Golden Horseshoe Golf Club · Gold Course
310 S England St, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA
Tap a hole for its details · gold dots = bunkers, blue = water · the Wind and Elevation buttons color each hole by today’s wind and by climb · OpenStreetMap
The lay of the land.
How the course above sets up: its routing, character, and what to expect.
Golden Horseshoe Golf Club · Gold Course is an 18-hole golf course in Williamsburg, VA, playing 4,434–6,817 yards from 5 sets of tees (slope 114–140, course rating up to 73.4).
It's a gently rolling walk, roughly 266 feet of total climb over 18 holes.
Expect 52 bunkers, with water on 3 holes; the back nine plays tougher.
The word on the course.
How golfers talk about it, summarized from public reviews. Their opinions, not our scoring.
Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s 1963 design, which he himself called his finest, sits at the top of nearly every Williamsburg golfer’s bucket list, a heavily wooded parkland test built around ravines, water and a famous set of par 3s. The 16th, an island green that predates Sawgrass, is the hole everyone talks about, and the Rees Jones restoration is widely credited for bringing the Gold back to its classic shape.
Consistently praised
- Iconic par 3s, especially the 16th island green often called America’s first.
- A routing through ravines and pines that feels timeless and uncrowded, and restoration work that returned the course to its proper character.
Worth knowing
- A precision test, not a bomber’s playground; first-timers can shoot a number that doesn’t reflect the experience.
Golfers recommend
- Club for the carry on the par 3s; all four play similarly over water to perched greens.
- Play position off the tee on the front; the closing stretch lets you open up.
Tee fit & expected score.
Set your handicap for the right tees, a realistic score, and the holes where you'll get a stroke.
Play the White tees, 6226 yds
How to play it
- Scoring chances at #2, #6, so make your birdies count.
- Card-wreckers at #4, #10, #14, #18. Bogey is fine here; don't compound mistakes.
- 3 par 4s over 440 yds, a course that rewards length off the tee.
- 2 reachable par 5s, so get aggressive for eagle looks.
Tagged scorecard.
Per-hole tags for hazards, length, and scoring chances from your selected tee.
| Hole | Par | Yds | SI | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1• | 4 | 402 | 11 | |
| 2•• | 5 | 498 | 3 | ReachableTough |
| 3• | 3 | 201 | 9 | Long 3 |
| 4•• | 4 | 421 | 1 | Tough |
| 5• | 4 | 348 | 15 | Birdie |
| 6• | 5 | 485 | 5 | Reachable |
| 7• | 3 | 206 | 7 | Long 3 |
| 8• | 4 | 337 | 17 | Birdie |
| 9• | 4 | 372 | 13 | |
| Out | 36 | 3270 | ||
| 10• | 4 | 466 | 8 | Long 4 |
| 11• | 4 | 403 | 14 | |
| 12• | 3 | 188 | 12 | |
| 13• | 4 | 363 | 18 | Birdie |
| 14•• | 4 | 445 | 2 | Long 4Tough |
| 15• | 5 | 634 | 10 | |
| 16• | 3 | 169 | 16 | |
| 17• | 4 | 435 | 4 | |
| 18• | 4 | 444 | 6 | Long 4 |
| In | 35 | 3547 | ||
All tees & ratings
| Tee | Yards | Rating | Slope | Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 6817 | 73.4 | 140 | 71 |
| Blue | 6511 | 72.1 | 136 | 71 |
| White | 6226 | 70.8 | 134 | 71 |
| Silver | 5512 | 67.4 | 128 | 71 |
| Green | 4434 | 63 | 114 | 71 |
Conditions & terrain.
Today's wind by hole, the climbs and drops, and a seven-day playability outlook.
Wind today
Climbs & drops
Tee→green elevation change, estimated from terrain.
7-day outlook
Best window this week: Fri 06-05 · 96/100
Where the trouble is.
Sand and water by hole, plotted from OpenStreetMap.
Most bunkered: #16 (5) · #1 (4) · #8 (4) · #9 (4). Water on 3 holes: #2, #6, #16.
Frequently asked.
- How long is Golden Horseshoe Golf Club · Gold Course?
- Golden Horseshoe Golf Club · Gold Course plays 4,434–6,817 yards across 5 sets of tees, to a par of 71 from the back tees.
- How difficult is Golden Horseshoe Golf Club · Gold Course?
- Its slope rating ranges 114–140, with a course rating up to 73.4. The back nine plays tougher.
- Which tees should I play at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club · Gold Course?
- A mid-handicap golfer (around 15) best fits the White tees at 6,226 yards. Match your own driver distance or handicap with the tee selector on this page.
- Is Golden Horseshoe Golf Club · Gold Course walkable?
- It's a gently rolling walk, with roughly 266 feet of total elevation change over 18 holes.
- How many bunkers does Golden Horseshoe Golf Club · Gold Course have?
- Golden Horseshoe Golf Club · Gold Course has 52 bunkers, and water comes into play on 3 holes.
Nearby & similar.
Other courses within reach, and the closest matches by difficulty and length.