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Duffer Dan at River Strand
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We journeyed to Manatee County
last month to visit the 2,500 acre
Lennar community of Heritage
Harbour, located less than a mile
east on Highway 64 at Exit 220, off I-75 in Bradenton. This beautiful development has a luxurious list
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of amenities including 45
holes of Arthur Hills designed championship
golf. They have everything you want
or need in a planned residential community.
There are many neighborhoods within
Heritage Harbour. The River Strand Golf &
Country Club is a 1500 home development
with its own private golf course and singlefamily
residences priced from the low 200’s
and up to their executive homes and custom
built section of the community. New
Home Consultant Jillian Niezgoda allowed
us the opportunity to stay in one of their
lovely Manor Homes. The Madeira model
has a spacious floor plan and ours had a
pool and a lake directly behind the covered
lanai to make our stay even more relaxing.
Lennar is one of the nation’s leading builders
of quality homes with communities in
20 different states.
Before you even get to the magnificent
clubhouse, a cascading rock waterfall entry
and a Tuscan inspired gatehouse greet
residents and guests. Once inside the gated
golf community, the sprawling brand new
20,000 square foot River Strand Clubhouse
is the centerpiece of this truly classic Florida
lifestyle. The clubhouse will include
the pro Shop, a health spa, a member-only
resort style pool, plus both casual and fine
dining. Besides golf, there is a tennis complex
with eight har-tru lighted courts, its
own pro shop and tennis pro.
Wes Miller, the Head Golf Professional,
was very accommodating and introduced
us to his fine staff and showed us some of the scenic holes on his over 10,000 yard
layout that skirts the Manatee River. The
course is divided up into three distinctive 9
hole, par 36 designs (Tributary, Estuary and
Sanctuary) with water on every one. There
are 5 sets of tees to allow the low handicapper
a challenge and other players a fair yet
remarkably enjoyable day.
The practice facilities are located at the
back of the clubhouse. There are two areas
to practice your chipping and bunker shots,
a good size putting area and a water driving
range with target pins in the lake. Wes and
his staff of professionals are available for
lessons. Our round started on the recently
opened Sanctuary nine. The first hole is a
par four, with a large lake in front of the
tee box that skirts the fairway on the right
to an elevated green, some 400 yards away.
The landing area gets more generous the
further you hit the drive. Bogie wasn’t bad
for our first look at River Strand. The next
hole is the #1 handicap hole on this side,
a 561-yard, par 5 with water on the left all
the way from tee to green. Another bogie
but dry all the way. All of the holes have nicknames. After another par 4 called “No
Name” we arrived at the first of the par 3’s,
a 222-yard “Big Shot” that the Duffer put
about a foot from the pin. Ah yes, a birdie.
Time for a little refreshment. Our cart lady
for the day was Laura, who visited often
and made sure we were enjoying our stride
at River Strand. Number five, called “To the
River”, is a short par 4, only 311 from the
tips. The smart shot is to lay up in between
the traps at about 100 yards. From there a
precise wedge to a small elevated green
would be ideal. It is too bad I don’t listen
to my own instructions. My drive put me in
perfect position, but with my chest bursting
from the previous hole, I over shot the
green, pitched onto the green only to see it
roll off and into a collection area and double
bogey. Time for more refreshment.
Architect Arthur Hills did a great job
making sure the course was fun, playable
and still had lots of character. The one thing
he did was to place trees and landscaping
behind all the greens to help with depth
perception from the fairway and tees. There
are no homes directly on the golf course, so
the scenery and wildlife made for a wonderful
golf experience. We finished up our
Sanctuary nine on a slight dogleg par 5 that
brings you back to the clubhouse. After
having played well on the front, the Estuary
nine needed more shot making ability, and
to be quite honest, I have to go back and
play it again to score better, knowing the
lay of the land. Estuary is 200 yards longer
than Sanctuary and 400 yards longer than
Tributary. The course is loaded with gorgeous
holes but #7, called “to the left”, on
Estuary I found to be the most scenic.
To experience the golf call 941-708-3617
or go to www.RiverStrandGolf.com. To learn
more about living there call 941-746-1482 or
visit the Lennar Welcome Home Center at
7211 Port Harbour Parkway in Bradenton. |
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