Eagle Eye Golf Club (East Lansing, MI) w/ Pics

[Brian Cenci]

One of my favorite courses in Michigan is Eagle Eye, a Chris Lutzke design that has a lot of the traits of a Pete Dye course.  The course doesn't fit the land, as it used to be a flat farm, but although it is completely built up and a lot of dirt moved it is a great experience.  IMO Eagle Eye is a top 10 public course here in Michigan and is a top 100 public course in the United States.  The par 3's at Eagle Eye are great and I love the finishing par 5's on 9 and 18.  I think that there are a few week par 4's on the front (7 and but overall some great holes.  I decided to take some pics recently for all of you to look at.  If you get a chance to play it do so, you will be pleasantly surprised.

So, here we go...

Opening tee shot:


The par 3 2nd (forgive the winterizing with the silt fence):


The short par 4 3rd:


The long par 3 5th:


The approach to the short par 4 6th:


The par 4 7th:


The approach to the par 4 8th:


The tee shot to the par 5 9th:


Looking at the green of the par 5 18th from the 9th fairway:


The par 4 10th:


The approach to the par 4 11th:


The par 3 12th:


The long long long par 4 13th:


The par 5 14th:


The unique par 4 15th:


The long par 4 16th:


The replica par 3 17th:

[Jeff_Mingay]

Wow. This certainly does look like a Pete Dye course. If I didn't know different, I'd think Pete Dye designed Eagle Eye. Interesting...

Embedded railroad ties, seemingly shunken into turf is a feature unique to Mr. Dye's recent work. I saw this a few years ago at Heron Point (Dye's recent redo, at Hilton Head), too. This particular feature seems to be employed to interesting effect at the par-3 2nd hole here, at Eagle Eye.

The 3rd looks like a take on the 5th at Long Cove (?). 

[Jon Heise]

Eagle Eye is a real cool course, I'm pretty bummed I didnt make it out there this season.  It's hard, but its not going to kill you.  You must hit lots of different shots out there.

First time out there, par 3 17th, the replica hole... Tee shot, splash.  Re-tee, splash.  Re-tee, in the cup.  Nice 5.

[JNC Lyon]

The course looks very cool except for the par three 17th.  Why do architects feel the need to manufacture such island greens?  Dye's holes at TPC Stadium and PGA West were both built from nothing like the rest of the course and therefore fit in with the flow of the course as true originals.  However, once the hole is constantly repeated, it loses its originality.  Unlike the four classic Raynor par threes that always lend multiple options and opportunities for recovery, the island green hole is one-dimensional and uninteresting outside of its championship setting.

[Rob Rigg]

Minus the water dictating strategy on many holes (something I do not enjoy personally), this looks like a really interesting course. Although man made, the contouring in spots creates some movement that is pleasing to the eye.

Brian - Thanks for posting the pics

[Jeff Shelman]

I thought Eagle Eye was pretty good after my first play. It's a course where hitting it in the right spot is valued as much as hitting it a long ways. There is a good use of angles here as well.

Certainly worth a play if you're in the area.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Further to my comments above, I should add the course certainly does look like it would be fun to play.

[Dan Moore]

I like the hole corridors, bunkering and green sites, but some of the surrounding mounding is so unnatural makes me seasick. 

[Brian Cenci]

Further to my comments above, I should add the course certainly does look like it would be fun to play.

It is a lot of fun to play.  It is certainly a good benchmark course for me to gauge other top courses off of.  As I said earlier I think it is a top 10 public course in Michigan and probably top 75 public in the U.S.  I think that the course has some drawbacks (power lines thru #7) and some boring holes (#8) but overall it is a challenge and definetly fun to play.

-Brian

[Richard Hetzel]

Thanks for posting the pictures. EAgle Eye is on my list to play next summer since I am in Michigan a lot.

