Eau Claire Golf & Country Club | Altoona, WI | Par 71

Eau Claire Country Club is a par 35-36-71 with three par-5s and four par-4s, and it is one of the most up-and-down courses I’ve ever played. It seems like every hole has some sort of elevation change off the tee or on the approach, and many times, on both. The courses flattens out a bit as you make the turn, but be prepared to calculate yardages on terrain that has a lot of elevation change all day. You will also need to be prepared to hit short shots from well below the level of the green, as it comes up many times throughout the course (some places more extreme than others). For a golf club that was founded in 1901 (the present-day course was built in 1929, and renovated in 1966), the layout seems more modern, in that it feels fairly open and the greens were larger than I expected them to be. That said, many of them had an element of crowning to them, making it difficult to bounce the ball to your target. The feeling of openness isn’t exactly accurate, either. There are plenty of very large trees, but instead of having fairways that are lined with trees on one or both sides, the trees are in strategic locations, and they come into play off the tee. Long, thick fescue grass is also a prominent feature at Eau Claire CC. This stuff is SO penal. If you hit it in there, good luck even finding it, let alone having any kind of shot. Like the trees, the fescue isn’t everywhere, but it pops up in pockets where balls tend to wind up. Distance off the tee isn’t at as much of a premium as accuracy is. With many raised tees, you can get away with less than driver, keeping the ball in the fairway to allow yourself to go at greens. The greens are mostly tame in terms of slope and break, but they are wickedly quick. Being above the hole is a major no-no, whether chipping or putting, and a poor putt going in the wrong direction can leave you not with another putt, but with a chip. The course offers a large range of tees, allowing a wide skill-level amongst membership to be able to play. A total of eight tee options, ranging from over 6,800 yards and a 73.4 rating for men, to about 3,500 yards. The intervals between tees are really well done.

This is the course condition you expect when you play a private country club. Eau Claire CC was in remarkable shape, and when you consider how wet of a spring and summer the area has had, that’s no small feat. The fairways were outstanding, often rolling along like nice carpet. The greens were pure and fast. The rough had a range of lengths, but mostly it was playable and fair. There were a few spots I found where it was a little spongier, and my ball sunk down, making for a pretty difficult shot. There’s fescue grass in many places on the course, and it is very lush and thick. It’s pretty to look at, but scary to hit out of, and I’d suggest you not try. The bunkers and tees were renovated in 2021, and both were excellent. I didn’t spend much time in the sand, but what I saw were bunkers with a lower sand amount, which is my preference. You won’t find a course in better condition in the area, in my opinion.

There is a good-sized range with both matts and grass available to hit off of. There are a range of flags to use as targets. The practice green is between the range and the 10th tee and is on the smaller side, but the rough around it was a good representation of what you’ll deal with on the course. I thought the speed of the greens when putting was pretty accurate, too, though some people in my playing group thought the practice green was slower. Either way, it’s close and should get you ready to play.

The clubhouse is nice from the outside – a two-level building that takes advantage of the terrain to have an exposed lower level – and is remarkable inside. You can totally feel the country club vibe as you walk in. To get from the main level down to the pro shop, you take a winding staircase in the middle of the building down to the lower level. The pro shop itself is small, but, for members, probably has more offerings than it does to the general public. This is a clubhouse you want to relax in after your round.

Even without GPS on them, these carts have what is becoming the norm at nicer courses – really high-end seats. They are so very comfortable. They are also electric and ride smoothly and quietly. There is a cooler, but no ball/club washer, and the divot fillers needed some attention. For someone that had never played the course, having GPS would have been very helpful, but I get it. It’s a private course where most of the play is from people that know every square inch of the property. They are still really nice rides.

While my interactions were pretty limited, I thought the staff was very welcoming of our group that was allowed to play on this private track the day I played. They were professional and efficient. We knew there wouldn’t be a beverage cart on the course that day, so we made due with the complimentary bottles of water found throughout the course. There was a youth event going on prior to my tee time, and it seemed to run smoothly, and I have a soft spot for courses that are willing to give back to youth golf.

