OUR RATINGS
1 IS LOWEST - 10 IS HIGHEST |
| MAINT. |
SCENERY |
FUN |
SAFETY |
STAFF |
DESIGN |
VALUE |
OVERALL |
|
9 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
9 |
7 |
6 |
55 |
EAGLE CREST
GOLF COURSE - OUR COMMENTS
Maintenance: Beautifully
maintained, as you'd expect from a resort course. The
greens and bunkers were in excellent shape and in late summer
there was hardly a spot of brown on the fairways. The
areas around the ponds were nicely kept too.
Scenery: The front nine is pretty
open with the major scenic items being the beautiful large
pond filled with geese and the awesome signature hole #2 where
you're teeing off from 80 feet above the canyon floor.
The canyon is cool just in itself! There's also the
signature Central Oregon views of the Cascade Snowpeaks to the
West and the contrast between the high desert plateaus and the
green of the golf courses. The back 9 is a little more
scenic overall, with tight, private fairways - you don't see
another golfer until about the 15th hole. The problem
with the front 9 is that you see every other golfer all over
the course - it's big and open.
Fun: The Par-5 second hole is fun,
the tough bunkers are great. The water hazards are more
scenic attractions than real hazards - you have to be pretty
bad to lose too many balls in the water. The greens can
be tough here, but the fairways are mostly pretty straight,
though there is quite a bit of relief - especially on the back
9 to keep things interesting.
Safety: On the back 9, you have to
worry a lot more about hitting people's houses or losing your
ball in the outback lining the fairways than getting hit.
There is one resort road to cross - no big deal - and even on
the front 9, the fairways are spread out enough to keep you
safe from flying objects. Hole #2 can be a bit hazardous
when it's raining.
Staff: The guy we talked to at the
clubhouse was very nice - he let us play the back 9 when we
asked, let us keep playing after twilight, and the marshall
was very pleasant to us.
Design: This is a very well designed
course, except that we would have liked some more trees and
variety to the front nine. The pond and canyon areas are
great, and we really like the back 9, but the big open area is
a little too big and open for our taste - would have been
nice, too, to not see the hotel right up against the course -
people sitting on their porches talking to you while you're
teeing off of the 17th hole.
Value: Sixty bucks for a
round? Don't think so. Owners prices are almost
realistic. We're owners, so we paid $23 for nine which
was still more than we think it should be, but you have to
consider it's a resort so everything is inflated, and it's in
Golf Digest's 11th best golf destination in the Continental
U.S., so you have to pay for the distinction, I suppose.
Other Comments: The sun shines here
300 days a year - what more can you ask for. Playing in
early spring is the best - when the snow is still on the
Cascade Mountains, and the sunrise is reflecting off the
morning dew - simply breathtaking. This
course plays shorter than the Ridge course, and is also less
expensive. Don't miss the fun little putting course or
the really challenging mid-iron course that is more expensive
to play at than either full course. |
