# TPC At Heron Bay



## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

The TPC course in Coral Springs, Florida is known as Heron Bay. As you would expect for a TPC course, the facility and conditioning are first rate. By their own admission, it's an easy golf course if the wind isn't blowing. When they had the Honda Classic there some years ago, the wind was most certainly blowing and the pros didn't exactly eat it up. The day we played, it was blowing at first and calmed down late in the round, so we got to see it both ways.

Lots of water, but no real forced carries, mostly lateral. Tons of sand comes into play and in ways that really cost a shot sometimes. In fact, we agreed we would have been safer playing from the blue tees instead of the white tees. In that case, the fairway bunkers wouldn't have come into play, given how far any of us hit a driver.

The greens are varied. Some are large, some are small. Some have serious hills and mounds. Some are relatively flat. None are unfair from the standpoint that you have to hit a long shot into a small green, unless you choose to go for a par 5 in two.

Par 3 holes varied in length from 140 to 200 the day we played it. I actually birdied the 200 yard par 3, against the wind, hitting a 3 wood a foot and a half from the hole.

The par 4 holes are made different by bunkering and wind. While many were around 380 yards from the white tees, second shots were anything from a 4 iron to a wedge depending on drive placement or the wind. One long 420 par 4 was against the wind, something apparently not so common other times of the year. 

The par 5 holes were the most interesting. Not only were they varied in length and more affected by the wind, but they had the biggest risk/reward factors. With less wind, a couple of them could be hit in two by a reasonably good player. The longer ones might challenge a tour pro playing against the wind. Little ponds cut into the fairway to make shot placement on the par 5 holes a bit more important than some other holes too. The par 5 holes were the ones that could be lengthened the most by moving the tees all the way back, one beyond 600 yards, but that we played against the wind at something like 480.

Greens fees are $80 for a Florida resident. Guests in hotels that have arrangements with the course vary downward to free, depending on what travel package you might have bought. With a Premier Card, a special discount card we have here, it's $30 on a weekend.

And the beer in the bar is really COLD!!!


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