Last summer I got a sneak peek at the 6 holes already completed at the Heritage Creek Golf Club, located just outside of Philadelphia. This is a Kelly Blake Moran layout that I'm anxious to play when the rest of the course is completed. Currently the holes in place are 6 thru 11. Below is a 2007 aerial from Google Earth with my annotation showing the current 6 holes and the 5th green (now here's a contest we should have to map out the other holes than KBM has in mind!):
I believe the 5th green is also complete (part of what looks to be a fun little par 3 over the Little Neshaminy Creek):
I didn't do my usual and snap hundreds of photos, but I think I got enough to give you a sense of what is there and what might be to come.
Hole #6: a par 4 of about 370 yards. I don't have a good view from near the tee, so I'll link to one from KBM's web page. There is a large bunker left that can come into play off the tee that you can perhaps sense in the pic:
Here's the bunker, which the big hitters can consider carrying (~260 yards) to leave the best angle in when the pin is left:
Here's a view from the middle of the FW maybe 150 yards out:
There is a large hump in the green near the front right. This pic from just over the green shows it pretty clearly:
A large closely mowed area exists over the green:
The 7th hole is a slightly uphill par 3 (185 yards from the tips) with a somewhat unusual fronting bunker and two others left and right. The view from the tee:
Here is a view from near the front right part of the green looking back to the tees, giving a partial view of the fronting bunker that has a big island in it leading to some fun for those ending up near it!
It wasn't until I was putting that I could really feel the significant slope in this green from back to front. This picture from the back of the green doesn't really show it very well:
There is an interesting strip bunker, reminding me of the one right of the green on the 15th at Cobb's Creek, to the right of the green:
The next hole, the 8th, is across the street. It is a 435 yard par 4. Here is the view from the tee (with the 9th being a par 4 running back alongside it to the right; you can see much of the 9th fairway in this pic to the right of the large mound. Then you cross back over the 8th tee to play the par 5 10th to the left).
There is a large bunker left separating the 8th and 10th holes:
A good tee shot leaves a view like this for the second:
And a view from short of the green, which sort of shows a swale between those bunkers and the green:
The 9th is a par 4 of 405 yards. Here is a view after a long drive to a very big green:
The area back right of the green is mowed as a fairway all the way up to the 8th tee:
The 10th hole, a shortish par 5 (485 yards) is probably the one that most got my attention on my only trip there. Here is the view from near the tee, with the green in the distance, just to the right of the water tower:
The Matt Ward's of the world will boom a drive down to near where the FW narrows and lateral hazards come in play left and right, leaving a shot of 200 yards in. Regular players might struggle with the decision to hit all the way to the green, which does have bailout room short and right, or lay up to the narrow landing area for their 3rd:
This view from the left edge of the green shows there is trouble long as well (and you can see the 11th green in the distance):
This pic from just long and left of the green, looking back, gives a good feel for the hole I think:
The 11th is a 180 yard par 3 with a carry over some junk:
This view from just short of the green suggests a coffin bunker is left of the green, and there is another saving bunker long, with a real neat spot for a Sunday pin back right:
