Since its opening in 2004, the Eagles Nest Golf Club has proven itself to be a magnificent rival to the famed Glen Abbey Golf Club. This world-class “pure golf” Doug Carrick design is not for the faint of heart. Firstly, it’ll cost you a pretty penny during prime time in the summer to tee it up on a course that only the bravest duffers would dare walk, but there are those who arrive at the club’s private heli-pad to take up the challenge.

Undulating fairways wind their way through a rolling sea of fescue-covered dunes with cavernous sod wall bunkers and clinging rough awaiting any errant shot. “The style for the course evolved out of the rugged landscape left behind from the former sand and gravel operation,” Carrick says of the 235-acre site. The rugged layout offers breathtaking elevation changes, sweeping views of the Toronto skyline including the CN Tower, and the look and feel of a seaside links typically found in Scotland or Ireland. The course changes character on holes three through seven, plunging into the valley formerly known as the Honey Pot Ski centre. Dramatic elevation changes and forested valley slopes covered with towering white pines are the back drop for these holes.

It’s difficult to be anything but spellbound from the moment you arrive until you depart. The 36,000-square-foot clubhouse rivals the best in the country and is home to Lago, a five-star restaurant offering year-round fine dining. There’s also Jim and Garry’s pub where most golfers hang out after a round of golf, while The Nest is an executive boardroom featuring its own wine cellar, private kitchen, and balcony overlooking the 18th green.

Reviewed by Brent Long / The Best of Northeast Golf 2010

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