Heron Ridge Golf Club (Virginia Beach, Virginia on 07/14/18)

Round two on my epic Saturday of golf was at Heron Ridge Golf Club! I looked at the course’s online tee sheet from the parking lot at Stumpy Lake, and things looked quiet. I called over to the course just to confirm and was told to come on out. Really, things couldn’t have gone any smoother!

I headed straight from the proshop to the 1st tee, as the starter wanted to get me out in front of a foursome. I bumped into a group on the 3rd hole and they ended up letting me go through on the 5th. I wasn’t trying to speed through my round, but it sort of worked out that way! I played through a single on the back nine and then a foursome in front of him. You never really get any good tempo when playing through so many groups, but it is better than a 5 hour round. I’ll take a 3.5 hour round on a weekend any time. Especially considering the last time I tried to play here!

I was in Virginia Beach last fall to golf and wanted to check out Heron Ridge at that time. I drove over to the course and the parking lot was packed, so I opted for a round at The Signature at West Neck instead. This time though I was able to get my round in at Heron Ridge, which is a course that has piqued my interest in recent years!

My fascination with Heron Ridge stemmed from the fact that it is a Fred Couples design. I find it hard to go wrong when playing a Couple’s course! Last month I played Freddie’s other Virginia course (Westfields) so I was hoping to play Heron Ridge with Westfields still fresh in my mind.

While Westfields is in a more natural area, Heron Ridge is a community course. Because the terrain is so flat out this way you really tend to notice the homes. They don’t crowd the course, but you’ll know they are there. If you hate courses with homes nearby then I’d stay away. All things considered though, I thought that Heron Ridge was a decent community course. There is a ton more space here in relation to the homes compared to The Signature at West Neck! Plus, about half the holes at Heron Ridge border the perimeter of the property, so you get some breaks from the development.

The 4th is one of the holes along the edge of the property. This is a look at its tricky tee shot.

The course makes two loops out to, and along, the edge of the property before returning to the clubhouse. Because the 1st and 10th holes head the same direction and then turn different ways, much of the “natural” trouble on the front nine is off to the right side while on the back nine the wetlands and wooded areas are to the left. Besides those potential lost ball spots there are water hazards and fancy bunkers to keep you on your toes. There is a nice mix of open holes and holes where you’ll need to focus. I played the boom-boom tees which are 72.8/136/7017. The blues are 70.6/131/6479, so I think that yardage gap makes Heron Ridge a candidate for some combo tees!

Heron Ridge has its share of quirky holes and it is one of those courses where you would benefit greatly from prior experience. Visually, it was tough to decide on the best lines with all of the course’s mounding and hazards with high edges. The 3rd and 4th are a great examples of holes that require good decision making and execution!

The 3rd and 4th are long par-4’s and dogleg right. The 3rd is 407 yards and moves sharply right. Natural wetlands guard the dogleg and if you favor the left side then you’ll have a long approach. What I didn’t notice from over on the left side is that the natural area creeps in around the edge of the green! I hit a solid shot but should have aimed further left.

The 4th is 431 yards and slides right. The landing area was semi-blind and I guessed incorrectly about the fairway’s location! Turns out that it is another hole where you want to favor the left side. On the 4th, and a few other holes, the edges of the hazards seemed overgrown. Basically, there are some unneeded semi-blind shots. If those spots were knocked down I think Heron Ridge would be easier to tackle.

A good view of the par-3 15th green, with water nearby.

My favorite hole at Heron Ridge was the par-3 15th. It is the shortest of the par-3’s at 182 yards and looks fairly innocent, even with water short and right. The water is in a spot where it should only grab a bad shot. It plays about half a club downhill and I was thinking about sticking it close. That didn’t go as planned for me (no comment!), but it is as fair a par-3 with water as you’ll find. Because the green slopes from left to right I’d try to play at the left center every time!

The conditions at Heron Ridge were good. I paid $45 and the only spots that disappointed were three fairways which didn’t appear to drain well (the 6th, 7th, and 11th). As a result they were beat up pretty good with thin, muddy spots. I saw sodded areas so it looks like the crew is doing what they can – it just hasn’t been a good year for growing grass in Virginia from what I’ve seen. Other than that the tees were nice, the rough was cut down and the greens were full and rolled well. I see the greenskeeper’s posts on Instagram and he has done good work.

I’m torn on my final verdict of Heron Ridge. It is a quality course where you can manage your misses and even get away playing from an adjacent fairway if needed – I speak from personal experience! Yet on the other hand, it wasn’t my favorite Couple’s course and some of the perimeter holes felt squished against the wetlands. I’d still recommend a round here, there are just a few other courses in the area I’d recommend first.

#1 (403 yard par 4):