Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center reviews
14
0
King of the Rollers 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Dec 18, 2020
Played the course:once
Pros:
-A good variety of open, wooded, hilly, flat course play, and open, gap tee box throws.
-Variety of short and long holes, and variety of pars.
-No. 5 has a monstrous roller basket placement.
-No. 6 a different kind of elevated tee shot.
-Good introduction for beginners and fair to casual players. Play it strictly as a par 3, intermediate players will find it challenging, and advanced players challenging for the most part.
-Holes 5 thru 8 are a good solid run that would fit on any course, with 2 and 3 a good warm up.
-Holes 5 and 6 a good two combo that are unique. A holler hole and elevated sky tee shot.
-Good navigation basket to basket for course play. No 1 has the only tee sign to get you going. Just need to know to tee from basket 3 to 4 across the road into the gap.
-You can reverse course from basket 9 to basket 1 to play another 8 holes. This would make basket 5 and 4 more difficult to play on a reverse route, and another elevated tee shot.
-Good solid drainage on the course. Prior to my visit and after, a handful of courses sloppy with mud. Not this course, no standing water, only No. 8 was a little soft. No slippage on grass tee areas and fairways on throws. I'm a big fan of concrete tees but didn't miss it on this course.
-Resort office has score card and map.
-There are lodges and a campground on site. Warm yourself up in the morning on the course, and head out to New Quarter and Waller Mill for the afternoon. There 15 minutes away. There is also a restaurant on site that is open in the summer when its busy.
-Variety of short and long holes, and variety of pars.
-No. 5 has a monstrous roller basket placement.
-No. 6 a different kind of elevated tee shot.
-Good introduction for beginners and fair to casual players. Play it strictly as a par 3, intermediate players will find it challenging, and advanced players challenging for the most part.
-Holes 5 thru 8 are a good solid run that would fit on any course, with 2 and 3 a good warm up.
-Holes 5 and 6 a good two combo that are unique. A holler hole and elevated sky tee shot.
-Good navigation basket to basket for course play. No 1 has the only tee sign to get you going. Just need to know to tee from basket 3 to 4 across the road into the gap.
-You can reverse course from basket 9 to basket 1 to play another 8 holes. This would make basket 5 and 4 more difficult to play on a reverse route, and another elevated tee shot.
-Good solid drainage on the course. Prior to my visit and after, a handful of courses sloppy with mud. Not this course, no standing water, only No. 8 was a little soft. No slippage on grass tee areas and fairways on throws. I'm a big fan of concrete tees but didn't miss it on this course.
-Resort office has score card and map.
-There are lodges and a campground on site. Warm yourself up in the morning on the course, and head out to New Quarter and Waller Mill for the afternoon. There 15 minutes away. There is also a restaurant on site that is open in the summer when its busy.
Cons:
-No tee signs, but the score card should take care of that.
-Gravel road to the lodges that cuts across No. 3 and 6. Keep an eye out for infrequent traffic.
-Rules state on score card, tee within three feet of basket to the next basket. A little too close for me, and a little dangerous on six. I cheated.
-If you do not play the reverse route, it's a five-minute walk back to the parking lot right into a few of the holes on the forward route. If you play the reverse route during the summer months, need to have your eyes peeled for players coming your way.
-3 of the 9 holes were less than 200 feet. Which is fine, only No. 1 is an ace run. But 4 and 9 play alike, short, wooded dogleg lefts. Good for an 18-holer, in my opinion not for a 9-holer when two holes are alike.
-Theirs an outdoor chapel on No. 3, when it's in use, you're going to have to tee off past it, and will shorten to a par 3. Likely to be in use only in the summer months, and perhaps only on Sunday.
-Gravel road to the lodges that cuts across No. 3 and 6. Keep an eye out for infrequent traffic.
-Rules state on score card, tee within three feet of basket to the next basket. A little too close for me, and a little dangerous on six. I cheated.
-If you do not play the reverse route, it's a five-minute walk back to the parking lot right into a few of the holes on the forward route. If you play the reverse route during the summer months, need to have your eyes peeled for players coming your way.
-3 of the 9 holes were less than 200 feet. Which is fine, only No. 1 is an ace run. But 4 and 9 play alike, short, wooded dogleg lefts. Good for an 18-holer, in my opinion not for a 9-holer when two holes are alike.
-Theirs an outdoor chapel on No. 3, when it's in use, you're going to have to tee off past it, and will shorten to a par 3. Likely to be in use only in the summer months, and perhaps only on Sunday.
Other Thoughts:
I really enjoyed the course, It is the longest 9-holer I've played, and for the most part had the feeling I was on one of the better 18-holers I've played. No. 5 and 6 were a wow factor and may not find another set of holes like them. No. 7 and 8 continued the good playing experience. But No. 9 was a finishing thud as a short dogleg left. The course is my favorite 9-holer, but not a favorite with 4 and 9 being so much alike. Overall, the course was a solid playing experience, with the enjoyable walk, and a few unique holes I anchored my rating on a 4.5. I will return in the summer when the foliage is in full bloom.
Notable Holes:
No. 7 Par 4 269 feet, dogleg right at about 150 feet and straight up hill adding about another 75 feet. Wide fairway tree lined. On the approach the tree line narrows with trees protecting the basket within C1. Just outside C1 on the approach were 4 or 5 white post about 3 feet high, it looked like I was getting ready to throw my putter over some one's lower teeth. I had a photo posted but it has been removed. If you look at the tee photo on No. 8, you can see the top of two of the post. Just something I had not seen before.
