WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — The newest golf course in Virginia has opened on the site of one of its oldest communities.
The Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Colonial Williamsburg unveiled “The Shoe” earlier this month. It’s a new 9 hole par-3 short course on the site of the former Spotswood executive course that was the forebearer of the Golden Horseshoe’s main 18-hole layout.
The Shoe has holes ranging from around 40 to 150 yards, and variable tee boxes to lengthen or shorten some of the holes.
“The popularity of short courses is booming across the country,” said Jeremy Hyjek, the Director of Golf at Golden Horseshoe. “Pinehurst and Pebble Beach each have one. They get more play than they ever thought they would.”
The idea for the Shoe came from one of the club’s oldest members, but will hopefully appeal to some of the sport’s youngest players.
“It’s a course that, for beginning golfers, isn’t overly challenging but fun,” Hyjek explained. “But we can also set it up for the seasoned golfers to have more than enough challenge to work on their short games.”
About 20 to 25 percent of shots during any round are hit within 150 yards of the green, making short courses like The Shoe an economical opportunity to work on a part of the game with which many players can struggle.
“We use our putters more than our drivers on the golf course,” Hyjek continued. “This gives everybody a great chance to work on their skills in that part of the game.”
The other reason for the growing popularity of such courses is time, and how much faster a round can be on a shorter course.
“A lot of people don’t have time for 5 hours at the golf course” Hyjek said. “Or 6 hours plus with lunch. This gives golfers an opportunity to play 9 holes in an hour or less. Now time isn’t the huge factor it used to be. This is opening up an entirely new platform to play golf.”
Click here for more information: https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/stay-play/recreation-wellness/golden-horseshoe-golf-club/
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