Eagle Bend Golf Club

Jim Fagan II shares his favourite hole from each section at Eagle Bend

The 27-hole layout at Eagle Bend Golf Club in Bigfork, Montana, allows for a great amount of diversity between each of its three unique 9-hole sections. From thick ponderosa pine trees to mountain views, to open space with an abundance of water hazards, this course has it all.

The three sections are named for the wildlife common in the Bigfork area. There’s the Eagle 9, Bear 9 and Osprey 9. Jim Fagan II, membership director at Eagle Bend, said that with such a wide variety it’s difficult to choose just one favourite. But he can pick one from each of the 9-hole layouts.

“On the Eagle 9, my favourite hole would be number 4, which is a par 3 about 200 yards,” he said. “It’s nestled in amongst big ponderosa pine trees and has a very undulating green, so it’s pretty tricky.”

His favourite for the Bear 9? Number 13.

“It has a high, elevated tee overlooking the whole valley and Flathead Lake. It’s Nicklaus design, so it has bunkers—running maybe 100, 150 yards of bunkers running down the right-hand side.”

Fagan said that his favourite on Osprey is hole No. 7—a 400-yard par 4 that runs right along the edge of the marina, an obstacle that perfectly represents this 9’s overall challenge.

“On Osprey we have nine holes, and seven of them have water,” said Fagan, “so it can be challenging.”

Fagan said it’s not just the diversity of the three sections that allow such a wide variety of types of play—the differences also lie in the tee boxes.

“The characteristic with our course is that if you play the blues—which are our longest tees—it can be a difficult course, but if you play the whites or if the ladies play the reds, it’s a very playable course,” he said. “The tee boxes definitely make it. It’s two totally different courses, depending on whether you play the back tees or if you move up.”