worse for it, Royal Manchester was worse for it, and Royal New Kent is worse for it. Difference is, I was able to play those first two courses for a combined total well less than what I paid for Royal New Kent. 85 dollars on a Saturday afternoon isn't the most expensive round ever but it certainly isn't cheap or good value in any way. My general assessment would have to be that I'm glad I played there, but I'm in no hurry to play it again.