The Tradition Golf Club, Royal New Kent Course, Providence Forge, Virginia - an American Links-Style Golf Course That Measures up to Those in Scotland and Ireland

It's rare that an American links-style golf course measures up to those found in Scotland and Ireland, where the winds sweep in off the ocean, but it's been said that the Royal New Kent Course at the Tradition Golf Club does. In fact, Royal New Kent was intended to depict a true Irish links design in the tradition of such renowned courses as Royal County Down and Ballybunion.

The course plays across a wild and windswept landscape and features rolling moorland, grass-covered knolls and dunes, dry stone walls and some rough reminiscent of Scotland. The contoured fairways have been described as generous, but blind shots are often called for by doglegs and dunes. The course also features more than 120 bunkers, which are often deep pits lined with Fescue grass, and massive, fast greens often guarded by more pot bunkers and featuring bold swales and ridges.

The 18-hole, par-72 course plays to 7,372 yards from the championship (Invicta) tees, with a USGA rating of 76.5 and a slope rating of 147, which make for some daunting number from the tips. Playing across a rugged landscape, Royal New Kent has been called "the truest representation of an Irish links in America.''

The course, which opened in 1997, features some noteworthy holes, including its three signature holes. Hole No. 1 is a par-4 that plays to 418 yards from the back tees and features a 75-foot drop from the tee to the fairway, followed by an uphill approach shot to a two-tiered green with a false front.

Hole No. 7 is a par-3 that plays to 197 yards from the tips and requires a precise tee shot. Missing this green will find either the creek that fronts it, or one of the bunkers on the right.

Hole No. 18 is the last of the signature holes, a par-4 that plays to 463 yards from the longest tees. From the tee, players have to hit an island fairway landing zone, then take aim at a green with water in front, right and at the rear, putting water in play the entire length of the hole.

Some of the accolades and honors accorded Royal New Kent include being named Best New Upscale Public Course in the Nation, One of America's Top 100 Greatest Golf Courses, and receiving a 41/2-Star Rating from Golf Digest, and ranking #23 on GOLF Magazine's Top 100 You Can Play list.

Other amenities at Royal New Kent include practice facilities and a clubhouse with a pro shop and full-service restaurant and bar.