Golf in the Footsteps of Legends

On the golf scorecard, hole 17 at Kingsmill Resort’s River Course reads like thousands of other golf holes in America: 177 Yard Par 3. And that’s a shame. It should read: “You are about to play the most historic 177 yards of golf in America. Take it all in. Don’t rush. Look around and imagine how this very land played a role in American history starting in 1607.”

Today, when golfers walk between the tee box and the green at the River Course’s 17th hole, they are stepping on the same land where the original British settlers first stepped off their boat.  It was 1607 when the English colonists completed their 144-day sea excursion by landing on the shores of what is now Kingsmill Resort.  Gabriel Archer, one of the leaders, proposed they make ‘Kingsmill’ their home, but sadly, his counsel went unheeded.  The next day, the expedition continued west to Jamestown Island, where they could anchor their three ships closer to shore and better defend themselves.

More than 150 years later, ‘Kingsmill’s James River embankment’ entered the American Revolution.   It was 1765 when the colonists used Kingsmill’s location as a defensive position to defeat the British.  Move ahead nearly 100 years to 1861 and the same stretch of 177 yards was repurposed during the War Between the States.  Today a Civil War cannon and American Flag guard this sacred ground.

But well before aggression – or discovery by early settlers in search of a new home –Native Americans lived here and enjoyed the oysters still plentiful and being served up at Kingsmill Resort’s James Landing Grill.  The old pilings in the river are the location of the original port and start of the road from the James River to Williamsburg; the Commonwealth of Virginia’s first capital until 1780.

That’s 177 yards of history from the Native Americans to the Jamestown Settlers, Williamsburg, the American Revolution and Civil War to where LPGA players now tee off in the annual Kingsmill Championship. Kingsmill Resort is also the place where President Clinton, Bush (43) and Obama have presented, worked and relaxed.  And while you may not eagle this hole (which would be a hole in one, too), it’s quite common to see the American Bald Eagle flying overhead. They nest on the grounds. Perfectly fitting for the most 177 historic holes of golf, in America.

More than 400 years later golfers, conference attendees, couples, families and friends arrive to Kingsmill Resort’s hallowed ground to make their own history.

For more information, visit www.kingsmill.com for specific details or call Richard Keurajian at (757) 253-3927 or email Richard.Keurajian@Kingsmill.com.