Front Nine
at the Heritage Club:
The Calm Before the Storm

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

MYRTLE BEACH - If you appreciate a golf course that quietly and gracefully builds like a crescendo during the front nine, and then explodes like a Tiger Woods tee shot over the back nine, then the Heritage Club is a must play while taking in the charms of the South Strand

"The course is very traditional in its design," says Head Pro Pete Hymes. "The front and back nines are not target golf, but at the same time, you have to place your shots carefully."

• The Heritage Club Offers Up Plantation Golf at its Finest • The Back Nine at the Heritage Club Sparks Signature Hole Debate

On the front nine, a bridge between the 2nd and 3rd holes that spans some serious South Carolina swampland is a not so subtle reminder that you'll be golfing your way through the landscape of the Low Country while at Heritage.

"You pop out over the hill after the bridge and there is the 3rd hole," adds Hymes.

Make it through the 3rd, and you'll be rewarded with a pristine view of what Hymes calls, "arguably one of the prettiest holes you'll ever see." Hymes speaks of the par-4, 440-yard 4th that is framed by majestic Oak trees on either side of the fairway

The 4th virtually plays as two different holes depending on where you choose to tee it up. From the tips it can play like a par 5 if your tee shot does not roll out beyond the Oaks - an additional lay-up shot may be required unless you are one prodigious shot shaper. From the middle tees you'll find the 4th to be a kinder, gentler hole.

It is also from the 4th Hole that you'll get your first glimpse of the element that exemplifies the scenery at this stately plantation tract - water. The intracoastal waterway is a mere five iron shot behind the green.

You'll also get a chance to pay your respects to the original plantation owner - he's buried in a small, state-protected graveyard just a stone's throw from the 4th.

The Heritage Club rings in once again with a taste of pure southern landscape, as a tree lined "Avenue of Oaks" takes you from the 4th to the par-4 5th and onto the final holes of the front nine. Scoring opportunities will present themselves on what Hymes calls the "most straight forward stretch of holes on the course."

"There are five to seven bunkers that frame the dogleg on the 5th, and a two tiered green really makes this a thinking man's hole."

After the comparatively uneventful par-3 6th, Heritage rolls out a sharp dog leg right on the par-4 7th that will have you hankering to bust out with your best Fred Couples high fade. But should the effects of your cold Carolina lager wear off, and your nasty slice return to your repertoire, trouble in the form of a fairway bunker, trees and even out of bounds await.

You can hit it straight or cut it off over the trees," says Hymes about the strategy on the 7th. "You have to decide how much to cut - you have to think strategy."

Whether you walk off the 7th green with a high number or a bird, the 150-yard, par-3 8th and the very manageable 370-yard 9th can either restore or augment your confidence levels. If you are a high handicapper, or playing the course for the first time, then you are probably playing from the white tees (from where the holes play 135 yards and 330 yards respectively). If that's the case, then there is a good chance you can take a stroke or two back from the course on these final holes.

Survive the front nine in tact, and the fun is just beginning. The front nine at the Heritage is the calm before the storm. And the back nine presents some of the most breathtaking, and challenging golf holes on the South Strand.

Tomorrow at MyrtleBeachgolf.com - The Back Nine at the Heritage Club Spurs Signature Hole Debate.