I had plenty of time to spare after my first round, even after finding some lunch. After my lunch I made my way over to The Club at Eaglebrooke where I met up with a friend, after spending 45 minutes on the chipping green. Thankfully that chipping practice seemed to help!
My friend had played here a couple times before but I’ve never been to Eaglebrooke – and let me say that I walked away impressed with the course! Everything about it is well done and if Eaglebrooke was in Orlando (instead of Lakeland) then the green fees would be double what they are currently charging. The rack rate this time of year is $75, however we found a great deal and paid $43. No matter what you pay, your money gets you a lot at Eaglebrooke.
Oddly, Eaglebrooke was the second of two Ron Garl designs that I played today. So far, my experience with his work has been positive. He seems to mix in some easy-par holes and difficult ones as well. Eaglebrooke turned out to be a challenging course, with a lot of water in play. In fact, there is water on thirteen holes that needs to be avoided.
We played the blue tees which are 72.3/134/6599 and Eaglebrooke can be one tough course if the golf ball starts going sideways (still fair IMO). Hazards line many holes and cut into the fairways, so there is some local knowledge required out here. Thankfully, most holes have a “safe” side and that is the side I’d suggest playing to. Unfortunately, if the ball ends up on the low side then there isn’t anything to stop it from rolling into the water.
The front nine has some fun holes and prepares you for the back nine. The 4th and the 8th were my favorite holes on the front. The 4th (a 425 yard par-4) is the hardest hole on the course. It moves right around water and forces you to pick a line and a distance off the tee. I bailed out left and ended up with an uneven stance on one of the many mounds throughout the course. The 8th is a shorter version of the 4th, but just as dangerous.
The back nine has more of the same thing (water) and emphasizes the importance of angles. For a course with larger fairways, Eaglebrooke is a good driving course. The 13th and 15th are two of these good driving holes – the 13th actually has an island fairway.
In-between those two holes is the 14th, a tough par-3. It is 187 yards and all carry over water. Then, the green slopes hard from front to back. I was able to run in a 10 footer for par which made me quite happy!
There isn’t much to say about the conditions at Eaglebrooke besides everything was very nice. The fairways were cut down and had great coverage. The greens were quick and pure. I wasn’t in any bunkers, but from what I saw the sand looked to be a good consistency.
I enjoyed my round at Eaglebrooke and would highly recommend a round here. The course seems like one that gets better every time you play it. If you are in Orlando or Tampa on a golf trip and don’t mind driving to save a little cash then I’d put this one on your list.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):