Although Heritage Palms Golf and Country Club is only a few years old, it has quickly become one of the most popular golfing destinations in southwest Florida. We started out with the 18-hole Royal course in 1998; added another nine in 1999; and went to 36 holes in 2001.

Our two championship semi-private 18-hole courses ? the Royal and the Sabal ? are each named for the lines of lofty palms planted along their fairways. ?Some say the Sabal is tougher than the Royal,? says Bob Kelly, our head golf professional. ?But that?s because we have a string of three difficult holes there ? Nos. 7, 8 and 9. But the rest of the holes are comparable to the Royal.?

Overall the greens and landing areas are very generous and player friendly. You?ll find you can often pull your driver out of your bag for tee shots.

Our courses were designed by the creative team of Gordon G. Lewis and Jed Azinger, two architects who have teamed up to create dozens of courses that take full advantage of the type of golf that Florida is famous for ? undulating fairways, with tiered greens, lots of bunkers and water hazards.

Royal Course ? A challenging course where all players can enjoy themselves

You start out on the Royal with a ?fairly simple straightforward hole,? says Bob Kelly. ?There?s water, but it?s not in play.?

This No. 1 hole is a par-4 that plays 330 yards from the back tees and 252 from the forward. There is a cart path to deal with that crosses the fairway and bunkers on the right.

As you move along on the course, you?ll find No. 4 is one of the more challenging holes on the Royal. It?s a short par-4 (340 yards from the back tees and 228 from the forward). ?It?s a dead dogleg to the left,? says Kelly. ?You need to use a mid to low iron to get the last 100 yards to the undulating green.?

The difficulty on this hole is with the water that starts out at the tees and curves along the fairway on the right. ?There are a lot of missed shots off the tee,? says Kelly. ?You can really build up big numbers here.?

No. 6 is also a challenging hole, a long par-4 that measures 459 yards from the back tees and 296 from the forward. ?There?s water right and left,? Kelly says. ?A decent drive from the middle tees leaves 160 to 180 yards to the hole. That?s not a lot for the average golfer. But when the wind blows, it?s difficult.?

On No. 8, you face another long par-4 ? 451 yards from the back tees and 309 from the forward. If you?re on the middle tees, you?ll see a generous landing area on the fairway; then you hit a long iron into the green. Watch out for the bunkers right, left and in front of the green.

One of the most challenging holes on the back nine is No. 13 ? a great par-5 (480 yards from the back tees and 401 from the forward) that turns sharply right as it meanders along water on the left. ?You can go for the green in two,? says Kelly, ?especially from the white tees. But you do risk going out of bounds. Watch out for the water left of the green and the bunkers in front.?

No. 15 is one of the signature holes on this course. It?s a par-4 (433 yards from the back tees and 289 yards from the forward) with an island green surrounded by water. But even your tee shot requires coping with fear of the wet stuff as there is water to your right and left. Watch out for the big pine trees that flank the green. You?re going to find it tricky to reach some of the flag positions because of overhanging branches.

Your finishing hole, No. 18, is a dogleg right par-4 (425 yards from the back tees, 282 yards from the forward). This is a hole that runs around a side of our huge aqua range. So water seems to be all around you. On the tees, you can try to cross the water to cut off some of the distance, but you?re going to find your approach shot to the green to be a tricky one. That?s because the three-tiered green is mounded in the middle and slopes to both back and front. At the same time, the green is 70-yards deep. So if you miss getting close to the pin, you?re going to find yourself left with some very long tricky putts.

Distances and ratings/slopes on the Royal: 6,756 yards (72.8/134); 6,068 (69.2/123); 5,338 (65.5/109); 4,718 (69.0/110).

Sabal Course ? Start praying when you round our Amen Corner

 

The trickiest part of your round on the Sabal will be Nos. 7, 8 and 9, says Bob Kelly, head golf professional for Heritage Palms. As you head into these holes, you need to concentrate on strategy and accuracy. ?It?s kind of like our Amen Corner out here,? Kelly says.

No. 7 is a double dogleg par-5 (620 yards from the back tees, 440 from the forward) that for some tee boxes includes a tee shot over water. In fact, from the back tees, you need to fire 220 yards over a pond. Other more forward tee positions may require a shot over a canal. Even with a decent driver, you?re in danger of going into the water or into bunkers off the tee.

Then it?s on to No. 8, a long par-4 (453 yards from the back tees and 309 from the forward) where there is water on the left and a natural preserve on the right to eat your ball. Alignment on the tee is very important here on this the toughest hole on the course.

Water troubles do not end on No. 9 where there are ponds to the right and left. This is a par-4 that measures 353 from the back tees and 226 from the forward. You?ll need a mid- to low-iron for your approach to the two-tiered green. Big bunkers guard the green in front.

On the back nine, one of the more interesting holes is No. 13, a par-5 (512 yards from the back tees and 430 from the forward). There?s a naturally preserved area to watch out for on the right and as you near the green, there?s water on the left. ?The green is tucked into the right with heavy bunkering,? says Kelly. ?After your drive from the middle tees, you need to travel about 200 yards to 220 yards to get to the green. Or players can lay up so that they can avoid having the bunkers trip them up.?

No. 16 is a par-4 (425 yards from the back tees and 285 from the forward) that requires as much as a 150-yard shot over water from some of the tees. There is water right and left. Stray shots can get you into trouble.

You?ll finish your round on the Sabal with No. 18, a pretty straightforward par-4 (395 yards from the back tees and 273 from the forward). There is water on the left, but a good drive off the tee will find a generous fairway. Watch out for the cart path that comes into play here.