Heritage Isles Golf & Country Club

Detailed description of Heritage Isles Golf & Country Club

Like many Florida golf courses, Heritage Isles rests inside a housing development. The course sets itself apart as it maintains its natural look through the preservation of natural wetlands and a thriving animal population. At the same time the designers were careful to create a well-drained course.

From the back tees, the par-72 course plays to 6,976 yards. The course has five sets of tees, so every level of player can feel comfortable at Heritage Isles. The ladies tees play to a comfortable 4,832 yards.

The course features large well-maintained greens That will reward those who practice their putting game.

Water comes into play on almost every hole. You need to stay in the fairways.

In general on the front nine, there are more generous landing areas than on the back. But there are also a number of deep bunkers to avoid.

No. 7 hole is the signature hole on the Heritage Isles course. It's a double dogleg par-5 that is 558 yards from the back tees and 405 yards from the forward. You'll need to make a long carry over wetlands right off the tee. As you travel along the fairway you have to avoid the environmentally sensitive wetlands along both sides. No hunting for your ball if you run off course. There's a dog-right off the tee and then a dog-left on your way to the green. It's definitely a risk-reward hole. On the tee, you need to hit right and then try to hit the risk shot to the green over the dogleg left. You'll have a carry over palmetto and brush. For those with less courage and or a shorter drive, it's advisable to lay up on the righthand side to avoid the out-of-bounds shot.

Although you'll find less danger from wetlands on the back nine, the layout is very similar on the back of the course. The signature hole there is one of those huge par-3s, No. 16 (249 yards from the back tees and 129 from the forward). There are wetlands to the right and water on your left as you take your tee shot. You also have to carry over a large, deep bunker on the right side of the green. For shorter hitters, there is room in front of the green to lay up.

Here are the distances with ratings and slopes: 6,976 yards (74.3/137); 6,236 yards from the back tees (70.4/133); 5,615 yards (69.2/117); 4,832 yards (67.6/119).