Review: Legends Golf Resort - Heathland (Part 1)

Back in my review of the Dye course at Barefoot, I mentioned that we had a fourth round planned at the Heathland course at Legends, but that it got "rained out" – it was supposed to rain, but never did, so our round got canceled for nothing. Obviously, this was quite annoying, and while playing this course wasn't the primary reason for choosing to return to Myrtle Beach, it was certainly a factor. And joy of joys, the weather cooperated.

The main reason I wanted to see Heathland is simple: It was designed by Tom Doak, arguably the best architect out there today. I've never played a Doak design before – the closest I've gotten is Atlantic City, which he restored/redesigned – so quite obviously, I was quite excited to see what he did with essentially featureless South Carolina land. Of course, we need to temper expectations. This is no Pacific Dunes or Tara Iti. It's Myrtle Beach, and Heathland was built in Mr. Doak's early days as a solo architect, back before his name had any cachet or relevance. It's not going to set the world on fire. But can it stand out among the crowd at Myrtle Beach? Let's find out.

The first hole is 450 yards, which sounds fairly intimidating for an opening hole. And while this is certainly a long par 4, it's not a difficult one. The fairway is very wide – particularly if you're not a long hitter – and there's not an abundance of trouble. Yes, there are dense woods on both sides, but there's plenty of space between the trees, and the fairway bunker visible from the tee is more directional than an actual hazard. And the second shot is also fairly straightforward, being a short or mid iron to a large, bunkerless green. Now, the green is far from flat, and there's some noticeable bumps that you don't want to be on the wrong side of, but it definitely feels a bit less spicy and extreme than it could have been, considering the absence of any real trouble on this hole. A nod toward reality, I think; a true Tom Doak green would have the average Myrtle Beach golfer three and four putting the majority of the time, and you don't want golfers backing up on the first hole.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is 100 yards shorter than the previous hole, but it's a lot more interesting. The fairway is initially very wide open, but beyond 250 yards it gets squeezed between trees jutting in from the left and a cluster of mounding and bunkers right. The initial reaction is to play conservatively with a long iron or wood. And while this will leave you a full wedge into the green (so you can stop the ball quickly), the second shot will be at least partially blind, if not fully. Using driver gives you a different challenge; the angle of approach is much better, as the green is oriented nearly perpendicular to the fairway, but you'll have a more awkward partial wedge to a green surrounded by several bunkers, and the undulations of the green itself demand precision if you want a decent chance at making birdie. In the end, both the conservative and aggressive tee shot options have their merits and drawbacks, and I don't think either is superior to the other. And that's a sign of a well-made short par 4.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is a fairly long, uphill par 3, playing 210 yards to a semiblind green that looks like it's tucked behind a deep, intimidating bunker. And it is ... sort of. We've got a bit of visual deception here, as that bunker is actually 10-15 yards short of the green. I won't say it's not an obstacle at all, but there's more room to miss this green than it looks. Actually, this green is pretty open and quite large, so while it's easy to hit, two putting is a different story. Definitely not one of the course's better holes though.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole feels a little weird, like it's missing something. At 385 yards, it's not a long hole, and the tee shot presents very little challenge. The fairway is wide, with just a few patches of tall grass to provide any strategic interest. In fact, the best way to play this hole is to ignore the fairway entirely, playing over those grassy patches directly toward the green. There's a large area between this hole and the seventh that's maintained as rough, and if you can find this spot, you're actually rewarded with the best angle into the green. If you play out right onto the fourth's actual fairway, the green is angled about 45 degrees left to right, and as it's slightly elevated, that means wedge shots need to be pretty precise. It really does feel like the direct route was meant to be some sort of alternate fairway, perhaps with some additional bunkering thrown in to make that route less appealing. I don't know the history, that's just my gut feeling. But as it stands now, you get both a better angle and shorter second shot if you purposely miss the fairway left, and that doesn't seem right to me.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is the first par 5 at Heathland, playing 540 yards down an ever-narrowing fairway. Initially, the playing corridor is enormous, but by the time you reach the green? Less so. To provide some challenge on the drive, there's an interior fairway bunker, and while you'd expect that going left of that bunker is the better option to go for the green in two, the reality is that overhanging trees prevent you from getting a clear look. So while you do get a much shorter shot, you'll either have to accept a lay-up or play a big draw/hook around the trees. Playing right of the internal fairway bunker leaves the green basically out of range, but you don't have to do anything fancy on the second shot. Just keep it in the fairway, and the third is pretty straightforward. The green has some back-to-front slope, but lacks any significant undulations, so it's just kind of there. The tee shot is promising, but the last 200 yards of this hole are less than inspiring.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a long 460-yard par 4 that feels very out of place. Every other hole, save for the last half of the previous hole, is extremely wide open, with very few trees in play. Even the first hole, which is generally tree lined, has a large amount of space to work with. This hole does not. Dense, unplayable woods hem in the fairway on both sides, and the fairway itself is not particularly generous. Also, you can't even really see the fairway, thanks to some overgrown shrubbery in the marshy area in front of the tee. Hit a solid drive, and you'll have a mid or long iron into the green, which is mercifully at ground level, so it's easy to run lower shots in. I do like the green, it really does feel like part of the fairway, and it's got plenty of subtle, interesting undulation to it. And it's not like the hole's really that narrow. I've played far worse. Like I said, the sixth only feels awkward when compared with the rest of the course. In isolation, it's not terrible.

The sixth hole. Yeah, the bushes in front of the tee could use a trim.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is also a bit awkward, but for very different reasons than the previous hole. At 475 yards, this is a very short par 5 (just 15 yards longer than the previous hole, which is a par 4). As such, you might expect the seventh to feature some sort of significant hazard. A risk to balance out the potential for an eagle. But no, this fairway is as wide open as a fairway could possibly be. There aren't even any bunkers that really come into play. Just a hundred yards of grass. The green is a bit more interesting, there's a deep bunker left and the green is split down the middle by a massive tier, but it's just not enough to give the seventh any meaningful challenge. Especially when the flag's cut in the front and you can technically play the hole without having to deal with the tier at all. Really, the only pressure this hole applies is psychological: You feel very silly if you don't make birdie, because really, it doesn't get much simpler than this.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a short par 3 and a welcome return to form after a few shaky holes. The green is partially blind, tucked behind a small hill and a bunker that looks more threatening than it actually is. There's plenty of green that you can't see, but because it's invisible, the golfer's eye is drawn out right. And while there's nothing wrong with playing out right, you're leaving yourself an unnecessarily long putt. This hole actually reminds me pretty strongly of the 17th hole at Atlantic City, which makes a lot of sense; that hole is a Doak original and his redesign occurred just a few years after he did Heathland. I think that hole is a little better, but this hole's pretty solid too.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is 440 yards and plays to an awkwardly offset fairway that also doglegs from right to left around a grassy native area. The ideal line off the tee flirts with this tall grass; bailing out further left leaves you a longer, more uphill shot from a worse angle. Stay right, and while you'll have to go over a group of bunkers, you will be working more directly along the axis of the green, rather than diagonal to it. The green itself is quite large, but it's full of undulation, and the bunker short left is very deep as well. Not a place you want to be. Then again, the bunker might be preferable to the alternative fate should you miss left, as the fairway slopes away pretty hard. A shot that only misses the green by a few feet could easily find itself 15-20 yards away.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll take a look at the back nine.