When you pass through the guard gates and roll up the long roadway to the clubhouse, you can see some of the hilliest sections of the course on your left. With the feel of an upscale private club, they have a great clubhouse with a nice little grill area, pro shop and locker rooms.

The three nines (the Oaks, the Marsh and the Creek) all blend together nicely so you will not be disappointed with any combination of play that you take on the days you play. I always enjoy going back to a club with multiple nines and getting to tackle a different mix of holes.

From the blue tees the combo of the Oaks and Marsh is 6,348 yards with a 70.7/129 rating. The Marsh and Creek nines yield 6,370 and 70.8/132. Finally, the Creek and Oaks combo is 6,406 and 71.3/132. They are all similar in difficulty, but three distinctly different golfing experiences.

As you can tell by their names, the three courses all present a diverse look and challenge as you wind through their different layouts. Be sure to pick up the special card in the golf shop (or in your golf cart) with the maps of all the holes and carry yardages. This will really help save you strokes as you play these courses the first few times.

They offer a terrific golf academy run by PGA golf professional Duncan Clark. When you come to play the course, get there a little early to take advantage of the large practice range, short game area and the free range balls to warm up before your round. Club General Manager Paul Barone (also a PGA professional) keeps the whole place running smoothly and will make sure that your day at Heron Creek is a memorable one. See more at: www.heron-creek.com .