Thanks to Rees Milikin for turning me on to this Eagle Springs Golf Resort. For those of you who are headed up from Chicago to Whistling Straights, Sand Valley, Lawsonia, or the US Open at Erin Hills, I can't recommend this place enough for a quick stop. Driving in to the property is like going back in time, and the course itself is filled with pre-1900 quirk.
The first has a crazy uphill blind drive followed by an approach into a cool green that wraps around a large mound in front.
The second is Eagles Spring's volcano hole par-3. There is an alternate #2 for those who are not physically able to make the climb (which is a legit concern).
The ho hum third is followed by another really cool hole. The 4th is a par-4 that plays uphill over a ridge and then down and left to a green that is fronted by a large hump. Left of the green is a deep fall-off.
The fifth is a par-4 that heads back downhill to a green set just over a creek at the low point of the property, with the third green immediately behind.
The sixth turns and heads right back up the hill. The fairway is a cool-looking "v" shape, and the green is fronted by quirky bunkers and backed by a horseshoe bunker and mounds.
The seventh is a pretty little downhill par-3 with a wild green. I love the look of the dual staircases behind the green.
The 8th is a simple par-5 with a blind drive between two oaks, and a green set down in a low bowl. The ninth is a cape-style par-4 dogleg left to a small green tucked way back in a corner of the property directly above the clubhouse. None of my pictures of those holes made the final cut, but they were fun to play.
In 1893, when this course was built, golf was brand new in the U.S. I like to imagine visitors to the resort being sent out for their first experience with this strange game. Must have been mind-blowing at so many levels.