Eagle’s Pointe Golf Club (Okatie, SC on 11/26/16)

The final round of my trip took place not too far from my first round! I left later on my return trip and hit a bit more traffic so that put me close to Savannah or Hilton Head for an afternoon round, instead of Santee where I stopped before. I got off I-95 south of Savannah and found a parking lot where I searched for nearby tee times. I love mobile technology! Years ago I played two courses just off Hilton Head Island and recall liking those, so I thought I’d give Eagle’s Pointe a try. It was convenient to I-95 and their tee sheet looked wide open.

I got to the course around 1:45pm and it was like a ghost town! There were maybe 15 cars in the parking lot and just two carts pulled out of the barn, so clearly they weren’t expecting many golfers. I played through a group on the 2nd hole and trailed a twosome around the rest of the round. They moved quick and it turned out to be a 3 hour 15 minute round, which was impressive on a weekend! Good thing though, as I finished as the sun was setting. I’m not sure why the course wasn’t busy, but the group on the 2nd hole seemed to think the Ohio State and Michigan game had something to do with it!

I played the Love III tees, which are 73.1/136/6780, and found the course to be very challenging! It plays as a par 71 with only three par 5’s so keep that in mind when choosing tees. Much of the course is tree lined on either side of the fairway and water can gobble up errant shots. If you can make it through the tighter front nine, then the course opens up on the back. You might get lucky and find a ball in the woods to chip back into play, but I wouldn’t bet on it! I had a great driving day and the course still wore me out because I never could get an iron close to the flags! For my amateur game, it was a tall task to get an iron close. I might be able to get my distance right, but judging the spin and height is another matter. You’ll need all of those things for a short birdie putt because the greens are large and have plenty of contour. Once on the greens, you could spend some stokes because of their size. I made a couple three footers just to three putt! However, the greens aren’t impossible as you can make some putts if you are in the flatter spots.

Even though Eagle’s Pointe was difficult, I don’t think it was unfair. There were places to bail (admittedly fewer than I’d prefer!) and an average iron could still leave a birdie putt. My gripe about the design is the large number of cavernous bunkers! I was in one and they are sure to make amateur play less enjoyable. Thankfully, Love placed them left and right of many greens (instead of short) so I could still try aiming at the flags. I wouldn’t have minded seeing fewer bunkers and more waste areas as they are typically flatter.

There are some interesting holes at Eagle’s Pointe, worthy of being mentioned! I think the best holes on the front nine are the 2nd and 4th. The 2nd is a short par 5 that can be reached but you will have to hug the left side of the fairway off the tee and then slice the second shot around another tree short and right of the green. I was left of the green in two, with a poor lie and poor angle, so I actually hit it backwards! The 4th is a long par 4 that is the #1 handicap. The fairway is narrow and there is a pond short and right of the green.

I think the 10th and 11th are the best holes on the back nine! The 10th is the longest par 5 on the course and has multiple water hazards in play. Make sure to hit the fairway or you may have a long club into the green! The 11th is a par 3 that plays to a green that widens towards the back and has a hazard angling on the left side.

The course conditions were great considering the $36 that I paid. I think the proshop charged me the resident rate, which was a nice gesture! Like some of the other courses on my trip, Eagle’s Pointe didn’t look very green because of the bermuda grass going dormant. My pictures were affected by all the shadows too. Don’t let those things fool you! The greens were pure and rolled with some speed. I had to center cut my putts or they would just lip out. Every couple greens had spots of sand, but nothing that would significantly affect play. I could tell the area sustained damage from the October hurricane, band the crew has the course all cleaned up. Oddly, it played on the firm side and I got some roll on my drives! The majority of the time I had a good lie in the fairways. I got a handful of thin lies on the front (more wooded), while the back (more of a community setting) had turf that I could dig into. The rough was dormant which is consistent with the time of year.

I had a great afternoon at Eagle’s Pointe and I’d classify it is a solid mid tier course. If you are a good driver of the ball, then the course should be a good judge of the rest of your game. If you are looking for a course off Hilton Head Island then is convenient too!

#1 (401 yard par 4):