Summary:  Value Rating = B

Eagle Creek is a great course to play – well maintained, excellent condition, wonderful layout, great setting and a very good challenge for all levels of golfers.  If you have the opportunity to play Eagle Creek you should take advantage of that.  Eagle Creek typically gets high ratings – although rated when it was a public course, it attained 17th place in the Globe and Mail’s 100 Best Public and Resort Courses in Canada in 2005.  Canadian professional golf events have been held here further indicating that Eagle Creek is an excellent course.

Evaluating Eagle Creek from a value perspective offers a challenge because it is a private course.  As a private club you will need to play with a member in order to experience this great course.  Guest fees are applicable but taking advantage of twilight rates will give you the best value – approximately $50 for Eagle Creek compared to $100 for regular guest rates.  The fact that it is a private course affecting accessibility and cost reduces my value rating……but I still like to play Eagle Creek whenever I get the chance.

I was impressed from the moment I first played the course.  The course is considered by some to be in an out of the way spot in Ottawa’s rural west end – about a 40 minute drive from downtown Ottawa.  It is still well worth the drive.  The course offers rolling fairways in a woodland / marshland setting.  Each hole is well separated from the other holes so you get a lot of privacy and solitude as you play.  The course is a very enjoyable walk as well.

Check out www.clublink.ca for details about Eagle Creek – ClubLink is a company that owns, operates and develops member golf clubs.

Another ClubLink course I enjoy playing in the Ottawa area is Kanata Golf and Country Club – check out my Kanata course review.

Play and Value Evaluation Rating Table

Refer to my evaluation criteria to see how I judge and rate the courses I’ve played.

Some Details:

Eagle Creek is located in the Dunrobin area in the rural west of the city of Ottawa, Ontario.  Some consider this to be a bit out of the way and off the beaten track but well worth the drive if you have the chance to play the course.

There are tee blocks for all skill levels and abilities.  A great golf challenge for all abilities.  You will use all the clubs in your bag.  Most definitely select the tee that suits your ability – playing this course outside of your capabilities could create a long and frustrating experience.

The course offers some large waste bunkers that can come into play.  You do need be careful with your shots because playing out of the waste areas can add strokes to your game.  You will find waste bunkers coming into play on holes 2, 7, 11, 12, and 14.  Creeks and ponds also come into play on a number of holes along with over 70 bunkers.

Hole 14 offers average golfers an interesting choice – play to the left up the fairway or take a chance on a decent long drive over a waste bunker and water to fairway landing areas closer to the green – when I’m hitting my driver well, I usually take a chance and cut across – if it is windy or I’m not consistently driving well, I take the safer route.  The reward is a much easier wedge shot onto the green instead of mid-iron.

Hole 18 is another great risk/reward hole.  Longer hitters can play across the water to a long peninsula landing area and then hit another long 2nd shot over water again to the green.  It can be made in two under the right conditions.  I stay to the right and play 3 shots to the green and try for an accurate approach shot with a wedge.

The par 3’s are nicely bunkered and challenging – selecting the right club and making a good shot will result in a par and maybe a shot at a birdie.  Be prepared for higher scores if you miss the green.

My average score at Eagle Creek in recent years is 90.  It does help to have played this course before – familiarity will save you some strokes.  I typically play the white tees but have played the blue tees a few times.  The extra distance from the blue tees makes the course tougher for an average golfer like me with my 15 handicap.

My Evaluation Details:

Scenery – Nothing spectacular but a nice woodland / marshland setting and a design that makes you feel like you might be the only group on the course at times – peaceful and quiet.

Mix of holes – offers an enjoyable and challenging mix of long and short holes with left and right dog legs.

Consistency and condition – the course has been in great shape for each round I have played here with very consistent tee boxes, greens, fairways, rough and bunkers.

Character – a great layout with plenty of challenge…..very memorable.

Golf Challenge – the course offers a challenge in my books……

• tee shots – You have a good view of all the fairways from the tees. Some landing spots can be narrow but for the average golfer you have to hit it a long way to for this to cause an issue.  The waste bunkers need to be taken into consideration from the tee.
• fairway shots – The fairways are in great shape across the whole course – obviously well taken care of.
• pin placements – Large greens allow for many pin placement choices.  There are some tough spots to hit to and there is a good mix of front, back, middle and side pin placements.
• putting – Putting was fast and consistent across all 18 holes.  You will like putting on these greens
• greens – The greens are typically in great shape and large with a number of undulations to deal with.  You can end up with some long putts.
• a chance to recover – If you landed on the edges of the course, just slightly into the wooded areas or grassy areas, you can recover.  Shots deep into the woods are real trouble.  The rough is very playable and fair.

Other Observations:

The practice facilities are good and located beside the first hole. Staff is very friendly and service is excellent.  A nice clubhouse to sit and enjoy the 19th hole.

The clubhouse is located on the highest part of the course and provides some nice views of the course and surrounding area.

A very pleasant walk – no need to take a cart.

The course was designed by Ken Venturi – it provides what I would call a PGA style feel compared to many other courses located in the Ottawa and Eastern Ontario region.

I have watched the pros play this course a few times when Canadian professional golf events were held at Eagle Creek.  Watching the pros play the course did give me some tips about how to play the course better……executing those lessons learned is sometimes problematic, at least for me.

Sorry no pictures yet.

Lane Smith – Lane@lifepast50.ca