[David Neveux]

While I agree that the 17th island green is no longer an "original hole" and will contend it to be the weakest par 3 out of the 4, the green was designed to be an EXACT replica of the 17th at sawgrass.  So for me to have that in my backyard, I can't really complain.  If I had a Raynor replica course such as Black Creek to play anytime, I guess it wouldn't be original either yet enjoyable nonetheless.  I think it's a great example of "manufacturing" a golf course from a flat, boring, piece of land.  What a treat it is to have such a course right in the neighboorhood.  I would venture to say it's probably a top 5 public course here in the state.  TOO BAD THE SNOW IS COMING, CAN'T WAIT FOR APRIL. 


NEV

[Ian_L]

I like the green complex on the 15th, but I think it might be improved by moving the greenside bunker to the right (or possibly eliminating it) so as to bring the left hand chipping area more into play.

[Richard Boult]

added to http://delicious.com/golfclubatlas/Michigan

[Eric Smith]

Anyone been out here lately?  Have you had the kind of rain this year that the east coast has been getting?

I'm going to make the trip up to Pure Michigan in mid September and I'm really looking forward to playing a couple rounds at Eagle Eye, based on Brian and David's recommendations.

Angel's Crossing, Yarrow and The Mines are also on tap before settling in to the weekend festivities with Sparticus.

If any MI GCAers would like to join our group please let me know as we've got a fun little competition you might wish to play in.

[Bill_McBride]

Wow. This certainly does look like a Pete Dye course. If I didn't know different, I'd think Pete Dye designed Eagle Eye. Interesting...

Embedded railroad ties, seemingly shunken into turf is a feature unique to Mr. Dye's recent work. I saw this a few years ago at Heron Point (Dye's recent redo, at Hilton Head), too. This particular feature seems to be employed to interesting effect at the par-3 2nd hole here, at Eagle Eye.

The 3rd looks like a take on the 5th at Long Cove (?). 

That railroad tie look is not popular with some who've seen photos of Castle Stuart! 

The short par 4s on the front nine look pretty good, if you are talking about #3 and #6.  #3 looks like a reversed version of a short par 4 I've seen at Dye courses.  One in particular I'm thinking of is at the Dinah Shore course in Palm Springs.  This is the not-so-minimalistic hole with the giant mound blocking the view of the green behind it that's right on the water.

[Eric Smith]

The short par 4s on the front nine look pretty good, if you are talking about #3 and #6.  #3 looks like a reversed version of a short par 4 I've seen at Dye courses.  One in particular I'm thinking of is at the Dinah Shore course in Palm Springs.  This is the not-so-minimalistic hole with the giant mound blocking the view of the green behind it that's right on the water.

Yep, it's the 5th at Long Cove too.

[Doug Ralston]

Anyone been out here lately?  Have you had the kind of rain this year that the east coast has been getting?

I'm going to make the trip up to Pure Michigan in mid September and I'm really looking forward to playing a couple rounds at Eagle Eye, based on Brian and David's recommendations.

Angel's Crossing, Yarrow and The Mines are also on tap before settling in to the weekend festivities with Sparticus.

If any MI GCAers would like to join our group please let me know as we've got a fun little competition you might wish to play in.

If you have another round to fit in, The Grande is a blast, and we played at 6:25AM when it was very like a nature preserve. And if it is near blueberry time, get lucky like we did with the hugest, most delicious blueberries anywhere. Little roadside stands.

Eagle Eye rates right behind Greywalls and Arcadia Bluff among Michigan wonders I have seen. It may be 'manufactured', but No one said every single course that can be considered good have to be minimum ........ did they? Try it; you'll like it!

Doug

[Eric Smith]

Thanks Doug.  My friend who is a pro up there has asked me half a dozen times to consider playing the Grande when up visiting, but we just haven't been able to fit it in the last couple of trips.  Maybe we could on the morning we drive home.

[Doug Ralston]

Eric;

Must it be YOU thanking me ................ "I will be going to the FL/TN game. Looking to put about 80 on the Vols." - Chris DiMarco, July 8, 2009   ................... afterall, I AM a University of Tennessee alum. 

Doug


 
 
 

[Eric Smith]

Ha!

I'd love to see a close-up of DiMarco on television all teary eyed around 7:19PM on Sept. 19.......80? 

Go Vols!