Review: Eagles Crossing Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Eagles Crossing, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is by far the longest par 4 on the course, playing a hefty 440 yards. There's a bunker left and a line of trees (with the fifth on the opposite side), but that bunker is pretty close and not difficult to carry with a driver. A good drive will leave a mid iron slightly uphill to a narrow green sharply sloped from back to front. It's definitely a tough hole, though hardly an interesting one.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a shortish par 4 at 365 yards, with the tee shot playing downhill to a narrow fairway with dense forest right and scattered trees left, along with a fairway bunker that, like the previous hole, is easily carried. It doesn't even come into play if you use a fairway wood, which is the smartest choice. The hole is short and a wood will still leave you with a wedge for the second shot. The green is on the smaller side and protected by a single bunker front right.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is the longest hole at Eagles Crossing, playing 555 yards to a narrow fairway pressed hard against O.B. mere feet from the right side. The left side is relatively open, but it's the second shot where things get complicated. Starting about 150 yards out, a cluster of dense trees cuts in from the left, narrowing the playing corridor down to something like 20, maybe 25 yards, and the fairway doesn't widen out at all until you're about 50 yards from the green. That is not an easy gauntlet to negotiate; of course, you can lay up short, but then you're looking at a mid iron third shot. That doesn't feel good either. Anyway, whatever you do decide, the green is fairly shallow and tilted from back right to front left, with bunkers in front and behind.

Ultimately, it's not the strategy itself I mind, but the execution. The idea of presenting a hazard in the lay-up zone of a long par 5 is sound and can work, forcing you to either challenge the obstacle or settle for a long approach. Here, the penalty for failure is too severe. If you're even slightly off on the second shot, you're looking at a lost ball, and that is no fun. If it were bunkers in similar positions to the tree lines, this hole would be fine.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is the shortest hole on the course, playing 145 yards to another relatively shallow green. This green is very sharply tilted from back to front, and there's a single bunker guarding the front left. Honestly, all this hole needs is a bit of tree pruning (the left hole location you see below is 100% obscured by overhanging tree limbs) and it's fine. It's a shame the sixth and the last par 3 on the course are so terrible, because this hole and the third are honestly okay.

The thirteenth hole.

The fourteenth hole is 370 yards and plays to a narrow fairway framed on all sides by dense forest. The fairway also runs out about 215 yards from the tee, making a long iron (or fairway wood for the shorter hitters) mandatory. I suppose one could try to fly the trees and cut the corner; I think the carry is doable, but I've never seen it done so I don't know if it's actually possible. For most, the second shot will be a short iron to a long, narrow green with multiple tiers.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a short par 4 at 310 yards, though since it plays uphill I doubt too many people are reaching the green in under regulation. The ideal tee shot is out to the right, which will leave yourself a direct line up the axis of the green, which is tucked into a small amphitheater and has a lot of back to front slope to it. Especially at the front; if you miss this green long you have to be very careful with the chip back down the hill. 

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is 190 yards and plays steeply downhill to a peninsula green jutting out into a pond, with water in front, left, and right, and two bunkers behind. This is not a hole I particularly enjoy, though I suppose it is easier than the seventh. At least here the green is relatively large and you can miss long safely. The chip down is tricky since the green slopes from back to front, but not impossible. If it were 150 yards, this hole would be fine, but 190 is a little too long.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is a mid-length par 4 at 385 yards, playing uphill to a fairway that bends left to right around a cluster of three bunkers. Obviously carrying those bunkers gives you a shorter second shot, but beyond that there's no real strategic advantage to challenging them too closely. The second shot is a wedge or short iron up the hill to a medium-sized green with a single small bunker front right.

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is a long 550-yard par 5 that plays from a commanding viewpoint at the top of the property's central ridge. Unfortunately, that long view is pretty much everything the hole has to offer. The playing corridor is a million yards wide with the two bunkers within reach on the tee shot doing little besides simply being there. If you can reach the green in two, there are two bunkers in front to challenge you, but for most, the second shot is a simple matter of moving the ball forward. The green is a little tricky, but nothing particularly memorable. It's just a boring hole all around.

