Fans will gather around the 18th hole at Kingsmill's River Course on Sunday to cheer home the victor at the Michelob Ultra LPGA event.  Lorena Ochoa led after yesterday's first round, with a 7-under par 64.

...but real men won't be disappointed in the golf

    In the course of a couple of years, the River Course at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA, went from a brawny and difficult layout to one that could be played and enjoyed by virtually ever type of golfer -- high and low handicapper, male and female.  Pete Dye, whose difficult Stadium Course at Sawgrass will be featured this weekend at the PGA's Player's Championship, softened up the River Course in 2004.  And this weekend also, the course that once hosted an annual tour stop on the PGA is playing host to the LPGA's Michelob Ultra Open.

Kingsmill's River Course an ego booster

    I played the River Course a year ago, and it appeared to be especially friendly for average male and female golfers and modestly challenging from the men's tees for my 10 handicap.  From just 6,300 yards, I can understand why the lady pros tore it up in the first round yesterday, Lorena Ochoa carding a tournament leading 64, 7 under par.  Forty-five players finished under par on day one.  As I wrote here one year ago, "the River course is not tough but it is thoroughly enjoyable."  (You can read my full golf course review by clicking here.)  Although plenty of bunkers frame the large Dye greens, thinly struck approach shots still have the chance to bound up and onto the large greens.
    If I have any criticism of the River Course, the only one of the three at Kingsmill that I had the chance to play, it is that the cart paths come into play on some holes.  Of course, Kingsmill is a resort, as well as a residential community, and certain compromises must be made in the name of speedy play.  For their $30,000 "deposit" (most of it refundable upon departure), members do not want to endure five-hour rounds behind lollygagging guests who may be playing one of their few rounds of the year.  Putting the cart paths closer to the field of play cut some time from a high-handicapper's round, at least in theory.

Latest price updates on Kingsmill homes

    Kingsmill offers an entire range of real estate options, from town homes (villas) and "resort condominiums" to single-family residences, some quaint patio homes on small lots and some of the estate variety.  Generally speaking, condos begin in the low to mid $300s, although they can reach the $500s for views of the wide and impressive James River, which gives the River Course its name.  Town homes are the most reasonably priced segment of the market at Kingsmill, with prices beginning in the mid $200s (a current listing for an 1,854 square foot 3 BR, 2 ½ BA unit is $240,000).  One of the choicest patio homes in the resort, which looks down on the 13th green of the River Course and features more than 2,500 square feet, is listed at $659,900.  If you can compromise a little on the view and space, other single-family homes, most on larger lots, start in the mid $300s.  Building lots begin in the $300s, prices that would seem to make the re-sale homes particularly good buys (e.g. that $659,000 home cited above would be priced at about $125 per square foot, after subtraction of land costs, comparably low for quality construction).
    To encourage sales, Kingsmill Realty is offering a 20% discount on club membership if you purchase a home through one of its agents.

More excellent golf at Kingsmill and just outside the gates

    The other two courses at Kingsmill, The Plantation (Arnold Palmer) and The Woods (Curtis Strange), provide alternative golfing experiences for club members and resort guests.  Reviewers in the latest Zagat's guide to "America's Top Golf Courses" gave The Plantation and Woods courses each a rating of 23 out of 30, three points behind the ratings for the River Course.  The Woods is especially refreshing in that its fairways and greens are beyond any home sites at Kingsmill, giving the layout the feel of a private, unaffiliated course.
    The most highly rated course in Williamsburg, the Gold Course at the multi-layout Golden Horseshoe, is perennially rated one of the best public access courses in the state of Virginia (Zagat surveyors gave it a 28).  The Green Course at Golden Horseshoe is also an area favorite.  Further afield, fans of the late architect Mike Strantz will find some of his most imaginative work at Royal New Kent and Stonehouse, two courses that golfers seem to either love or hate for their blind shots and golf-on-steroids approach to design.  Those unafraid of intimidating layouts should try Colonial Heritage, a difficult Arthur Hills design that, oddly, is smack in the middle of an age-restricted community.  I was 60 years old when I played it, and felt 70 by the end.

Governors Land, the private club alternative in Williamsburg

    Williamsburg can lay claim to being America's first tourist destination, given both its history and self-awareness of it.  The town is set up to accommodate a large influx of those seeking to get in touch with Colonial America and the nation's roots.  Golf course and resort developers were conscious of this and have always opened their courses to public and resort traffic.  The one island of private golf in the area is Governors Land which, like Kingsmill, is bounded by the wide expanse of the James River.  At just six miles from the center of town, Governors Land is near, and yet feels so far, from the action.
    The Two Rivers course at Governors Land, designed by Tom Fazio, is not unlike the River Course at Kingsmill in that it won't overtax the modestly skilled golfer but will certainly provide a pleasant four hours.  A few of its finishing holes almost bump up against the river but are buffered by customary large Fazio bunkers; accept for a touch of the river close by the side of the 18th green, the only hazard the water provides is as a distraction from the swing.
    Single-family homes, all that are available at Governors Land, start around $500,000.  Homes with views of the river and golf course exceed $1 million.  For those few hedge fund managers who exited the market at just the right time, a 22,000 square foot estate home on 10 riverfront acres is currently listed for $8.9 million.

