Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa - The General Course

The Good: The crown jewel of the Eagle Ridge Resort, Roger Packard & Andy North's track has more of an northern Michigan feel than western Illinois. Rugged design has impressive vistas and elevation changes, with some eye-popping Par 4's and Par 5's. Fantastic course conditions and excellent, large undulating greens. Very nice clubhouse with locker rooms and a full gourmet restaurant. Superb staff will get your day started off great and monitor pace of play. Guest and replay rates are very good.

The Bad: Fairways can be a little too moist. No driving range or short game practice area on-site is a huge minus given the quality of course. No GPS. Too many forced carries and small targets for the mid-high handicapper. Rates at nearly $150 for public play is a little steep. Par 3's aren't overly memorable.

The Verdict: "The General" is a Top 5 public golf course in Illinois. One could argue with better practice facilities it could be the most complete golf experience in the state.

Best Hole(s): The Par 5 6th is mesmerizing with a theater of woodlands engulfing the hole. The Par 4 #13 is an absolute brute with a great view of the Galena territory in the background.

Truly a gem, The General course is cut through the beautiful, rolling hills of Galena. Spread out nicely, the course really takes advantage of its landscape. It's hard to believe you're even in Illinois while on this course. Conditions were good but not excellent and for over $100 a round I would expect pristine. None-the-less the course is beautiful.

I have heard people refer to the General as "gimmicky" with some of the holes being a little extreme with elevation and a few blind tee shots. I am not a golf course design expert, but I think it is a beautiful course with some spectacular views/holes. It's a little costly but deals can be had if you stay at the resort or look on Golfnow. The General can be challenging but not overwhelming. And if you find the general too tough, head to the North course, which has some great views of Lake Galena and tends to eat a few less golf balls. Both courses are definitely worth playing and gorgeous in the fall!

One of my favorite courses! Challenging with incredible scenery. A must play if staying at Eagle Ridge.

Great views and vistas with very challenging holes interspersed with manageable holes. When you are done you will feel a satisfaction if you shot a decent score. Greens are quick with a lot of undulation so get your ball in the correct spot and your score will benefit mightily! Flat lies are basically a rumor so learn to play with the ball well above or below your feet or else! One of our favorite layouts.

GW Johnson

Played the course as a single on a Friday AM - teed off at 9 AM and played behind a twosome. Played two balls and sometimes three when time permitted. Greens were incredible! Rolled like a pool table top - took a little getting used to but i adjusted quickly. The conditions were great, and the views outstanding. The rate was reduced by 30% because i was staying at the resort and was $100 as a result. That's kinda pricey for me but i had a $75 gift card so it was much more palatable. I would love to play the course again, but probably would play twilight so that the rate isn't so expensive.

The General is a fine example of outstanding golf. Even though it rained the day proceeding our arrival, the course was in great shape (cart path only). I have played several other notable courses in Illinois including Cog Hill & Weaver Ridge and The General continues to amaze and impress, truly earning its status as a Top 100 course. The greens roll fast, but true, and generally speaking have less break than you would think. The elevation changes often with most holes playing significantly uphill or downhill. A special note of interest: the carts are basic and do not include GPS or a ball/club cleaner (which I would expect from a course of this caliber). Definitely a course to be enjoyed by the straighter hitters as hitting in the rough will often result in a lost ball or an unplayable lie. Very challenging tee to green, but with four levels of tee boxes I believe this course could be enjoyed by the intermediate to expert golfer. If you are a beginner or consider yourself a novice, definitely add this to your bucket list, but do not attempt to play until you get better!

I gotta say, they spent a few bucks with the heavy equipment carving some picturesque terrain into an awesome visual display. And that may be the toughest part of the course, ignoring the scenery long enough to concentrate on your golf shot. (I birdied 3 holes, got pars on 5-6 more and still shot 94!). So if you stay on the course it's not very difficult, but most stray shots will never be seen again.
11 and 14 get all the ink, but I just loved #17. Iintimidating drive, tough up hill approach, and tiered green. 9, 10, and 18 are also pretty driving holes. Like I said the views will 'drive you to distraction!'

We called to see if we could get out earlier and they were very accommodating and got us out 1 1/2 hours early. Tee boxes on par 3s were a little rough but this late in the year it's understandable. Overall a great experience.

We got a great price through Golf now and drove all the way from Chicago to play this course. It was worth it. A course that gives the impression of being a brute, but any level of golfer can enjoy this course if they choose the right tees.

All of the Eagle Ridge courses are fantastic and fun to play, but The General remains the crowning glory of Galena. I played The General many years ago and finally made a trip back specifically to play this course. Known for its difficulty, The General provides tremendous experience from all of the tee boxes. However, if you are visiting Galena and are not a serious golfer, stick to the North and East courses because the General and the South courses are far more difficult. The views are stunning, the greens rolled perfectly and were very fast which I enjoy (some may not) and we played early so the round was fast. No hole is alike with undulating fairways and dense brush, but if you are able to hit the fairway you are left with a chance at par, but birdies are rare. Some holes plunge hundreds of feet down into the forest, some bend around some water and through limestone bluffs. We played at 7am and morning sun was just spectacular...bring your camera and your A-game, you'll need it. This is truly one of the best courses in the Midwest, and perhaps the country. The General is well worth the price and it is a round you will never forget. This is golf.

The General was a great course with lots of variety in holes. Only complaint was that greens were a little slow. Oh and plan to bring a couple extra balls

this course is very challenging. the views are awesome i'm looking forward to golfing here again this was my 1st time playing this course.

Great mix of left to right and right to left holes as well as downhill and uphill shots. Greens roll very true and hold really well. Some of the tees were a bit over used but overall this is a great golfing experience.

Spectacular course from start to finish. Great elevation changes and superb conditions. Very challenging course with no two holes alike. Bring your camera as most holes are worth a photo stop.

Target golf for the thinking player, in every aspect, from tee to green. Not for the faint of heart. Keeps you thinking, from the #1 tee, to the 18th green. Fantastic.

A must play if your in the Galena area recommend best ball if your golfing with couples you'll enjoy the course more.

This course is challenging. If you like a high risk high reward course this is the course for you. It is a very tight course. If you have a hard time staying in the middle with your tee shot you better bring about a dozen balls.The greens run fast and true. This course has multiple holes that have elevation changes including their signature hole 14 which is 18 stories above the green. This course is incredibly beautiful with trees throughout the course at one point you can see three states Iowa Illinois and Wisconsin from the tee box. Only downfall of this course is as there is no driving range at the General we asked the attendant when we first got there there was a range and she said no we don't have one at this course. Great track!

I really enjoyed playing this course. The scenery and the views were extraordinary. Club selection was challenging, at times, given the changes in elevation...numerous uphill and downhill shots. I would expect to score much better the next time I play it. The heat index on the day I played The General was +100. A staff member (I think he was the marshal) made it bearable by providing all golfers on the course with an ice cold towel. In fact, he came by a couple of times to refresh our towel. How nice was that? The only slight negative on the day was the pro shop staff. I felt like we were "bothering" them, especially after our round.

It goes without saying that The General is one of the top 5 courses in the Illinois/Indiana/Wisconsin/Iowa area. Each hole is truly spectacular and the layout is second to none for a Midwest course. The only issue, and it was extremely obnoxious, was the amount of bugs. On a couple of greens, it was so bad that our group simply picked up our balls and drove to the next hole. Apparently the course has some kind of solution that you can apply to your clothing to keep them away, but we didn't receive this message until after the round!

Other than the bugs, our experience was A+ quality. The staff and course conditions were great, thank you!