After much time trying, finally made it up to Eagle Eye. I have heard many great things about the course, and a few negatives.
Mostly the negatives amounted to one topic. Eagle Eye is an almost purely 'manufactured' course. And it looks it! The question becomes 'so what?'.
This course is, IMNSHO, a masterpiece of golf challenge! The use of bunkers, mounding, water, and wispy but THICK rough in just the right proportions is stunning. Then the greens are still to be navigated. They are wavey, very fast, absolutely smooth, and make a final deadly obstacle for most holes. I admit I have not gotten to play the 'Great Courses' that most of you have. But if many of them are a greater and more fun challenge than Eagle Eye, I will be awed.
I wish I had pix to show you. You would love those Dye-type bunkers [Lutzke is from a Dye background, like so many are]. While you might compare the mounding to other 'over-manufactured' courses, I found them to have direct uses. Some clearly guided the ball away from out of bound areas, like roads; while others send a stray shot to very challenging spots, like short chips over bunkers to the narrow parts of greens.
I used my driver on two holes! That is because there were MANY obstacles, and it was better to have longer approaches than lose balls or find the wisp! I never even touched my 3-wood. My 5-wood became the club of choice, because I slice less with it and can sometimes aim it. Since I was playing from short tees, I was involved with the same obstacles you would be. Fun!!
They have an EXACT replica of #17 Sawgrass. I drowned one before putting my 9-iron shot in play.
But you will love those magnificent par-5s.
Go play this fun course. Forget it is not minimalist, and measure it by the golfing qualities, which you will understand more than I; and by the enjoyment factor, which I understand to my roots!
And this is critical .......... BUY THE YARDAGE BOOK. If you do not, you will certainly wonder why later
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Doug