It s just difficult to see the bunker from the tee boxes. The bunkering on this course could have been flashy and catchy, Bates says. But we downplayed it a bit and made it subtle. If a player drives that 12th green, however, it is tough to leave the driver in the bag on the next hole, even though it should stay there. At the par-5 13th, the fairway narrows to just 20 yards at about 250 yards off the tee.
Water is to the right, trees to the left.
I come partially from the Jack Nicklaus school of design, Bates says. I never want to restrict a player from using a driver off the tee. But there s always a price to pay for not hitting it straight. Heron Ridge is one of a handful of new courses that have been completed in the last three years in the southeast corner of Virginia. The Tournament Players Club of Virginia Beach is a seven-minute drive from Heron Ridge.