For an avid golfer, there are day trips to remember. Then, there are the priceless journeys.

I left the Golden Horseshoe in Williamsburg last summer feeling exactly like the hacker I am. Yet, just a tour around the pristine course left me with a mentally therapeutic feeling.

All along the I-64 corridor in Williamsburg, there's a plethora of splendid public and private golf courses including Williamsburg National, Traditions Golf Club at Kiskiack and, of course, Kingsmill Resort and Spa (River, Plantation and Woods courses).

But the sight to behold is the Golden Horseshoe. It's a must-play venue, a day trip worth the hour-long trek down the I-64 corridor.

The Gold Course a demanding, but fair 6,871-yard, Par-71 course is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design that's spread about 125 majestic acres. It scenic woodlands and ravines capture the imaginaion as well as wayward shots.

The rolling fairways are mostly wide and receptive. But the preferred landing areas on some fairways provide little room to err, considering they are guarded with water that, in some instances, shield the greens.

There are the unforgettable holes at the Gold Course at the Golden Horseshoe: the 421-yard fourth hole with an uninviting bunker that gathers up even perfectly lofted drives and the 169-yard Par 3 16th hole which is fortified by a picturesque, yet harrowing island green.

The asking price to play the Gold and Green courses at the Golden Horseshoe is $155 on both weekdays and weekends. The Gold Course, which hosted the 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship, is considered the more difficult of the two and is listed among the country's top-100 public courses by Golf Digest.

You can set up tee times at Golden Horseshoe by either calling 757-565-8470 and 757-220-7767 or visiting them at www.goldenhorsegolf.com.

This one-day golf trip is more than about golf. It's a day trip for the entire family.

As you stand on the first tee of any of these Williamburg golf courses, the kids can enjoy themselves at several historical sites Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown and one of the nation's finest amusement parks, Busch Gardens.
Contact Ralph N. Paulk at (804) 649-6851 or rpaulk@timesdispatch.com.