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Eagle Vail

Avon, Colorado
Public
Par: 71
Phone: (970)949-5267
website

Men's Summary:
Tees Yards Rating Slope
Blue 6538 71.8 131
White 6189 69.5 124

Women's Summary:
Tees Yards Rating Slope
White 6189 74.7 149
Red 4739 68.9 120
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Eagle Vail Golf Club


Opening tee shot -- tee it high and let it fly!


Hole #2 - Aim at the red barn.


Tee shot on #3 - a bit narrow, but not that long...


#4 - Gorgeous par 3 over a roaring chasm


... the roaring chasm...


Tee shot on the short par four #5 (stay right of that tree...)


The long par four #7


The chute off the 9th tee


#9 on your second shot, after it opens up


Par 3 #10 (don't get a nosebleed up here...)


Tee shot on #11


Looking back down #11 from the green


The approach to #12 shows why you want to stay to the left off the tee -- that stream meanders in quite a ways from the right...


#13 - a longish par 3


One of the scenic backyards lining the 14th fairway


#14 stretching out before you


Approach to #14


The short, strategic 15th


Uphill approach to #15


#16 -- where's the green???


Oh, there it is!!!


Par 3 #17


#18 - on a clear day you can see forever...


Downhill approach to #18

Click on one of the thumbnails above to see an enlargement.
The Bogey Golfer © Course Guides

Eagle Vail - Overview

Eagle Vail, located in Avon, just a few miles beyond the ski resort of Vail, is a deceptively wonderful course. The first time I played it, I was intimated by it. The next time I played it I was puzzled and intrigued. The next time I played it, I began to get a glimmer of understanding. Finally I was completely delighted.

The course is not long by mountain standards (high altitude, long carries, yada yada), playing only 6538 from the tips. This means two things, obviously: 1) The par 5s are reachable in two if you hit a decent tee shot, and 2) accuracy is a big deal.

There are three holes with elevated tee boxes: #1 and #18, both par 5s, both with room enough to tee it high and let it fly, and #10, a par 3 from dizzying heights. There are straightforward holes that overpower you with brutish length. There are strategic holes which demand precise well-placed shots. And there are a couple puzzle holes, where you really have to have played them a couple of times to figure out the right approach.

In short, the variety on this course is fabulous. You should get a chance to use every club in the bag. There are some holes that cut you a little slack, and there are some holes where you're going to have to man up and hit the right shot.

Since this is written by and for the Bogey Golfer, the advice is slanted a bit more conservatively than a scratch golfer might look for. Improving your score is mostly about eliminating the blow-ups… Off to the first tee!


Eagle Vail Course Detail

Hole #1 – 535 yards from an elevated teebox. Plenty of width, so tee it up and give it a ride. It's fun to watch how long the ball hangs in the sky. On your second shot, there's a bunker on the left side of the fairway that you need to avoid. There are deep bunkers next to the green, so keep you approach shot online!

#2 is a sharp dogleg to the right. From the teebox, you can see a giant intimidating bunker on the right, and a red barn in the middle of the fairway. In fact that red barn is on the left side of the fairway because of the dogleg. If you think you can carry the bunker, the best line is right over it. If not, aim at the barn. The green has a massive bunker fronting it, so either you need to be close enough to hit a short iron over it, or you need to stay left on your approach shot.

The third hole is a short drive away, starting with a tunnel under a street. It's a relatively short hole at 358 yards, and just a bit narrow, so a fairway wood might be preferable to your driver for this tee shot.

#4 is a beautiful par 3 over a gaping chasm with a roaring mountain stream. It's a short hole at 127 yards from the whites. If you dunk one in the chasm there's a drop zone on the other side. Stop on the bridge and take a picture!

Hole #5 is a short downhill hole that wants a little precision off the tee. Hit a fairway wood, taking care to miss the tree on the left. There's a steep bank to the right, so that's your best miss! Your approach shot into the green is going to be downhill, and you're going to get some roll out, so plan accordingly!

