The Golden Horseshoe Golf Club (Gold)

Overview: The Gold Course at Golden Horseshoe is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design in Williamsburg, routed through rolling hills and pine-framed parkland. Its par-71 championship layout measures 6,817 yards and uses ravines, water, elevated greens and carefully placed bunkers to create a strategic course with a clear architectural voice. The design asks for commitment from the tee and precision around the putting surfaces, while the surrounding Colonial Williamsburg setting gives the round a strong historical context without turning it into a museum piece.

History: The 18-hole Gold Course opened to the public in 1963 after the success of an earlier nine-hole course at Williamsburg Inn. Robert Trent Jones Sr. called it "My Finest Design," and the course has since been renewed by Rees Jones with updated turf, tees and bunker construction. Its tournament history includes five USGA championships and a long series of Virginia events, preserving the Gold Course as the principal championship layout at the resort.

Did You Know? The 16th is one of golf's early island greens. The downhill par three plays over a pond to a small, bunker-framed surface, making a short hole carry much of the Gold Course's larger architectural idea: bold visual choices backed by exacting shot values.