The Club at Ibis - The Heritage Course

We chose to live at Ibis partly because of the Golf Courses. My husband is a 3 handicap and I just started playing and we both love all three courses. The Tradition is our favorite. It’s hard to find courses that challenge him that I can learn on, this course is perfect for that.

The staff is amazing, the teaching professionals are top notch (led by Martin Hall of the Golf Channel) and the courses are beautiful.

Blessed to live in such a great community!.

The Tradition is one of three Nicklaus family courses accessible to members of the sprawling Club at Ibis, and it's a solid experience. Like many residential courses, it has its share of OB stakes separating the playing corridors from (nice) houses, but thankfully those corridors are plenty wide.

What gives Tradition a bit of an advantage is its greens, which are more undulating and inventive than one might expect from a (Steve) Nicklaus Design effort. There's some water, but not too much, and the aforementioned greens no doubt hold the interest of the members who play the course often.

The Heritage golf course at the IBIS Golf & Country Club was voted the most women friendly golf course in America. This private country club is a wonderful legacy to Nicklaus, who designed it. Having played the course I found it to be ageless, beautiful, and fun, with a hint of sophistication and maturity. I played the course under ideal conditions. The temperature was in the mid 70's with very little wind. The Heritage has 5 sets of tee boxes. I played the Blue tees which has a slope rating of 70.4/131 at 6241 yards. The Black tees are the tips and it's slope rating is 74.2/145 at 7062 yards. The Heritage is known for its substantial bunkers, and formidable water hazards. The fairways are plush, and the greens are relatively fast. I started on the tenth tee and gazing down its fairway the excitement was building, but I remained calm. The 10th tee has water coming into play on the left, and there are a few mounds and sand traps on the far right just before the OB stakes. The fairways are wide and manicured, so hitting them should be easy. I found it easier to lose focus and concentration on this course by admiring the luxurious homes and the tranquility of the course.  A par or birdie on 10 and 11 are a real confidence builder that I expected to last the rest of the round. Staying alert and be patient are your keys to success here.

What I liked about playing this course is the pace of play, and that all the trouble is right in front of you. There are no hidden hazards or blind shots.  My favorite holes are 5, 12 and 17. For me they were the most beautiful as well as difficult. Playing 6241 yards is short by my standards, which means using a driver on every tee shot is not a good option. Therefore, long ball hitters should be comfortable using long irons, hybrids, and woods, or else move back one tee box based on handicap. I found that playing this course to be a fair test of my golfing skills. This sweetheart of a golf course rewards those who can keep the ball in the fairway and have a good short game. For me the most challenging part of the course was adapting to the long undulating, but short in depth greens, which were well protected by water and bunkers. On the par 4s you will have to make an accurate assessment of how far to hit your tee shot in order to avoid running into the water off the tee and being comfortable with your 2nd shot over water into the green. Finally, the bunkers are full of soft fluffy sand, which will bring out the best in your sand game or expose a serious weakness in your golfing skills. Be careful.

After playing 18 holes I wanted to play more, but I also wanted to enjoy the fabulous clubhouse, and sampke one of its amazing dining facilities. Once your meal is complete make sure you get a tour of the clubhouse, pro shop, exercise room, sauna, swimming pool and hot tub. Be advised, there are several more amenities that makeup this marvelous active country club lifestyle. I really enjoyed "The Heritage" golf course at the IBIS Golf & Country Club and it's my new sweetheart.

One Happy Golfer

H Bell (Golf Enthusiast )

I played with a friend who is a member. What a treat! Course was magnificent, from the moment we arrived and greeted at the bag drop, great practice facility, great team. Although under renovations the team was professional. Tee boxes,fairways and greens were in perfect condition. We played 18 in under 3 1/2 hours and was ready for more. Unfortunately a storm rolled in and was unable to head out again. Would love to go out again. If you have a chance to play it, DONT miss it!