Williamsburg, Virginia is home to one of the East Coast's richest concentrations of golf, with courses designed by names like Robert Trent Jones Sr., Pete Dye, and Mike Strantz.
The five best courses in the area are Golden Horseshoe Gold Course, Kingsmill Resort's River Course, Royal New Kent, Stonehouse Golf Club, and Williamsburg National — keep reading for a closer look at what makes each one worth your time (and money).
Golden Horseshoe Gold Course — The Luxury Bucket-List Round
If you're going to splurge on one round in Williamsburg, make it this one. Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed the Gold Course back in 1963, and Rees Jones later came in to sharpen it up with renovations in 1998 and again in 2016.
The layout sits right inside Colonial Williamsburg, which gives it a setting you won't find anywhere else in the region, and it's earned Audubon certification for how well it blends into the natural landscape.
The course plays to 6,817 yards at a par 71, with a course rating of 73.6 and a slope of 138 — numbers that put it firmly in championship territory without tipping into brutal. What really sets it apart, though, is the string of four par 3s, capped off by the 16th hole and its island green.
That hole alone has become something of a signature moment for golfers who play it, the kind of shot you'll talk about long after the round ends.
Pricing reflects the experience: expect anywhere from around $89 on the low end during off-peak times up to $200 or more when demand peaks.
It's not cheap, but the course has the résumé to back it up — it's landed on Golf Digest's 100 Greatest Public Courses list and has been described as one of the few courses in the world offering a “Masters-like experience.”
This one's best suited for serious players who want a walkable, classic championship layout and don't mind paying a premium for the history and polish that come with it.
Kingsmill Resort River Course — The Tournament Pedigree Pick
Pete Dye laid this course out along the James River back in 1975, then returned in 2004 to renovate it, and the result is a track with real tour credentials.
For decades, it hosted both PGA and LPGA events, drawing a run of notable champions and building a reputation as one of the more legitimate tournament venues on the East Coast.
If you want to play a course that's tested professionals, this is your pick in the Williamsburg area.
One catch worth knowing upfront: access generally runs through resort guests and members rather than the general public, and there's no published flat rate for a round.
That means the smart move is booking a stay-and-play package through the resort itself instead of trying to arrange a standalone tee time, which can be difficult or impossible depending on availability.
On the course, the closing stretch is where things get memorable. The par-3 17th, playing over a ravine, stands out as the defining hole on the back nine and the one most golfers remember well after they've left.
The full layout plays to 6,831 yards at a par 71, with a course rating of 74.7 and a slope of 139 — numbers that reflect a course built to challenge accomplished players without ever feeling gimmicky.
If you're planning a trip around this one, build your itinerary with the resort stay in mind from the start. Trying to bolt on a round here as an afterthought rarely works out, but treating it as the centerpiece of a Kingsmill stay gives you the best shot at experiencing what made this course a tour stop for so long.
Royal New Kent — The Links-Style Adventure
About 30 minutes outside Williamsburg, near Providence Forge, sits a course that feels like it was airlifted straight out of Ireland.
Mike Strantz designed Royal New Kent in 1996, drawing heavy inspiration from links legends like Ballybunion and Royal County Down, and the result is unlike anything else on this list.
The design leans into that inspiration hard:
- Massive, deep bunkers scattered throughout the layout
- Blind shots that demand local knowledge or a leap of faith
- Hand-stacked rock walls that reinforce the Irish aesthetic
- Huge, heavily undulating greens that punish poor approach shots
From the tips, the course stretches to a punishing 7,440 yards, with a course rating of 76.8 and a slope of 154 — numbers that put it among the toughest tests in the region.
That said, the forward tees bring the course back down to earth and make it playable for a much wider range of golfers, so don't let the back-tee numbers scare you off entirely.
Heading into 2026, pricing sits around $70 on weekdays and $95 on weekends, which is reasonable given the caliber of design you're getting.
One thing worth knowing before you book: the course has been through some conditioning ups and downs tied to ownership changes over the years, so it pays to check recent reviews before committing.
This one's best suited for confident ball-strikers who play from tees that match their actual game.
