I joined some folks from work and we golfed at Heritage Eagle Bend Golf Club on Sunday. Heritage Eagle Bend is in Aurora, on the southeast side of Denver, and while I’ve driven by the course a number of times I haven’t had a chance to play it – until today.
The riding green fee was about $100. Even an average course these days seems to cost $50 to $75, so $100 doesn’t seem too far out of line here. Heritage Eagle Bend is an upscale public course with many positive reviews mentioning its nice conditioning.
The nice conditions were something I experienced when I played. As you’ll see in the pictures, all the turf was lush and had a nice shine to it. The ball sat up in the fairways and the greens were smooth and quick. The rough was cut down, but thick.
Heritage Eagle Bend is an Arthur Hills design that opened in 2000. The course has a links look to it and is routed through a housing development. So, as far as scenery goes here, there isn’t much. But, there is quite a bit of elevation change. I think all the up and down throughout the course is its best quality. There are a number of holes that drop a couple clubs from tee to green. Uneven lies made controlling the ball flight a challenge.
I played the blue tees – 70.5/132/6466 – and thought the greens were the course’s biggest challenge. In typical Hills fashion, many greens are quite small. There are narrow tongues and steep fall offs around the edges. There is a lot undulation which make putting and chipping tough.
I think the par-5’s and par-3’s are the most exciting holes at Heritage Eagle Bend. From the blue tees, the par-5’s provide a chance to score. I’m not the longest hitter, but I ended up with an eagle putt on the par-5 2nd, which plays 533 yards down a big hill. I also got close to the green in two on the par-5 14th, which is only 469 yards. The par-3’s are solid too. The green on the par-3 3rd is small and needs a precise iron shot. The 15th plays over water to a green that angles from front right to back left.
As I’m sure you know by now, I’m not usually a big fan of Arthur Hills courses. However, I thought Heritage Eagle Bend was a tolerable Hills design. The course sits on a nice piece of land and has a mix of some easier and tougher holes. The elevated tee shots add some character. There are a number of other public courses in the Denver area that I’d recommend before Heritage Eagle Bend, but if you find yourself playing here I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):