In a place known for its winter games, Eagle River Golf Course offers some first-rate summertime fun
By Dennis McCann. Wisconsin.Golf
June 9, 2020
As the self-proclaimed Snowmobile Capital of the World – the World Championship Snowmobile Derby is held each January – and the Hockey Capital of Wisconsin – the Pond Hockey National Championship is played in February – Eagle River might be thought of as a winter sort of place.
But folks here would argue otherwise, and a chain of 28 lakes where visitors can fish for muskies and 18 holes where golfers can hunt for birdies make for a strong counter case, one welcomed by the thousands of visitors who come to Eagle River every summer with golf clubs in the trunk and a boat on the bumper.
Eagle River Golf Course head professional Tony Sable took the job only a few months ago after five years at the Wilderness Club resort in Montana but he hails from northern Wisconsin and knows the vacation drill as well as anyone.
“Everybody wants to play in the morning and fish in the afternoon,” he said.
Of course, an angler can get skunked on even the fishiest lake. At Eagle River Golf Course, a municipally owned layout that is even older than the community itself, getting skunked isn’t likely. When I played the course on an unseasonably warm June day I found it to be a little challenging but a lot of fun – a high compliment for any golf course – and on top of that to be in terrific condition.
