Full Cry at Keswick Hall

Keswick Hall sits a short one hour drive from Richmond, Virginia or from the DC area you are looking at about a two and a half hour drive. Just a short few miles off I64 and within the Charlottesville region, Keswick is set away from the hustle and bustle of Charlottesville and The University of Virginia at the foothills of the Blueridge Mountains. The topography quickly changes and a series of peaceful rolling hills and farmland properties lead up to the entrance of Keswick Hall. As you pull onto the property you are greeted by a few stately buildings that provides the feel that you are pulling into someone’s private residence, which indeed is how the property was originally built when it opened over 100 years ago in 1912. The property has been through ups and downs over the years and transformed from private residence to country club and now to a tranquil resort.

Sunset views at Keswick Hall; Relaxing, tranquil and peaceful are all ways to describe the property

The property sits on over two hundred acers of rolling Virginia countryside and has eighty different guest rooms to boast. On site there are several excellent dinning options thar bring true farm to table experience with much of the food being grown locally in the region. The food is truly top notch and was one of the stand out areas from our time on site. On site recreational options include a incredible pool overlooking the property, tennis and pickleball courts, and a expansive spa. We were there in the winter months so much of our time was spent enjoying the peace and quiet of the area and lounging at one of the many sitting areas throughout the resort. One of the centerpieces of the property is the Full Cry golf course.

Course History and Overview

The original course layout of Keswick Hall was built in 1949 by Fred Findlay. A large scale renovation came in 1991 led by Arnold Palmer. When the property changed ownership in 2012, Pete Dye was brought in for a full redesign. The course currently ranks as number twelve in state via top one hundred state rankings published by one my favorite golf resources, Top 100 Golf Courses. In reviewing Dye’s expansive design list, it appears that Full Cry was one of his final designs before his passing in 2020. He is one of the true legends of golf course design. While I have no baseline of what the course was like before Dye was tapped for the project, everything I saw and experienced from this Dye design I loved. First and foremost, Dye built a very playable course. The fairways are generous in size and width and there are very few par fours where the holes feel unplayable or overpowering. Often times my personal view of a course difficulty is based on how hard the par fours play.

This is a excellent course to walk which is always a plus in my book; taking a cart would almost seem foolish. Dye did a great job of using the foothills landscape to design a beautiful flowing course with most of the tee boxes in close proximity to greens. Most holes play to a wooded backdrop with a few holes holding residential homes along the fairway. I went out as a single and was finished in less than four hours. Some of my favorite golf is when I get a chance to play alone and the course is sparsely populated. The greens were fast and firm and in overall excellent condition for the winter season. Eighty one different bunkers are scattered and strategically placed. There is a a great mix of golf holes including a few signature holes that no doubt were influenced from some of Dye’s most famous hole designs.

The par five 8th provides a example of the wide fairways on Fully Cry as well as a sweeping view of the Keswick Hall property

Tee times are open to members of Fully Cry and guests of the resort; the course is considered private. On the nice winter day I was fortunate to have, most of the groups on the course were members rather than resort guests. I imagine during the peak spring and summer months Keswick holds a pretty full tee sheet. They do not advertise much at all regarding greens fees for resort guests. I believe I paid somewhere just north of $200 for my round which in my mind was well worth the cost of admission. The course is a traditional par 72 with two par threes and fives on both the front and back. Multiple sets of tees allow for the best experience for each skill set of golfer with a maximum tee length and slope raiting of 7,134/138. While Full Cry does not play nearly as hard as Dye classics like Whistling Straits or TPC Sawgrass, it was just what the doctor drew up for me.

Signature Holes*

*All yardages from the Dye tee

Hole 3: Par 4, 329 Yards

The par four third is a relatively simple golf hole but was one of my favorite on the course. Most golfers that play Full Cry will not call this a signature hole but I really enjoyed it and think it is hole that profiles the course well. Sitting a tick under 330 yards from the tee box, this is a great hole to attack off the tee and put yourself in position for a short approach shot. The fairway is wide open and there is no need here for anything more than a long iron. It’s a nice hole to be on the tee box because the error of margin is wide and you do not need a great tee shot to put yourself in position for a short approach shot. With my game of late, I have had a lot of confidence with long irons off the tee so a relatively short par four or anything less than 360 yards or so is a welcome sight for me to pull out a four iron. A change I’ve made in my game is taking a more strategic approach on the tee; I have realized I do not need to hit driver on every par four on the course. The hole moves from left to right and there are a lot of slope changes that can come into play on this fairway to make the approach shot lie difficult. Bunkers guard three sides of a large green so finding a green in regulation here is a good win.

A short but sweet par four, the fourth was one of my favorite holes on the course

Hole 7: Par 3, 179 Yards

The second par three on the front nine is the most unique designed hole on the course. The primary unique feature to this hole is it plays to an ‘island green’ with a wrap around bunker. Though the green in this case is surrounded by sand, and not water as is the case of one of the most famous holes in golf, the par 3 17th at TPC Sawgrass. This was a joyful hole to take in by sight and to play. The hole is not relatively long one but is intimidating on the tee box. The green here is not wide, but is quite long. It play to multiple tiers slopes down off multiples side. The pin position on this day was a brutal one situated in the back right where even a green in regulation meant no walk in the park par. Depending on where you miss the green and how far you are from the pin, your second shot could leave you with awkward length bunker shot but it is still less consequential than missing the green at Dye’s 17th at Sawgrass.

A special and memorable par three, the seventh hole at Full Cry

Hole 18: Par 4, 408 Yards

Pete Dye pulled another page out of his TPC Sawgrass playbook on the final hole at Full Cry. The hole design here has similar characteristics to the famous 18th hole at Sawgrass. An intimidating tee shot to say the least, the more aggressive the golfer tries to get with their tee shot, the more risk can come into play here. Anything in the middle or left hand side of the fairway is a good tee shot. Anything that lands further to the right makes for a longer hole and misses to the extreme right (hand raised) may require a very difficult shot here on a large sloping hill. This is a great finishing hole and also provide a nice panoramic view of the Keswick Hall resort. It’s a fitting end to a great course; a fun challenge that certainly had me wanting to come back for more.

The finishing hole at Full Cry draws parallels to one of Dye’s most famous finishing holes at TPC Sawgrass

In Summary

I found myself wishing there was enough daylight for a second loop on this Pete Dye gem. Like a good movie, I was thinking about how much I enjoyed this layout and design days after the round. In addition to a superb golf course, all of the staff from the resort to the golf course were top notch and helped drive home a excellent resort golfing experience. A stay and round at Keswick Hall is not a cheap bill, but well worth at least a one time experience.