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When Royal New Kent shut down for about a year and a half, I was devastated. The golf course beat me up as a kid but I had never before played a course so good that I could forget about my score and just enjoy the place I was playing. To this day, the list of courses that I am willing to accept a bad score at because of how awesome they are is a very short one. It includes the likes of courses such as Streamsong Blue, Pikewood National, Shoreacres Golf Club, and other courses that you can find in the top 125 in the nation. As far as layout goes, I put Royal New Kent right up there with those courses. Of course, Royal New Kent can't yet compare to the conditioning and the legacy that those courses hold, but give it a few years and we may be having a different conversation. It wasn't but a decade ago that Royal New Kent was ranked as one of the top 100 courses in the nation, and that can't be forgotten. This is an amazing layout, created by a golf course architect who is widely renowned to be a revolutionary figure in his field. I don't care how many balls you lose, how many strokes you take, this golf course creates a new challenge on each hole and is one of the only courses that can keep any golfer, no matter what skill level, interested in what lies around the next corner. The greens are some of the best in the state, and while it is still rough around the edges in terms of overall course condition, you won't find better conditions in Virginia unless you want to pay an arm and a leg to get it. The fact that this course is only $95 for Prime Time on a weekend is a steal. Its little brother, Tobacco Road in North Carolina, charges up to $200 for a greens fee, and this course is just as good of a layout. Long story short, this is an amazing golf experience, one that you won't find anywhere else in Virginia. As someone who has played some of the best courses in the U.S., YOU NEED TO PLAY HERE. Losing a few balls is worth it to be a part of this experience.

This golf course has been brought back from the dead, and in my opinion it is one of the best golf course layouts in Virginia. I am a huge fan of the work of Mike Strantz as and Artist and an Architect, and having played some of his other designs such as Tobacco Road and Tot Hill Farm, I can say that Royal New Kent is some of his best work. For anybody who wants to play a golf course where on every hole you’re legitimately excited to tee it up and after each hole you’re excited to see what the next hole brings. I can’t stress enough how much fun this course is to play, even with the challenge that it presents on each hole. If you’re looking to play an amazing golf course with perfect greens, Royal New Kent is worth your time. Not only this, but compared to other Strantz designs the daily fee is way lower and is very reasonable. I would 10/10 recommend this golf course as someone who has played some of the top courses in the nation. Hopefully we see this course restored to the once great reputation is had back in the late 2000’s.