Kingsmill Resort

Last updated
Kingsmill Resort
18th hole green, Kingsmill Resort, James City County, Virginia.jpg
18th green at River Course in 2014
Club information
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Coordinates 37°13′30″N76°40′05″W / 37.225°N 76.668°W / 37.225; -76.668
Location Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.
Elevation50 feet (15 m)
Established1975;49 years ago (1975)
TypeResort  (River, Plantation)
Private  (Woods)
Total holes37
Events hosted Kingsmill Championship
(2012–present)
Michelob ULTRA Open
(2003–2009)
Michelob Championship
(1981–2002)
Greens Bentgrass
Fairways Bermuda / Ryegrass [1]
Website kingsmill.com/golf
River Course
Designed by Pete Dye  (1975, 2004) [1]
Par 71
Length6,831 yards (6,246 m) [2]
Course rating 73.2
Slope rating 136 [3]
Plantation Course
Designed by Arnold Palmer, Ed Seay
Par 71
Length6,254 yards (5,719 m) [2]
Course rating 70.7
Slope rating 129 [4]
Woods Course
Designed by Tom Clark, Curtis Strange
Par 72
Length6,659 yards (6,089 m) [5]
Course rating 72.2
Slope rating 133 [6]

Kingsmill Resort is a vacation, conference, and golf resort in the eastern United States, located in James City County, Virginia, southeast of Williamsburg. It is located on a portion of the Kingsmill Plantation; the original plantation structures and their successors have long been in ruins. It was founded in the 1970s by Anheuser-Busch as part of related developments near Colonial Williamsburg. In 2010, Kingsmill Resort, which sits within a large residential planned community of the same name, was slated to become a vital piece of the entertainment and hospitality system operated by Xanterra Parks and Resorts, one of many enterprises owned by Denver-based billionaire Philip Anschutz. Anschutz bought Xanterra in 2008 after it was a Fred Harvey hospitality company dating to 1876. [7]

Contents

With facilities overlooking the James River a few miles east of Jamestown, the Kingsmill Resort has 425 rooms, five restaurants, 17,000 square feet (1,600 m2) of conference space, a spa and fitness center, marina, and a 15-court tennis center. Three championship golf courses (two at the resort, one private) surround the resort and are nestled within a large planned community (management of which is not part of the Kingsmill Resort). The resort has hosted a total of 29 professional golf tournaments from 1981 until 2009, among them LPGA and PGA Tour events. [8] The resort has also been a perennial favorite for political conferences, such as national governors conferences and congressional caucuses. [9]

The area features the three main sites of the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia which are linked by the Colonial Parkway (Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown), as well as the Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA theme parks, joined by smaller attractions, hotels, time-sharing developments, restaurants, retirement complexes, and other venues.

Development history

Beginning in the early 1970s, largely on a 2,900-acre (12 km2) tract of property which was formerly part of the Kingsmill Plantation, the Kingsmill Resort was developed by Anheuser-Busch (A-B) as a portion of the brewing company's development of diversified activities in the Williamsburg area, which grew to include not only the brewery, but the Busch Gardens Williamsburg theme park, and large upscale developments of residential and office park properties such as that at McLaws Circle.

The St. Louis-based brewer invested in the area following negotiations held between August Busch, II and Winthrop Rockefeller, a son of Colonial Williamsburg's initial chief mentor, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Winthrop Rockefeller had been serving as both governor of Arkansas and chairman of Colonial Williamsburg in the 1960s and 1970s. (Water Country USA, a local water park, was acquired by A-B in the 1990s, and added to the company's theme park activities, which include a number of SeaWorld properties in other states as well).

Divestiture by A-B, InBev

In the last part of the 20th and early into the 21st century, as a brewer, A-B found itself increasingly in tough competition in an increasingly global market.

In 2008, after initially resisting an unsolicited stock bid, A-B announced it had reached an agreement to be acquired by the even larger Belgium-based InBev, the world's largest brewing company. The newer owners announced plans to sell-off the portions of A-B activities which were not part of the core beverage business as it worked to reduce debt incurred to fund the acquisition.

As A-B had been a major employer and strong community supporter for many years, there was widespread speculation and more than a little apprehension about who might ultimately acquire and control the theme parks, the resort, and other Busch developments in the region.

New owners, future

Since then, the Blackstone Group acquired the company's 10 theme parks, including two near Williamsburg. [10]

In July 2010, it was announced that Xanterra had entered into an agreement, [11] to purchase and operate the Kingsmill Resort. In 1968, Xanterra became the successor to the Fred Harvey Company established by entrepreneur Fred Harvey in 1875. [12] One of Xanterra's locations is at the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Xanterra (owned by Anschutz since 2008) has operated in national and state parks across the United States, especially in the Western regions. Other operations include Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. [10] Owned by Denver-based billionaire Philip Anschutz since, 2008, prior to the Kingsmill announcement, Xanterra was operating about three dozen hotels and lodges with more than 5,000 guest rooms combined, with over 8,000 employees. [13]

In March 2017, Fort Worth-based Escalante Golf acquired Kingsmill Resort. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williamsburg, Virginia</span> Independent city in Virginia, United States

Williamsburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is bordered by James City County on the west and south and York County on the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James City County, Virginia</span> County in Virginia, United States

James City County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,254. Although politically separate from the county, the county seat is the adjacent independent city of Williamsburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anheuser-Busch</span> American brewing company

Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC, is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple global brands, notably Budweiser, Michelob, Stella Artois, and Beck's.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busch Gardens</span> American amusement parks in Florida & Virginia

Busch Gardens is the name of two amusement parks in the United States, owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The original park is in Tampa, Florida, and the second park is in Williamsburg, Virginia. There were also previously Busch Gardens parks in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California (1964–1979) and Houston, Texas (1971–1973). The "Busch Gardens" name was earlier used to refer to the gardens developed by Adolphus Busch near his home in Pasadena, California, which were open to the public from 1906 to 1937.

