Heron Banks can be proud of hosting their first Sunshine Tour event, a successful one too, with good spectator support. Course was packed Monday following the Mediclinic Invitational, with many opting to play from championship tees. This is a course steadily improving as the number of estate homes increases, and greens were a delight. The club doesn’t have a head greenkeeper, relying rather on a consultant. Greens are an excellent feature, creatively designed by Danie Obermeyer. Not extreme, other than short 4 sixth green where a big slope limits pin positions. Opening holes are relatively weak and suffer from poor aesthetics. Water hazards on 1-2-4 are ineffectual and could be better features. The layout begins to impress from 7 onwards, and the back nine is much superior in aesthetics and design. Five solid 3s, notably 10 and 17, although No 5 green is partly obscured by reeds. Obermeyer’s high-faced rivetted fairway bunkers are another feature and can be severe hazards without being overly penal. However, they tend to be one-dimensional. Another design weakness would be an absence of doglegs.
