The challenge is varied at Eagle Canyon and can keep golfers anxious through most of the round as you’re regularly asked to play pressure shots over hazards or to narrow fairways. The opening four holes on each nine are the toughest (judging by the stroking), which runs counter to the design theory that you begin with relatively easy holes and built up to a climax at the end of each nine. The opening elevated tee shot on No 1 is unique in having a risk-reward element. Bold use of the driver gets you closer to a raised green, yet it brings a fairway bunker right and water left into play. At No 3 (stroke 1`) you want to leave yourself a short iron over an intimidating water hole to another raised green, but to do that you are driving into a fairway shrinking in width with trouble on both sides. The back nine begins with the Eagle’s Claw stretch from 10-13, and here again the pressure ramps up early. Many members play blue tees, as they are 711 metres shorter than white, and interestingly the scorecard has separate stroking for Gold/White and Blue/Red which is unusual but very appropriate and could be copied by other clubs. No 13 is a good stroke 4 played at 390 but is stroke 10 at the shorter distance of 262. The par 5s, except for No 14, are low strokes off Blue/Red, but high strokes for Gold/White.