This is a tough one, because I don’t really know what the going rate is when the general public has an opportunity to play here. I know that I paid $90 for 18 holes with a cart, which I thought was an excellent value considering what the property offered. That was on a Monday afternoon, so I don’t exactly know what you’d pay if you played on a weekend, or if that’s even possible. So take this rating with a grain of salt. I felt like I got a strong bang for my buck at Eau Claire CC.

Eau Claire CC is a very challenging course. There is a smattering of longer holes, but mostly this is course puts a premium on accuracy and leaving your ball in good positions. Figuring out yardages on approach shots can be difficult, as many of the holes have pretty severe elevation change, which results in missed greens. Missing the greens offers some of the most challenging shots on the course. The first holes of each side are good examples of what can happen if you’re shot has less conviction than what is required. The pockets of fescue grass, in most instances, are basically one-stroke penalties, because there’s not a lot you can do with a ball that finds it. That’s assuming YOU can find the ball.

If you enjoy playing on a challenging, well-maintained golf course, you will enjoy Eau Claire CC. It is a tough, but fair test. I mostly enjoyed all the extreme shots that many of the green complexes can offer, but it does put a lot of pressure on your short game, and there are plenty of holes that can beat you up pretty easily. I would love to get the opportunity to try some of them again.

There are a lot of gorgeous holes to choose from, but I am going to go with the par-4 10th as my favorite. We started on the back the day I played, so this was my first hole. It basically gives you a taste of everything you’re going to encounter during your round. The tee shot is relatively level, which is not that common, however, and bends to the left off a fairway bunker complex. There are trees to the left, along with some lighter fescue grass. Misses to the right can reach much lusher fescue grass, so you can’t be too wild off the tee. The hole only plays around 350 yards from the tips, so you shouldn’t have too long of an approach shot. The green is a pretty large one, but it crowned with a severe false front. Shots that come up short will roll back, and putts from above the hole can wind up rolling off and back down the fairway, depending on the pin placement. Consider #10 a beautiful warning of what is to come.

Hole #17 is a long par-4 that doglegs hard to the right, leaving the preferred line off the tee blind. A shot that is left of that line with anything on it risks running through the fairway and into the fescue grass. A miss to the right will find a dense line of trees that will probably result in a lost ball and a re-tee. The approach shot will likely be with at least a mid-iron for all but the longest hitters, making it tough to get to this raised green. Shots that come up short will be repelled, leaving a chip shot that you have probably seen a number of times by the time you play #17. The green is large and sloped from back to front, making it a little more receptive for shots that can climb the elevation. This one requires two very good shots to set up a birdie look.

Hole #1 will take the brunt of my angst, as it made me look silly. The par-4 doesn’t require a ton of accuracy off the tee, but a miss to the right probably means you’ll be contending with large trees. That means you likely can’t even get to the green, as it is severely raised. That’s where things got interesting for me. My first attempt made it onto the green – I even saw the ball disappear over the slope of the front edge. About 10 seconds later, I saw my ball tumbling down the hill in front of the green, leaving me with a 50- to 60-yard blind shot. That shot is what did it for me. I proceeded to hit two more terrible shots, and I can’t be irritated with being penalized when I executed so poorly. I can see a lot of people’s rounds getting off to a rough start with this as the first hole.

I was lucky enough to play as part of a group outing, and I was so excited to see this course. I left very impressed. The course was in magnificent condition, offering so many great views, and the greens were so pure. There wasn’t a lot of course knowledge in my group, so there was a little bit of guessing, but I really enjoyed the course. We played the back nine first, which I completed in a respectable fashion. Then, holes 1-3 (my 10th through 12th) jumped up and bit me. I was able to salvage a decent round, but could feel how gun shy I was on and around the greens due to the speed. All in all, it was a wonderful day on a beautiful property.