“This is Chris’s Course, and he’s got a winner.”
– Pete Dye
Located just north of East Lansing in the Hawk Hollow golf complex, Eagle Eye is a visually stunning transformation of a former sod farm and cornfield into a British/Irish link style layout designed and built by Chris Lutzke.
The owner, Darryl Kesler, was seeking to add a course of professional tournament caliber to the mid-Michigan area and Lutzke delivered in grand style. From the back tees at 7308 yards, the par 72 Eagle Eye can lay as long and difficult as any course in the country. At the same time four other sets of tees (6731, 6490, 6107 and 5151) and generous landing areas will allow every skill level of golfer to enjoy the challenge.
The length of the course, however, is not the major factor in the professional qualities at Eagle Eye. The true challenge is in the flow of the routing, the variety of shot values into the green complexes, the bunkering, putting on the large undulating greens, and the winds from the surrounding flatlands, including a potato farm, over which the westerly whip unimpeded.
In the construction process nearly 41 acres of wetlands and open water bodies were created, in part, to generate the material necessary to transform the flat characterless land into tumbling magnificence.
Water then, is part of shot-making strategy on thirteen of the eighteen holes. Although that much water is not a particularly British trait, it does allow each player to take as much risk as a match situation might demand, or the casual player cares to attempt. The result is brilliant and bound to draw rave reviews.