Tucked in the northwest corner of the state of Illinois just a little more than a long par 5 from either Iowa or Wisconsin sits the rustic village of Galena. Cut out of the rolling hills just to the east of the town center is one of the most fascinating golf resorts in middle America—Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa
    Conde Nast Traveler has named Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa one of the Top 100 golf resorts in the world. Let’s face it, when you make the top 100, there’s not much separation between them. So, what places Eagle Ridge among the elite?
    If it’s a golf resort, let’s start with the golf. The are two common threads that run through the 63 holes offered at Eagle Ridge. The first is the aesthetic beauty of the entire facility. It is one thing to be blessed with a beautiful setting. It is quite another to maximize its effect. It seems that every turn you take opens another breathtaking vista.
    The other thread is the challenge. Whether you take the championship quality layout of The General, the watery South Course, the rural and rolling North Course, or the executive nine-hole East Course, you will be met with a challenge to any level of skilled player.
    Let’s take a look at the North Course.
    In 1977 when the North Course was open, golf began at Eagle Ridge. Perhaps because it’s within walking distance of the accommodations, the North Course gets the most play, but it could also be because of the challenge it presents.
    The North Course is the longest on the property at 6,875 yards from the back tees. It has the widest fairways and the largest greens. So, this course is a pushover, right? Wrong. Only four of the 14 driving holes are straight. Not only do you have to drive the ball solidly, you must be able to control your ball, both left to right and right to left. In addition, there aren’t many flat fairways on the North Course, so the contour of the fairway will influence the shot selection as much as the shape of the hole.
    If you’re looking for a postcard hole, the North Course has more than it’s share. A favorite is the 165-yard par 3 eighth hole. It’s downhill from the tee and the green that is set into a hill is fronted by a large bunker. However, before you reach the sand, you have to carry a corner of Lake Galena which opens up to the left of the hole. Unfortunately, reaching the green doesn’t insure a par. First you’ll have to negotiate the two-tiered putting surface—never an easy task.
    A round on the North Course begs for another. Because of the unique design, playing a different set of tees presents an entirely different set of challenges.
    All four courses at Eagle Ridge are the products of the imagination and determination of Roger Packard, the son of noted Chicago-based golf course architect Larry Packard. The younger Packard showed a wonderful talent for integrating a meandering stream into a golf course routing that sets the South Course apart from the other three on property.
    Opened in 1984, the South Course was quickly acclaimed being named the “Best New Resort Course of the Year” by Golf Digest. Cut through a heavily wooded valley, the course flirts with a stream that is sometimes benign, sometimes imposing on 11 of the 18 holes.
    The South Course can be stretched to 6,762 yards, but that doesn’t mean that the better player can finesse his way around the course hitting 3-woods and irons off the tee. Five par fours stretch to over 400 yards, including the 469-yard 15th hole where two high quality shots are needed to reach the green and the 15th isn’t even the number one stroke hole.
    The final aesthetic reward is standing on the par 4 18th tee. You look down from the tee to the fairway with the creek running across the fairway. You wonder if you can carry your drive over it. The answer is probably not. Then your attention is drawn to the ponds guarding both sides of the fairway and what looked like an easy tee shot, got a bit tougher. The second shot is uphill to the green and once you putt out, you look back over the South Course with warm memories of a great experience.
    What can be challenging about a nine-hole executive course? Tee it up on the East Course and you’ll get all the challenge you want. It’s a par 34 layout featuring a par 5 and three par 3s and measures 2,648 yards.
    The hardest hole to design in golf is a challenging short par 4. Packard figured out the secret. You can start with bunkers and narrow fairways. Mix with a devilish imagination and you have the East Course.
    No hole typifies the challenge of the East Course than the 282-yard par 4 second hole. Drivable? Maybe. A risk? Definitely. The second shot challenge includes avoiding the single bunker that guards the right side of the green, but on a 282-yard yard hole, how long would that shot be?
    It’s not the second shot that will get you. It’s getting to that shot that will make you think twice about your strategy. The fairway is extremely narrow and features a sheer limestone cliff to the immediate right and a rocky creek running down the left side. Good luck!
    The star of the show at Eagle Ridge is The General. Its 6,820 yards might not conjure images of a grip and rip it PGA Tour course, but it does make even the most skilled player pay attention to detail. Perfect execution of a golf shot both mentally and physically is rewarded any less in either category is dealt with accordingly.
    Packard enlisted the counsel of two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North in designing The General. The pair concocted a golf course that is in turn, diabolical, dramatic and beautiful. The slope of 141 assigned to The General attests to its toughness, yet as tough as The General can be, it is extremely fair. It gives back what the golfer puts in on every shot.
    An example of the balance of fairness and challenge is exhibited on the relatively short par 4 eighth hole. It’s only a 372-yard dogleg right par 4 without a bunker either in the fairway or by the green, but it’s just enough uphill that some doubt about club selection and pin location creep into the mind. The penalty is in going long because a limestone cliff completely encircles the back of the green adding yet another dramatic setting and another addition to your book of golf memories—a book that will have 18 new additions at the end of your round.
    While golf is certainly the magnet that draws people to Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa, it is only part of the experience. The before and after are at least as enjoyable.
    The accommodations are first rate. You have your choice of staying in the Inn, a home with up to eight bedrooms, or a villa with either one two, or three bedrooms.
    You have your choice of dining experiences. The Woodland Restaurant offers regional fare that is not only extremely well prepared, but served with precision and warmth. Spike’s Bar and Grill located in the clubhouse at The General specializes in pub grub with soups and sandwiches both creative and tasty and their ham and cheese burgers are to die for.
    The Stonedrift Spa will allow you to steam out the kinks from a hard day on the golf course, or if the kinks are a little deeper, perhaps a massage will be in order. Whatever your needs are to spoil your body, they’re waiting for you at the Stonedrift Spa.
    Should you want to fill in the day with other activities before or after golf, you have your choice of horseback riding, biking, hiking, boating or even breathtaking hot air ballooning.
    Just a short drive away from the Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa is the charming town of Galena. With the Galena River flowing through the middle of town on its way to a collision with the Mississippi less than 10 miles away, there’s a village feel to the town. This is reinforced by a stroll down the reconstructed main streets where a stop in a curio shop is a must and perhaps a horse and buggy tour might be in order. For you history buffs, how can you pass up a tour of the home of Galena’s favorite son, Ulysses S. Grant? The preservation of this historic site includes most of the original furniture used by the Grant family during the time between the Civil War and his presidency.
It’s a step back in time that completes the Eagle Ridge experience. You can be challenged, massaged, entertained, rested and educated all in one stay. The only think not available at the Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa is the feeling that this is your last trip there.