Heron Creek Golf and Country Club (North Port, FL)

Putting golf aside, the wildlife and natural vegetation found throughout the round made this a great experience. Besides alligators, which are always cool to see, we came across a bald eagle, a blue heron that was four foot high (!), a wide assortment of birds, and even some huge paw prints in the sand trap from a bobcat. The landscaping was fantastic too. The whole place was just a delight to play. 

As for the golf, it has 27 holes, Oak, Marsh, and Creek, all designed by Art Hills in 1999. It’s a true representation of residential golf community with long, and sometimes very long, cart rides going to the next tee. Walking is out of the question. Water is everywhere. Or at least on every hole. It’s typical Florida golf. The only thing unusual about Heron Creek is the large hill by the clubhouse, and the owner placed the driving range and several practice greens on it, making it the centerpiece of the club. The views can be enjoyed by everyone using the facilities. (And it’s great place to work on your game!) 

(The 366/341 yard opening hole on the Creek is a tough first shot of the day. Pick your line and trust your swing.) 

(The 544/514 yard par five Creek sixth bends to the right with water guarding the entire side. The angle of the green forces nearly every shot to carry the water when the pin is right of the central bunker. This #1 handicap hole has multiple ways to to inflict big numbers.) 

Believe it or not, Florida has the most Art Hills courses in the country. I would speculate this is due mainly to the housing market in the sunshine state. Hills does an excellent job making playable, fun courses, but more importantly on the marketing side, he designs with pizzazz. All the water and cape style holes make a splash, and golfers are drawn to that type of architecture. It’s almost psychological. I’m sucked into it too. However, when the swing isn’t responding like you want it, this brand can be difficult and expensive. 

(The 400/368 yard par four Oak seventh has this grassland sensitive area carving in front of the putting surface. The green is bunkerless and will accept shots hit high or low.) 

(The 536/515 yard par five Oak ninth is a big reverse C where the aggressive golfer can really cut off a lot of distance…
…another sensitive area cuts short of the green but there’s a lot of fairway right of this picture. It was the most birdied hole of the day as several guys were able to reach it or just be short in two shots.) 

I view Art Hills as a good architect even though I find his designs to be hit or miss in regards to my expectations. Here, he pieced together a strong golf course, and “pieced” is an appropriate word since the holes basically stand alone. I was more impressed with the landscaping, especially on the Creek nine as the cart path wound through the palmettos, and under a canopy of palm trees. The amount of detail given to the look set it apart from many other courses I’ve seen in the past. For this reason, my rating is a 6 (very good)(worth driving 1-2 hours to play). 

[we played the Creek and Oak nines as our eighteen holes. It was the beginning of our annual Ryder Cup match, with this round being a two man best ball. I have always viewed this as the most difficult match to win, often times giving too many strokes, and one of our opponents was getting nine blows. Needless to say, he made four putts between 10-15 feet for net birdies, and saved bogey another three times to halve holes. I was not surprised to be on the receiving end of a 5&4 thrashing.]

(The opening tee shot on the Oak nine is right over the bunkers where a strong drive will catch the speed slot and roll another forty yards, bringing the green into reach on this 515/477 yard par five.)