Living in Williamsburg

    If you like being on permanent vacation and in touch with history, and don't mind sharing some of your space with tourists or wearing a sweater in winter -- okay, a jacket as well -- Williamsburg is worth considering as a retirement or vacation spot.  With many excellent and accessible daily fee golf courses in the area, you will not feel compelled to join any of them to have an active golfing life.  Williamsburg is a charming town, with a well-preserved downtown area and small university, William & Mary, at its core (a nice program of courses for post-grads is offered).  I was especially impressed with the road system in and around town; as if overly conscious years ago about the possibilities of tourist infestations, the roads are more than ample to handle the significant increase in new homes over recent decades, as well as the tour buses.  
     The Town Center just outside the city not only provides plenty of shopping and dining opportunities, but integrates residences and offices.  Golfers inclined to work and/or shop where they live won't burn more than a gallon of gas for access to any of the excellent golf courses just a few miles away.
       
If Williamsburg sounds like your kind of place, let me know and I will provide you with much more in the way of research and opinion -- at no cost or obligation to you.

The James River comes into play at Tom Fazio's Two Rivers course at Governors Land only on the 18th hole.   
 

...about the best possible golf community home for you?

    If you are reading this, you have an interest in golf communities.  The name Golf Community Reviews leaves little room for interpretation of the subject matter here.  The web site -- some would call it a "blog" -- is geared to readers actively searching for a dream home on the course as well as to those who may be years away from such a decision but want to learn what's available and what the costs are likely to be.
    I have been there and done that.  For the last 25 years, I have researched and visited golf community properties, bought a couple of them

myself, and written intensely about the leisure residential market.  Hardly a day goes by when I don't post some original content here based on my visits to golf communities, my conversations with professional market observers in the southern U.S. and my research about golf community properties.  I have acquired enough knowledge that my wife is urging me to write a book, but I'd rather concentrate on helping people more directly.
    I have been witness to good, bad and ugly property searches.  The Internet is filled with much hype about golf communities, promotion costumed as information.  Some developers on the brink of bankruptcy continue pitching their communities as if all is paradise.  The purchase of a vacation or retirement home is a huge investment, one of the largest any of us will make in our lifetimes.  It is best approached with an armful of information and eyes wide open.
    I started GolfCommunityReviews three years ago to help others negotiate the choppy waters of the leisure residential real estate market.  I try to be scrupulously objective, hoping that readers will trust me enough to call on me to help them look for the golf home that best suits their needs.  Last year, some did, and they would testify they were well served by the agents I arranged for them to work with, and that the properties they purchased were at fair prices.  (Pssst, prices have dropped considerably since then.)
    I am not a non-profit, but I don't charge my customers any fees either.  I work with them to find the real estate agents most qualified to help them identify the perfect home on the course.  The agents compensate me with referral fees if my customers purchase property.  But there is absolutely no obligation or pressure to purchase; the referral fees pay my bills, but what I learn during the process makes me smarter and better able to help other customers.
    Here is how I would work for you:

Getting to know you...

• I take the time to understand what you are looking for. In a phone conversation of about 45 minutes (my dime for the phone call), I take you through a series of questions, at the end of which we both have a good idea of the type of community that will best suit your lifestyle (this interview is best conducted with couples). Within a few days, I submit to you a summary report of our conversation for your review and feedback. We modify as needed.

Matching your needs...

• If you are not set on a particular area, I come back to you in a short time with some idea of what geography will suit you. Most couples know whether they want mountains, coast or an inland area with perhaps a lake. But there are differences in living in Savannah and Charleston, or Asheville and Greenville, and the lifestyle in a community around Lake Keowee in rural South Carolina is going to be decidedly different from one in, say, the Chapel Hill, NC, area. I have researched many of the most popular areas in the southern U.S. and visited the majority.

Giving you a sense of community...

• If you know the area you would like to live in but are unfamiliar with the golf communities there, I look at all those that might suit your lifestyle and your resources, talk with real estate professionals and residents in the area to surface any hidden "issues" about the communities, and then recommend a few you might visit. (Note: As a former communication executive and journalist, I know how the ask the tough questions and use my experience to qualify the answers.) In some cases, based on our interview, I might recommend you consider the purchase of a home outside a gated community and membership in a local private or semi-private club. This works well for couples that do not require many amenities beyond the golf course and clubhouse, and would prefer not to pay for what they don't use.

Teeing up the visits...

• If the timing is right and you are prepared for a visit, I help you make arrangements either directly with the communities or through a qualified local real estate professional. Most communities offer "discovery" packages that typically include lodging, breakfast and golf at a nominal fee. Because of my contacts in the communities, I can often negotiate discounts on these or have the fee waived.

Going for the green...

• If you use an agent whom I pre-qualify for you, he or she will help you negotiate the best possible price on a privately owned home. However, should you be interested in a developer owned property in a community I have visited and can recommend, I will help you negotiate the best possible price. Potentially, this could save you thousands of dollars compared with going it alone.

    We can start with a no-risk, no obligation interview and my follow-up report.  If you just want to keep the report for future use and do nothing now, that is fine.  No salesperson (or editor) will call until you say you are ready to take the next step.  And even then, there will never be a cost to you.
    Contact me via email (click here) or by phone at (860) 675-1491 and I will get to work.

I have visited personally more than 100 golf communities, including Connestee Falls near Brevard, NC.