News & Events > Heritage Golf Club
“Mountain golf in the heart of Alabama”
By: Mark Guyther
“Mountain golf in the heart of Alabama”
By: Mark Guyther
When you think of Oneonta, AL you probably don’t think of a place for great golfing experiences. But Heritage golf course will change your mind once you’ve had the privilege of playing this mountainous golf course. Lying in a valley of the Appalachian Mountains, this golf course is a hidden gem surrounded by fabulous mountain views from all areas of the course. From its elevated tee boxes, Heritage displays several well manicured ponds which come into play on the first three holes and the last two closing holes. This picturesque course measures 6,369 yards from the back tees and plays to a par 71. It may provide you with many scoring opportunities but water and woods could give you trouble on several holes.
Heritage Golf Course was designed by a local businessman named Robert White so you can understand why he had a special place in his heart when this distinctive golf course was developed. Heritage has been one of Alabama’s best kept golfing secrets for over 20 years now. Heritage provides any golfer with a great experience of quality golf at low rates and is conveniently located less than an hour away from Birmingham, Cullman, Huntsville and Gadsden. This magnificent golf course has been one of the top played courses in north Alabama over the past several years.
Before we played Heritage we were not quite sure what to expect from a golf course tucked away in Blount County Alabama, but by the time we made the turn on number nine I was certain this would be a golf course we would frequent often. This course offers several challenging holes and provides the amateur golfer with many great scoring opportunities regardless of skill level. One of the pleasantly surprising features about Heritage is the well kept bent grass greens that roll very true on every hole. Trust your reads when playing here and you will find yourself sinking putts you may normally have trouble with.
There is one hole on this course I must provide you with a mental image of, number 9. This tough par 5 is like no other hole I have ever played; it is 563 yards in length and doglegs to the right. Doesn’t sound like anything special right? Well read on. The reason this hole is so unique is because of a very large boulder left in the middle of this fairway about 300 – 320 yards from the tee box when this course was developed. This huge rock is about the size of 2 Volkswagen beetles sitting on top of each other. Now I know this sounds pretty unfair for such a large rock to be sitting right in the middle of the fairway on any golf hole, but this is what makes this hole so interesting. You have to decide to go left or right of the boulder off the tee making your drive the most crucial shot on this demanding golf hole. If you somehow end up against the rock or just too close to it, you will be forced to pitch out causing you to add a stroke to your score on this hole. Aim for the left side of the rock off the tee because this will give you the easiest second shot to get around the corner of the dogleg. Don’t even think of going for the green in two, it’s not possible (if you do get there in two, email me and let me know how you did it). If you are lucky enough to avoid the boulder you should have a good second shot around the corner to set up for your third. Once you do get around the corner of the dogleg your next shot will be into a beautiful flat green surrounded by a wooded area reminiscent of Sherwood Forrest. Once you do reach this green you should have no trouble from here due to this green being very flat and easy to read.
Heritage is not only a great golf course, it’s also known for its large clubhouse which is often used for banquets, weddings and much more. Its professional and friendly staff is experienced in the wedding and hospitality industry and is available to fine tune and assist you with all the details for any type outing you may have scheduled in the future.
A day at Heritage will provide you with an exciting golf experience and a day of recreation that you will remember for a lifetime. Public play is available at affordable rates and provides any golfer a great opportunity regardless of how often you play. If you do get the chance to experience this astonishing mountain course don’t forget to tell the gracious staff that Alabama Golfer Magazine sent you. For more information about Heritage golf course just call 205.274.2390.