Ego shots from the back markers here tend to lead to long, frustrating days — pick the right tee box, and this becomes one of the most memorable rounds you'll play anywhere near Williamsburg.
Stonehouse Golf Club — The Dramatic, Scenic Design
Mike Strantz struck again in 1996 with Stonehouse, and this one turned heads right out of the gate, picking up award recognition in its opening year.
Like Royal New Kent, it's gone through an ownership change since then — a 2018 restoration brought the course back to a condition that matches its original ambition, so it's worth judging on its current state rather than its history.
What makes Stonehouse stand out is the land it's built on. The course rolls over terrain near the York River with dramatic elevation shifts, and Strantz used every bit of that movement to create holes that feel bigger than life.
The par 3s in particular are the highlight here — several demand forced carries into green complexes perched at dramatic angles, the kind of holes that photograph as well as they play.
The full layout runs 7,013 yards at a par 72, with a course rating of 75.0 and a slope of 140, putting it in solidly challenging territory without the extremes you'll find at Royal New Kent.
Pricing lands around $75 on weekdays and $89 on weekends, and twilight rates bring the cost down further if you're flexible on tee time.
This course is the pick for golfers who want bold, memorable scenery and a design with real personality, all without paying luxury-resort prices.
It's a strong middle-ground option — more character than a standard parkland course, more approachable than Royal New Kent's back tees, and priced to match a moderate golf-trip budget.
Williamsburg National Golf Club — The Best Value, 36 Holes
If you want two quality courses without paying resort prices, Williamsburg National is the answer. The facility actually holds two distinct layouts: Jamestown, designed by the Nicklaus Design Group and opened in 1995, and Yorktown, designed by Tom Clark and added in 2007.
Having both on-site means you can play a completely different style of golf on back-to-back days without ever leaving the property.
The two courses are maintained with different turf strategies to suit their design intent:
- Jamestown runs on Champion Bermuda greens, built for firm, fast conditions
- Yorktown uses over-seeded fairways, giving it a lusher, more traditional look
In terms of length and difficulty, Jamestown plays between roughly 6,929 and 6,953 yards with a slope between 128 and 133, making it the more forgiving of the two. Yorktown stretches to about 7,018 yards with a slope of 141, putting it closer to the tougher end of the courses on this list.
Pricing is where this club really separates itself — rounds start around $59, making it the most affordable option among the top courses in the area by a wide margin.
That value hasn't gone unnoticed, either: the club has picked up recognition as the area's best golf course and landed a mention among Golf Digest's top 10 courses in Virginia.
This is the pick for groups and mixed-ability foursomes, since two courses with different personalities give everyone in the group something to enjoy.
It's also the smartest choice if you want a full, varied golf trip without stretching your budget on every single round.
How to Plan Your Williamsburg Golf Trip
With five courses this different from each other, a little planning goes a long way toward getting the most out of your trip.
Start with timing on the two priciest rounds. Golden Horseshoe's rates swing hard depending on when you play, so booking weekday afternoons or shoulder-season dates can keep you closer to the lower end of the range instead of paying the roughly $200 peak rate.
Kingsmill works differently — since standalone access is limited and pricing isn't published, your best move is booking the round as part of a resort stay-and-play package rather than trying to arrange it separately.
For golfers piecing together a multi-day trip, this three-day sequence covers the range of what the area offers:
- Day one: Golden Horseshoe, as your marquee, splurge-worthy round
- Day two: Williamsburg National, for a relaxed, affordable day across two contrasting courses
- Day three: Stonehouse or Royal New Kent, for a dramatic change of pace with bold Strantz design
A few things to keep in mind no matter how you build your itinerary. Pricing across these courses is dynamic and shifts with season and day of the week, so treat any rate you see online as a starting point rather than a guarantee.
If Royal New Kent or Stonehouse is on your list, check recent reviews before booking, since both have been through ownership changes that affected conditioning over the years.
And regardless of which course you're playing, it's worth confirming current rates directly with the club before you finalize your trip — published numbers can lag behind what you'll actually be quoted.
Conclusion
Williamsburg isn't a one-and-done golf destination — with courses ranging from championship parkland to full-blown links drama, and prices spanning nearly $150, it rewards a multi-day trip far more than a single round ever could.
