COURSE REVIEW
Eagle Ridge Golf Club:
A Texas-Sized Challenge
By Patrick Jones, Senior Writer
GARNER, N.C. (July 17, 2002) -- Tom Kite is as purebred a Texan as tumbleweed, the two-step, and a 10-gallon hat. The lifelong Austin resident grew up on a steady diet of boy howdy, Hook 'em Horns and Hogan.
But a unique slice of rolling terrain just south of Raleigh, perhaps somewhat reminiscent of Kite's native Hill Country, made his blood momentarily flow Carolina blue instead of burnt orange when he first laid his eyes of Texas upon it. Kite and co-designer Bob Cupp decided to tag team this prime parcel of the Piedmont and branded Eagle Ridge Golf Club, a non-conformist's par 71, 6,904-yard doozy that features six par 3’s and five par 5’s.
Kite knew a good thing when he saw it.
"The property is a beautiful piece of land with lots of hills, creeks, and trees," said the 1992 U.S. Open champion. "We knew we could design a course that would nicely fit on the land. I always liked playing golf in the Carolinas because there are so many great courses there. Also, the (Carolinas) people are so golf crazy that I knew it would be fun to do a course where so many people play and enjoy the game."
You won't find any armadillos, sagebrush, or bluebonnets on the course that opened in October 2000. You will find a Texas-sized challenge for players of every skill level.
Kite's golf game was built around a tenacious work ethic and precise wedge play. Eagle Ridge Golf Club reflects those same qualities. He did much more than just lend his famous name to the project. Kite earned his fee, estimating he made up to 20 trips to the course during its development. And the sometimes penal, tiered, undulating greens at Eagle Ridge Golf Club require exacting approach shots that reflect the requisite skills demanded by the 19-time PGA Tour winner and former Ryder Cup captain.
"Hitting it close to the pin and not just on the green is key to playing the course well," said Kite. "The greens are generally large with quite a few undulations and slopes. Even though the greens have been in excellent condition since the course opened, golfers should not expect to one- or two-putt all day long if they are long distances from the hole location."
Kite called Eagle Ridge Golf Club "a total team effort" in his collaboration with Cupp. The course is the fourth that the two have co-branded. The pair designed the 36-hole The Legends Club south of Nashville, which is the home of the LPGA's Electrolux USA Championship. They also redesigned the West Course at Baltimore Country Club.
"Bob and I have a great relationship with very little ego getting in the way of good design," said Kite. "He has a much better understanding of the permitting process than I do but the (Eagle Ridge Golf Club) design is basically mine with some good suggestions from him along the way."
For most of his career, Kite was physically identified by large spectacles that corrected acute nearsightedness. In 1998, he altered his looks and improved his vision with LASIK surgery. Kite said that his course design skills have also come into better focus with passing years.
"As I do more courses, I think I get better," he said, adding that he considered Eagle Ridge Golf Club "right up there" among his golf architecture offerings. "I'm very pleased with Eagle Ridge Golf Club. As the course matures, I think it will become an even more enjoyable layout."
One of the tantalizing features of Eagle Ridge Golf Club is the chance to test your accuracy with three par 3’s on each of the front and back nines. The first of the three-shotters is No. 2, a downhill 165-yarder from the back tees that Kite named as his favorite of the par 3’s. For severity of drop off from tee to green on this hole, think of a longer version of Pebble Beach's No. 7 - minus the Pacific Ocean and Carmel Bay as backdrops. Trees overhang the tee shot and a creek wraps around the green.
The 10th hole, a 579-yard, par-5 shot maker's test, may be the toughest hole on the course, though it is only handicapped as the fourth most difficult. With a well-placed drive, the second shot requires a player to assess his abilities. You can lay up into a landing area short of a marsh and leave yourself 200-plus yards into a green beautifully framed by hardwoods. Or, if you've got the game and derring-do, you can attempt the carry and be left with just a short- to mid-iron approach. This hole cannot be successfully played (par or better) without your brain fully engaged on every shot.
Kite, who developed his game - and endearing parts of his down-to-earth persona - under the guidance of Harvey Penick, would probably consider himself a traditionalist. Eagle Ridge Golf Club's distinctive mix of par 3’s and par 5’s was not a matter of Kite going, well, Gary McCord on us. He was not making special efforts to be different. Kite said, "that is just the way the course seemed to lay in there" in regards to Eagle Ridge Golf Club's paucity of par 4’s (seven).
"We try and be traditional as much as possible but sometimes, usually because of some restraint, like the development or wetlands or steep hills, you cannot do that," said Kite. "We try and get par 72’s, but that does not always work out. So what we came up with is a blend which we think produced the best holes - as opposed to forcing a par 36-36-72."
Kite won't be giving up his statehood birthrights anytime soon and do something extreme - say, give up Texas beef barbecue for the traditional North Carolina pig variety - but he did admit that he enjoyed his first taste at contributing to the Carolina golfing landscape. "I would love to come back and do some more," he said. "The land in North Carolina is so diverse and interesting that it lends itself for golf."
How Head Professional John Yancy Views Eagle Ridge Golf Club
Eagle Ridge Golf Club is a golf course that can be enjoyed by all golfers. Higher handicap golfers will find their safest route to the green and “players” will find plenty of risk and reward opportunities.
The first hole sets the tone for your Eagle Ridge Golf Club experience. The fairway is generous. There is a lot of room to land your tee shot, but go down the right side and you risk having your ball kick into a large ravine. The green is deep so make sure to check the pin placement. If you miss the green right, you'll have a difficult up and down from a steep bunker.
The best par 5 on the course? It depends on who you ask, which in my opinion, is the mark of a great course. People see holes differently. The 17th gets the nod. Long hitters can reach in two but there is great risk and reward. The second shot must carry a deep ravine just short of the green to reach a well-bunkered, contoured green. For most players, this is a three shot par 5.
As for the Eagle Ridge Golf Club par 3’s, go figure. We asked a gathering of members which par 3 they considered to be the best. They picked four different holes! I like the 2nd hole. The tee sits well above the tree line. The hole is beautiful and visually imposing at the same time. The green is guarded by bunkers and has a stream protecting its right side. Club selection is everything on this hole.
Our most difficult green as far as I'm concerned is the 16th. It plateaus left and right with a valley in the middle making it quite unique. If your ball is on the plateau where the flag is not or in the valley, it is virtually impossible to two-putt.
The “home stretch” of holes at many golf courses usually starts at the 16th. At Eagle Ridge Golf Club, I would be remiss if I did not include our 15th hole. Many good rounds have gone south leaving the 15th hole which is a long par 3 – 233 yards from the tips. Golfers often step on the 16th tee licking their wounds. Sixteen is a solid par 4. You can not let up. The 17th may be the only birdie chance in this stretch. If you do make par, you will feel a lot better standing over your tee shot at eighteen – our signature hole. Day in and day out, eighteen is our most difficult hole. You need to make a perfect tee shot to a narrow fairway. There is a lake on the left and bunkers and a stream on the right. In other words, you have got to make the shot. Even a great drive still leaves 150-190 yards, which is all carry to avoid the lake in front of the green. Many players have felt “tournament pressure” on this hole when they are trying to complete a good round.
Contact the Golf Shop at 919-661-6300 to book your tee time at Eagle Ridge Golf Club today!