Eagle's Bluff Country Club

Review of Eagles Bluff Golf Course

Nestled under the tall East Texas pines and along the shoreline of beautiful Lake Palestine is a very upscale and prestigious private country club and golf course that was named (three years in a row) among GolfWeek's "Best Residential Golf Courses in America". Eagle's Bluff Country Club is one of clubs where once we passed through the guarded entrance gate and approached the majestic 27,000 square foot French Country style clubhouse, we know we were in for a special treat.  And we weren't disappointed.  In fact, Eagle's Bluff Country Club made our Top 20 Private Golf Courses. 

Eagle's Bluff was designed by Carlton Gipson, who designed several award winning courses around the world and unfortunately died shortly before Eagle's Bluff opened for play in 1999.  Gipson created a fantastic layout that preserved the natural beauty and peaceful setting of a dense East Texas forest.  In 2010, the Challenge Golf Group purchased Eagle's Bluff Country Club and added the Club and community to its portfolio of six other great East Texas golf courses.  Since acquiring Eagle's Bluff, the Challenge Golf Group has made a number of improvements to bring the property, facilities, and golf course up to it's present high standards. 

Eagle's Bluff Golf Course meanders through the tall Texas pines and on the back nine some beautiful homes line the fairways.  Shortly after teeing off, you'll start to notice how beautiful, peaceful and quite it is, but don't let that lull you to sleep, Eagle's Bluff is no walk in the park.  It is a fairly traditional and straightforward course that is deceivingly challenging. 

You'll need to manage some forced carries over water, rolling terrain with both uphill and downhill shots, tough approach shots to challenging putting surfaces, huge fairway and greenside bunkers, plus lakes or creeks on 13 holes – and yardages of up to 6977 yards.  All of that could be the reason that the Dallas Morning News once rated Eagle's Bluff as the 6th-most difficult course in Texas!  But don't let that scare you, if you pick the right set of tee boxes and don't bite off more that you can chew you'll have a fun and enjoyable round of golf.   

The front nine was our favorite – it's very quiet and scenic with ponds, a waterfall, lots of trees and one huge home. The course is colorful with azaleas and crepe myrtles, challenging but fair, and has some very fun holes.  The first five holes are straightforward with what-you-see is what-you-get  and the last four holes are fantastic. It makes the front nine a blast to play but it will test your game from tee box to green:

• #6 is the #1 handicap – a 543 yard par four with a creek dissecting the fairway twice creating a challenging landing zone and then an uphill approach shot to a well guarded green
• #7 is a demanding 385 yard par 4 thanks to a lake that horseshoes around the front of the green which is also protected by a bunker in the front and back – no room for error on the approach if you want to par this one
• #8 is a fun hole that heads downhill off the tee box (you best leave the big dog in the bag) and then horseshoes around the lake to the green – this hole demands accuracy from tee to green and it has an intimidating 150 yard second shot across the lake to the green
• #9 is a long 432 yard par 4 with a carry across the lake to a fairway that is uphill all the way to the green which you need to nail on the approach or you'll roll back down into a collection area or into bunkers off the backside

The back nine seems tame after those four holes but it's also got some interesting and fun holes.  You'll find a good risk reward shot off the tee box to try and carry the lake to shorten a 521 yard dog leg left par 5, an island green on a 210 yard par 3, and a fantastic finishing hole with a challenging approach shot.  The back nine nine has some beautiful homes lining seven of the nine holes. 

We played in June when all of Texas was suffering drought conditions and most courses were struggling to keep the fairways green – same was true for Eagle's Bluff.  The fairways were in very good condition, but a little dry and firm with some brown spots that weren't getting water.  The majority of the fairways are ample and fair but if you miss them you'll be under the trees with a 50/50 shot of finding the ball and getting back to the fairway.  Some fairways have contour and mounding while others are relatively flat but leverage the rolling terrain for both uphill and downhill shots. 

The greens were in very good shape and they rolled true and fast, around an 11.  The greens at Eagle's Bluff are all shapes and sizes and most are huge, ranging from 25 yards to 53 yards.  All have some slope and most have subtle breaks that can be hard to read and occasionally you'll find a ridge or tier.  Generally speaking you want to stay below the pin.  Pin placement on the odd shaped greens can be a killer – practice putting before you head out! 

The bunkers also range in size but most are monsters.  The lips are steep but less than a foot tall and the sand is firm – which means if you roll in you're not going to roll out and you'll most likely have a challenging shot near or against the lip.  Some of the bunkers could use some work (it's in the improvement plans) – they are firm and thin and it's hard to get under the ball. 

Pace of play is excellent and outside of the tournament schedule, you can typically walk on and play at any time.  Membership fees are reasonable and if you join Eagle's Bluff you can play all seven courses owned by the Challenge Golf Group a a discounted rate.  Reciprocal play is allowed.  The Clubhouse is outstanding.  The grounds and course are well manicured and maintained and there is a lot of colorful landscaping.

Bottom line – a fantastic track that is challenging but fair, tests a large part of your game, is scenic and peaceful, and a blast to play. We can't wait to get back and play it again. Check out our review of the Eagle's Bluff Golf Community.