Eagle Vail GC:
Where Course Knowlege Is Everything

By Sam Flickinger
Rockies Golf Daily Contributor
From the Vail Daily

AVON, Colo. -- Eagle Vail Golf Club is definitely not short on scenery. But hit the ball less than straight when teeing up on this challenging layout and you might be short on balls when walking off the 18th green.

Although not the longest course in the valley, with the back tees measuring slightly more than 6,800 yards, Eagle Vail doesn’t surrender birdies easily. And on many holes, golfers should take a par and run because the potential for big numbers exists on virtually every hole.

“Course knowledge is everything on this course,” said Eagle Vail Head Golf Professional Mike Fox. “You’ve got to know where you’re going. I would expect most first-time players to easily score 10 strokes higher than their handicap on this course.”

Eagle Vail is a course that blends with its natural surroundings almost perfectly. Three holes play either alongside or across the raging Eagle River. Five holes are cut into the side of the mountain, offering an abundance of elevation change. And pristine Stone Creek meanders through seven holes.

Players have been teeing up at Eagle Vail since 1975, making it one of the oldest courses in the area. Having absorbed the spike marks and divots of so many players over the years, not to mention the snow and cold temperatures of 22 winters past, the course demands a lot of maintenance.

Beginning last fall and continuing through the spring and into the summer, Eagle Vail has undergone a series of improvements to ensure the course can meet the golfing demands of a soaring Eagle County population.

“We have some pretty holes. My job is to keep them pretty but also to keep them part of a challenging golf course,” said Eagle Vail Superintendent Chriss Leavitt.

Leavitt has been in charge of course maintenance for the past five years. During that time, he said he has always tried to make the course look and play better than it did the previous year.

“When I started, they allowed me to make some improvements and fix the things we already have,” he said. “We’re doing a lot of work on irrigation, but we still have a long way to go. We’re gradually eliminating the problems we’ve had with runoff.”

One change players will notice this summer is the improved condition of the greens. Last fall, each green was reinforced with sand to help it drain better. Now better equipped to deal with the rain, Fox said he would really like to see some fall soon.

“I think, like most courses around here, what we need most right now is rain,” Fox said. “It’s so dry out there. We’ve had to adjust our irrigation cycles to try and keep up but there’s nothing better than Mother Nature. It’s the best coverage you can get.”

Some of the other improvements made for this summer are the construction of a cart path turnaround on the ninth hole, the completion of a cart path on the fourth hole and a new tee box on No. 17. Leavitt said he hopes to replace the green on No. 15 and the tee box on No. 18 in the near future, in addition to installing new weather shelters throughout the course.

Down the road, look for a fourth set of tees on the course and enlarged tee boxes on all the par-3s.

“(The improvements) have gone really well,” Fox said. “We’ve gotten new mats on the range just to help save the grass a little. The new cart turnaround on No. 9 has been a really big help.

“I think the new yardage cards on the carts have generated a lot of positive feedback from the players. All these things have been done to make the course, more playable for everyone.”

The head professional at Eagle Vail since 1984, Fox said he has always tried to provide both locals and guests with great customer service and a great golfing experience.

“We have a nice mix of locals and guests,” he said. “I think we still provide a really good place for locals to play. The trend in the valley is pretty expensive. And I’m proud we can provide a really good value to our Eagle Vail residents.”

Fox said business at the course this year has been at least as good as last season, and possibly a bit better. With more improvements slated for the future, which may even include a new clubhouse, Fox said he expects business to stay strong.

“We’ve good some good plans and I’m hoping to be around to see them come to fruition,” he said. “All these improvements are going to make this facility better for the golfer, both locals and guests.”