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The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is an American global sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events. Under the AEG Presents brand, it is the world's second-largest presenter of live music and entertainment events, after Live Nation. AEG Presents was founded in 2002 as AEG Live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busch Gardens Williamsburg</span> European-themed amusement park in James City County, Virginia

Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a 422-acre (1.71 km2) amusement park in James City County near Williamsburg, Virginia, United States, located approximately 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Virginia Beach. The park was developed by Anheuser-Busch (A-B) and is owned by United Parks & Resorts. The park opened on May 16, 1975, adjacent to Anheuser-Busch's brewery and near its other developments, including the Kingsmill Resort complex.

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Grove is an unincorporated community in the southeastern portion of James City County in the Virginia Peninsula subregion of Virginia in the United States. It is located in the center of the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia, communities linked by the Colonial Parkway. This area is one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world.

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Kingsmill is a geographic area in James City County, Virginia, that includes a large planned residential community, a resort complex, a theme park, a brewery, and a commercial park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelob Championship</span>

The Michelob Championship at Kingsmill was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1968 to 2002. It was played in Virginia at the River Course of Kingsmill Golf Club outside of Williamsburg, from 1981 to 2002. From 1977 through 1995, it was known as the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic.

Quarterpath Road is one of the oldest roads in James City County and the independent city of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Camp Wallace was a facility of the United States Army located near the unincorporated town of Grove in southeastern James City County in the Virginia Peninsula portion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College Creek</span> Stream in Virginia, United States

College Creek is located in James City County in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia in the United States. From a point of origin near the independent city of Williamsburg, it is a tributary of the James River.

McLaws Circle is a Busch Business Park located adjacent to the Kingsmill development of Anheuser-Busch in James City County, Virginia near the City of Williamsburg. It is managed by Busch Properties, Inc.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, commonly known as AB InBev, is a Belgian multinational drink and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium and is the largest brewer in the world. In 2023, the company was ranked 72nd in the Forbes Global 2000. Additionally, AB InBev has a global functional management office in New York City, and regional headquarters in São Paulo, London, St. Louis, Mexico City, Bremen, Johannesburg, and others. It has approximately 630 beer brands in 150 countries.

Busch Properties, Inc. (BPI), is a corporation, which operates resort, residential and commercial properties in the United States. It was established in 1969 as a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch, Inc. (AB), the largest brewing company in the United States, which is based in St. Louis, Missouri. BPI's four main functions include business park development, resort and residential development, corporate real estate and employee residential relocation for the parent company and other AB subsidiaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Parks & Resorts</span> American theme park and entertainment company

United Parks & Resorts Inc. is an American theme park and entertainment company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company owns and operates twelve recreational destinations in the United States, including eight theme parks and four water parks. Notable brands within its portfolio include SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. In May 2018, Themed Entertainment Association and the global management firm AECOM reported that the then SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, operating under its previous name, ranked ninth in the world for attendance among theme park companies, led by parks SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pure Silk Championship</span>

The Pure Silk Championship was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour, played in Williamsburg, Virginia. The 72-hole tournament was held on the par-71 River Course at Kingsmill Resort, set at 6,340 yards (5,797 m) in 2013.

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References

  1. 1 2 "LPGA Kingsmill Championship" (PDF). GCSAA. Tournament fact sheets. May 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "River and Plantation scorecards" (PDF). Kingsmill Resort. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Course Rating and Slope Database™ - Kingsmill: River". USGA. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Course Rating and Slope Database™ - Kingsmill: Plantation". USGA. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Woods scorecard" (PDF). Kingsmill Resort. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Course Rating and Slope Database™ - Kingsmill: Woods". USGA. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  7. ↑ "The Virginia Gazette: Williamsburg Breaking News". 14 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "Residents like Kingsmill buyer". Archived from the original on 2011-07-08.
  9. ↑ "Williamsburg, VA news from Virginia Gazette, weather, real estate, jo…". Archived from the original on 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
  10. 1 2 "Blackstone to buy Busch/InBev theme parks for up to $2.7 billion". 2009-10-07. Archived from the original on 2014-08-07. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
  11. ↑ "CB Richard Ellis - JeffWoolson". Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  12. ↑ "Xanterra Parks & Resorts". Archived from the original on 2013-05-25. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  13. ↑ "Xanterra Travel Collection | A World of Unforgettable Experiences".
  14. ↑ "Kingsmill Resort Sold for $29.3M". 2 March 2017.
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