The sixth hole is another short drive away, going back through the same tunnel that led you to #3. #6 is a very confusing hole, with lots of conflicting views from the tee. Your view is overpowered by a pair of bunkers on the right side, followed closely by a stream on the left. It looks like there's no room at all. In fact there is plenty of room, but you need to be be able to hit a straight shot that stays left of the bunkers. Your second shot will need to go over a pond to reach the green. This hole is about 400 yards long, so you need two pretty good shots.

#7 is a long brutish hole. No surprises, you can see it all from the tee box. It's just long and narrowish. Hit the longest club that you have confidence you can hit straight. Then do it again, even if it leaves you short. The trouble both left and right is penal. If it takes you an extra shot to reach the green, so be it.

The eighth hole is a short uphill par 3. Us an extra club and commit to the shot.

#9 is the hardest hole on the course, both by the scorecard's handicap rating, and my own estimation. First and foremost, the tee shot is impossibly narrow. You tee off from a chute that's about 30 yards wide. Your ideal landing spot is 200 yards away. If you're a touring professional, you hit your driver - straight - over the tallest fir tree on the right. Any significant bend in the shot will land you in the woods left or in someone's back yard right. After you get to where the chute opens up, the hole is downhill all the way to the green. Whatever you hit will a) hang longer, and b) roll out more. Take two less clubs, and you should be fine. No sweat, right?

The 10th hole is a par 3 that you have to negotiate several switchbacks to get up to the teebox. You're in nosebleed country up here (for extra grins, drive up to the blue teebox for a look over the edge...). Plan on two less clubs than normal here too.

Hole #11, located by the snack bar, is a strategic par 5, that requires three solid, well-placed shots. Big hitters need to plan to lay up (I saw a guy hit his three iron in the water). I had no trouble with my driver, but that's just me. Your second shot needs to get well left, because the creek kind of meanders in and out all down the right and center of the fairway. This will set up an approach with a wedge or a short iron. Getting greedy can cost you in the form of unexpected (and unseen) trouble.

Hole #12 is a seemingly innocent hole, because it isn't that long, and it looks pretty benign from the tee. Be careful though, that stream on the right tends to wander in when you least expect it. Be conservative and play well left.

Getting to #13 involves driving around the 7th tee box, and through a condo parking lot. It's a medium length par 3 with a slightly elevated tee box. The trick here is to hit it straight -- the slope of the ground wants to throw you to the left. The green is long and narrow, so pay close attention to the pin placement.

The fourteenth hole is perhaps the most idyllic spot on the course. There's a creek on the left fronting a series of really nice back yards that make you want to stop in for a glass of lemonade. It's a par five with a slight uphill cant the whole way. Don't overswing, hit quality shots, and you should be hitting a short iron into the green.

The fifteenth hole is a strategy hole. You can run out of fairway pretty fast, so leave the driver in the bag here. A long iron or fairway wood is plenty of horsepower to leave you hitting a short iron through a chute into an elevated green protected by a waterfall and a sand trap. Be aware that the green is two-tiered, and don't leave yourself short if the pin is back.

#16 is another fierce strategy hole. The tee shot is completely blind. You want to hit a 200-ish straight shot to the end of the fairway. Once you get there, you can see the green complex tucked into the side of the hill to the right on the other side of the creek. Goregeous hole.

Hole #17 is a short, narrow par 3. Keep your head down, commit to the swing, and hit it straight.

The home hole is breathtaking. It's at the very top of the course, and falls all the way to the valley's bottom. There's plenty of room to hit your driver (confession: I pulled my drive hard into the woods left). If you hit it solid, there's enough slope left for your second shot that you might be able to reach the green in two if you're handy with your fairway wood.

Great course -- beautiful views, challenging shots, still very playable for the bogey golfer!

Background photo: #16, the Cedars at Salmon Creek, Brush Pairie, WA

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