The eighteenth hole. Way to waste a commanding vista with the lamest hole imaginable.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

I played Eagles Crossing twice in 2025, so clearly the answer to "would I play this course again" is yes. However, much like Maple Run last month, that has more to do with geographic convenience and a relatively empty tee sheet than anything else. Really, Maple Run and Eagles Crossing do sort of fall into the same general class of golf course: They're not good, but they do definitely offer things for me to write about. The worse thing a golf course can do is be boring, and for the most part Eagles Crossing is very far from boring. That seventh hole is certainly something else, and the tee shot on 9 will continue to irritate me for years to come. 

However, I can't bring myself to fully hate this place. When you charge me less than $30 for 18 holes and get me around in a little over 3 hours, particularly post pandemic, you can get away with a lot. Would I recommend it to others? Hell no. It's an absolutely baffling, often very annoying and stupid golf course. But sometimes all I want is a place to play golf at a quick pace, and Eagles Crossing can offer that.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Dublin Drop

The brewery: RAK Brewing Company, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "Rich, luscious Maris otter stout base with an extended boil. Conditioned on Jameson soaked oak spirals and Irish cream flavoring. The perfect drink to make you feel a little Irish!"

Would I buy it again? This was honestly a very good beer. Rich, creamy, sweet, everything you'd want from an Irish stout on the eve of St. Patrick's Day. There was just a single problem with my drinking experience — it was quite literally 85 degrees on the day I had this beer. The timing was appropriate, it was just ridiculously, record-breakingly hot out. Ah well, what can you do? Anyway, so long as the mercury remains under, say, 60 degrees, I'd definitely buy this again.

Review: Eagles Crossing Golf Club (Part 1)

Ah yes, Eagles Crossing. This golf course.

If you played high school golf in south-central Pennsylvania, this was a golf course you dreaded. It was the bane of country club kids everywhere — a public golf course with less-than-optimal playing conditions. Also, it was tough and weird and punishing, and just not a lot of fun. Of course, not being a country club kid, I usually did comparatively better here than my peers since I grew up playing on a crappy 9-hole muni. 

That doesn't mean I liked Eagles Crossing, or that it's a good golf course in disguise. Because I don't, and it isn't. However, it still deserves its time in the review spotlight. Because while this is about as far removed from good, strategic golf as can be imagined, it is at least interesting. For better or worse. Mostly worse.

The first hole is a shortish 365-yard par 4 that plays downhill to a broadly rippling fairway pressed against dense forest left. You have the whole world to the right though, and while the large greenside bunker theoretically offers a worse angle, in reality it's so far separated from the green that it's almost irrelevant. The green here is at least fairly undulating, with the back-right corner being noticeably perched up over the rest. Honestly, not a terrible opening hole.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is 380 yards and bends right around a cluster of trees to a fairway banked from left to right that's pressed close to a line of trees that marks an O.B. line. Obviously, the closer you take your drive to those trees, the shorter your second shot will be. The green here is tilted from left to right and has a single bunker left.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is 165 yards but plays downhill. This hole is actually pretty tricky when it comes to judging the distance; not only does the hole play downhill, the green slopes significantly away from the tee. Land a ball on this green, and it won't stop easily. The water past the green is a threat, particularly if you pull your tee shot, but because you should really be aiming to land the approach short and bounce it on, it's not as much of a concern as it looks.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 375 yards and plays dead straight to a wide-open fairway. If you're a long driver, a few pine trees on either side do narrow things slightly, but there's really no reason not to use driver here. The second shot will be a wedge up the hill to a semi-blind green with bunkers on either side.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a 500-yard par 5 and Eagles Crossing's first really strange hole. The tee shot plays gradually downhill to a fairway that's initially quite wide, but around 150 yards out from the green, dense forest cuts in from the right, narrowing the playing corridor significantly. Also, from the hole's low point, roughly the same place the trees start, the fairway climbs something like 50 feet up to the green, which is small, shallow, and virtually impossible to hit without a wedge in your hand. So while you might technically get in range to reach the green in two with the drive, there's really no point in trying. 

