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Member Clubs
Going for Gold
After massive renovations, the Gold Course at Williamsburg’s
Golden Horseshoe prepares to reopen | by CHRIS LANG
A
s Jeff Winters drove a cart around
the renovated Gold Course at
Williamsburg’s Golden Horse-
shoe Golf Club on a chilly April
morning, he did so with the demeanor of a
proud, expectant father.
The course, which has been closed for the
better part of a year, was starting to round
back into form. Rebuilt green complexes
were maturing. Brand-new bunkering was
taking shape. And the seams on the re-sod-
ded fairways were beginning to blend in.
In short, the Gold Course—which is set for
a July 1 re-opening—was on track to regain
some of its lost luster.
“We wanted to get the Gold Course back
into a pristine playing condition,” said
Winters, the Golden Horseshoe’s head golf
professional. “We wanted to get the course
back to where it was meant to be, and we
wanted guests to be proud to come here
and play again.”
NEW GREEN GRASS
When Robert Trent Jones Sr. opened the
Gold Course in 1963, the famed architect
called it his finest design and “a natural
arboretum upon which a great golf course
has been built.”
But even the best designs begin to show
their age, and several years ago, the Colonial
Williamsburg Foundation approved a total
renovation of the Gold Course. Rees Jones,
Robert’s son, led the renovation project,
which a healthy dose of help from Greg
Muirhead, one of Rees’ colleagues at Reese
Jones Inc. Golf Course Design.
The changes will be immediately notice-
able. Four green complexes (2, 6, 12, and
18) were completely rebuilt, and all greens
were resurfaced using 007 bentgrass. A
A Private Destination Golf Club
L e g e n da ry d e s i g n .
P u r e V i r g i n i a h o s P i ta L i t y.
Welcome to Ballyhack.
Its land and location, visionary design, and
authentic hospitality make Ballyhack one of
the greatest national golf clubs of our time.
Minutes off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Ballyhack’s
award-winning Lester George-designed golf
course evokes “an almost spiritual experience”
among the rolling hills of the Roanoke Valley. Its
11,500 square foot clubhouse, member cottages,
and signature levels of service leave nothing to
be desired for members, guests and residents.
if goLfing stirs your souL,
we inVite you to join us at BaLLyhack.
(540) 427-1395 | www.ballyhackgolfclub.com
America’s Second 100 Greatest
Golf Courses, No. 183
10
V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 7
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Ballyhack Golf Club | 3609 Pitzer Road | Roanoke, VA 24014.
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