No. 8 Par 3 236 feet "What is that in front of the basket". Tree lined all the way down the right side, with a 25- foot gap into the trees at about the 180-foot mark. The trees narrow to about 12 feet, in front of the basket at 10 feet. The basket hooks slightly right, protect by a tree. An ace run is possible. As you walk up the fairway a wooden structure starts to appear, and to me it looks like Gamecock fighting ring? Just on the line of C1 on the flight line and three feet high. Have not seen that on a disc course. The photo is posted.
Signature Hole:
No 5. Par 4 308 feet "King of the Rollers". From the tee area you can see the bottom of the hill, but there are trees blocking the line of sight to the top of the hill. The map places the basket in that area, "oh boy", when you clear those trees on your walk, yep this will be a fun one, photo. From the tee a tunnel shot 10 feet wide to about 60 feet out to an open field, not a line to the hill, just get it out as far as you can to clear the trees on the right for your approach. If you do not clear those trees, eh. Disc up on your approach, you have a hill to climb and some wind. I threw a mid and got only a few feet up the hill. The hill slopes up left to right for an easier climb for some players. I threw a fairway driver just to see if I could do better and watched it skip across the slope and into the tree line behind the hill. From the bottom of the hill its about 14 feet in height to the basket, then the height of the basket. I was putting straight up into the sky, decided to throw 5 putts with a few mids and three rolled backed down the hill, one about 75 feet away. Two putts stayed on the hill, never touched the basket. Should of taken a photo from the bottom of hill, will do on my next visit.
Trouble Hole:
No. 6 Par 4 308 feet. From the tee I felt like I was getting ready to kick a field goal. You're teeing from the top of the 5 basket hill up into about a 25 degree angle into the sky and not much room. About 100 feet out are a line of trees with a 40-foot gap. The trees at the bottom of the gap should not come into play, the ones at the side of the gap are at least 60 feet tall with foliage, in the summer I'm sure that gap will close up. So, you're throwing skyward into the gap, into any wind that may be blowing. If you hit the trees, you may do a little searching and find yourself with a difficult shot. My tee shot make the gap, then the wind took it 90 degrees left with some distance, but across the fairway and not closer to the hole. From the point of the trees a lazy dogleg left, and straight downhill to the basket. Downhill you can see the top of the basket If you throw a straight tee shot there is a thick wood line waiting for you, and all the way to the basket on the right, open fairway on the left. If you do not make the basket, the approach could turn into a roller with the woods still waiting for you. Potential lost disc on this hole, and a high score. I look forward to playing this hole in the summer with the foliage.
Notable Holes:
No. 7 Par 4 269 feet, dogleg right at about 150 feet and straight up hill adding about another 75 feet. Wide fairway tree lined. On the approach the tree line narrows with trees protecting the basket within C1. Just outside C1 on the approach were 4 or 5 white post about 3 feet high, it looked like I was getting ready to throw my putter over some one's lower teeth. I had a photo posted but it has been removed. If you look at the tee photo on No. 8, you can see the top of two of the post. Just something I had not seen before.
No. 8 Par 3 236 feet "What is that in front of the basket". Tree lined all the way down the right side, with a 25- foot gap into the trees at about the 180-foot mark. The trees narrow to about 12 feet, in front of the basket at 10 feet. The basket hooks slightly right, protect by a tree. An ace run is possible. As you walk up the fairway a wooden structure starts to appear, and to me it looks like Gamecock fighting ring? Just on the line of C1 on the flight line and three feet high. Have not seen that on a disc course. The photo is posted.
Signature Hole:
No 5. Par 4 308 feet "King of the Rollers". From the tee area you can see the bottom of the hill, but there are trees blocking the line of sight to the top of the hill. The map places the basket in that area, "oh boy", when you clear those trees on your walk, yep this will be a fun one, photo. From the tee a tunnel shot 10 feet wide to about 60 feet out to an open field, not a line to the hill, just get it out as far as you can to clear the trees on the right for your approach. If you do not clear those trees, eh. Disc up on your approach, you have a hill to climb and some wind. I threw a mid and got only a few feet up the hill. The hill slopes up left to right for an easier climb for some players. I threw a fairway driver just to see if I could do better and watched it skip across the slope and into the tree line behind the hill. From the bottom of the hill its about 14 feet in height to the basket, then the height of the basket. I was putting straight up into the sky, decided to throw 5 putts with a few mids and three rolled backed down the hill, one about 75 feet away. Two putts stayed on the hill, never touched the basket. Should of taken a photo from the bottom of hill, will do on my next visit.
Trouble Hole:
No. 6 Par 4 308 feet. From the tee I felt like I was getting ready to kick a field goal. You're teeing from the top of the 5 basket hill up into about a 25 degree angle into the sky and not much room. About 100 feet out are a line of trees with a 40-foot gap. The trees at the bottom of the gap should not come into play, the ones at the side of the gap are at least 60 feet tall with foliage, in the summer I'm sure that gap will close up. So, you're throwing skyward into the gap, into any wind that may be blowing. If you hit the trees, you may do a little searching and find yourself with a difficult shot. My tee shot make the gap, then the wind took it 90 degrees left with some distance, but across the fairway and not closer to the hole. From the point of the trees a lazy dogleg left, and straight downhill to the basket. Downhill you can see the top of the basket If you throw a straight tee shot there is a thick wood line waiting for you, and all the way to the basket on the right, open fairway on the left. If you do not make the basket, the approach could turn into a roller with the woods still waiting for you. Potential lost disc on this hole, and a high score. I look forward to playing this hole in the summer with the foliage.