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is 310 yards and plays significantly downhill. Now, normally when you have a short par 4, you're usually given a reason not to use driver. Here, a "pond" — more of a drainage spot than anything — placed between 200 and 250 yards out pretty much precludes the use of anything but driver. Using driver grants you pretty unlimited lateral space and takes the hazard out of play. There is literally no reason to use anything else. Anyway, the green is medium sized, slopes from back right to front left, and has a single bunker left. This hole feels more like a super-long par 3 than a short par 4.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is probably the most infamous of any hole at Eagles Crossing. It certainly is to me. At 170 yards, both the length and elevation change from tee to green are modest, but the reality on the ground is very different. The first 150 yards of the hole are over a pond, with the last 20 going straight up a 25-foot-hill. The green is wide and incredibly shallow; we're talking maybe 15 yards deep. That is not a lot of space for the short or mid iron most people are going to use here, especially considering the dramatic falloff in front. Even if you clear the water initially, if you come up even an inch short, odds are you're rolling right back down into the pond. And it's not like there's any breathing room long, as the landscape quickly rises up into dense forest. If the seventh was 50 yards shorter, I wouldn't mind it so much. It would be a classic do-or-die short par 3, but 170 yards is way too much for the shot this green is demanding.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth tee is situated back in the trees, which means the tee shot has to negotiate a narrow chute of trees to reach the admittedly quite-wide fairway. If you've got a big cut on command, you can use driver, but most will want to stick with the 3 wood. That makes this 550-yard par 5 a distinctly three-shot affair. A bunker 150 yards out on the right side of the fairway does give you a little something to think about, as do the trees left, but mostly the second shot is just about advancing the ball. The green here is on the long and narrow side, and slopes pretty severely from back to front.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

Did you come of the eighth tee and think, "Gee, that tee shot was tough, I sure hope I get to do the same thing again, but with way less wiggle room and with an even shorter club." Well, you're in luck, because the tee shot here on the ninth hole is far more punishing than the previous hole. There's maybe 20 yards between the trees on either side, and the fairway on this 350-yard par 4 turns about 250 yards out, so that means you can probably use, at most, a 3 wood. A long iron is better though, particularly since the penalty for being slightly off-line is so harsh. A careful tee shot will leave a full wedge slightly uphill to a green protected by two small bunkers left. That's fine, but the tee shot is absolutely miserable, and in five-plus rounds here over the years, I'm not sure I've once managed to avoid the trees.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll take a look at the back nine.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Long Jawns

The brewery: Yards Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Description (from the website): "When it's cold as a kegerator outside, you need a smooth and delicious winter lager to warm up your insides. So button up your trapdoor, and get ready to hibernate, because it's gonna be a Long Jawn winter."

Would I buy it again? Sometimes the winter lagers mix in a few too many spices, straying from the maltiness that mark a good lager. This is not one of those. There are certainly hints of those spices (ginger, cinnamon, etc.), but they're not overpowering. The lager remains at the forefront here, which is to the beer's benefit. I would definitely buy this again. 

Beer of the Week

The beer: Basic Bee

The brewery: Black Flag Brewing Company, Columbia, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "Our pumpkin pie ale for all the Ugg-boot-wearing, PSL-loving souls out there. Brewed with real pumpkin, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla, it’s basically autumn in a glass. Smooth, slightly sweet, and perfectly spiced, this beer pairs well with flannel selfies, leaf piles, and pretending you’re at a pumpkin patch for the ’gram. Grab one before your yoga class—because we know you literally can’t even wait for fall."

Would I buy it again? Not exactly the time of year for pumpkin pie beer, but it was available and looked good, so why not? The maple syrup definitely intrigued me. Unfortunately, this beer didn't really do all that much for me. Not that it was bad; more that the flavor was muddled. I think they threw a few too many things into this particular pumpkin beer. When you have five different strong flavors all fighting for dominance, it ends up not tasting like anything other than sugar. I really didn't get any pumpkin, which is ridiculous considering what this beer is. So, I'd probably pass on this in the future.