Eagle Trace Golf Club

One of the many Floridian creations of architect Arthur Hills, the course at Eagle Trace Golf Club (formerly TPC at Eagle Trace) opened for play within a private club in 1983.

The course at Eagle Trace lies only a few miles south of the daily fee another former TPC course at Heron Bay – both former sites of the Honda Classic. Eagle Trace is the centerpiece of a residential project encompassing 950 houses, incredibly, only 30 years ago, this property was a dumping ground for excess topsoil and building waste from other local developments.

As there are relatively few penal bunkers on the course (27 greenside traps and around a dozen other sand hazards, most of which are large waste areas) water is the main protector of par here and every hole except 9 and 18 offers an aquatic challenge. “Eagle Trace was an Arthur Hills design that attempted to blend Scotland with Florida.” Wrote George Peper in Golf Courses of the PGA Tour. “It didn’t work. The treeless gently rolling terrain had a British feel, except for the presence of one element – water. A virtual canal system ran through 16 of the 18 holes, creating a crossbreed layout that was neither a target course nor a links. Since ponds guarded many of the greens, the traditional bump-and-run shots could only splash and sink, and in a stiff wind, the course could make even the world’s best players look like Dorothy and Toto.”

Factor in the framing of many fairways with Oak and Cypress trees and the absence of any real doglegged holes, it’s clear to see that hitting it long and straight is the key to scoring well at Eagle Trace.

Eagle Trace played host to the Honda Classic from 1984-91 before the event moved to Weston Hills Golf and Country Club. Strong winds made the 1991 Classic tougher than usual with only three players breaking 70 during Saturday and Sunday’s play. “This place is a joke,” said Greg Norman. “You won’t see me back here next year. I don’t need to be playing carnival golf.” Many of his fellow professionals agreed and the organisers felt compelled to relocate the event to Weston Hills. The Classic returned to Eagle Trace for its swansong in 1996 before it moved to its TPC namesake at Heron Bay.

To improve the quality of the layout, the course was subject to a recent renovation project where greens and bunkers received a complete makeover and a new irrigation control system was installed.