Montana Golf Course Reviews
Eagle Bend (Eagle/Bear) Golf Club ReviewBigfork, MT
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Eagle Bend Golf Club Overview: This private golf club features three nine hole loops (Eagle/Bear/Osprey). The stats for this golf course review encompasses the Eagle to Bear configuration. The Osprey nine review is separately shown below. Regardless of the configuration played, the golf course isn't overly long as Bigfork sits at about 3,000 feet of elevation and tips don't get too near 7,000 yards. However, each nine features a few challenging golf holes due to OB, water hazards or both. Overall, it is a leisurely, enjoyable place to play golf and a quiet and pleasant surrounding location with well manicured greens. Depending on the time of year played, the course and conditions change substantially as well, creating variation. The best or most memorable of the golf holes are reviewed below:
Eagle Bend (Eagle) Hole 1: This opening dogleg right par four has an important drive as there is hazard to the left and trees for the driver that gets too aggressive in cutting off distance, with OB right of that. The approach is slightly uphill and avoiding the greenside bunker is important. Pins right of center are easier than those to the left.
Eagle Bend (Eagle) Hole 2: From the tee, the drive is uphill and appears a little tighter than it is, but one cannot go left as there is OB over there. Then, the lake begins to pinch in for the second shot with OB continuing down the left. It's less formidable for the approach to the green but there are plenty of sand traps short and right that will challenge a less than stellar shot to the putting surface, which is fairly large.
Eagle Bend (Eagle) Hole 3 (left):
A short-ish straight par with a lake on the right. A big drive can actually fly the lake on the right, but the fairway does also pinch in the farther goes, including a few fairway bunkers and some trees to the left. the green is small, angled front left to back right, and has undulations on the surface but also around it to reject shots on the edge into a couple of bunkers or low areas.
Eagle Bend (Eagle) Hole 6 (below):
This downhill par three has an angled green between two large bunkers. Depending on pin placement and wind, the chosen club and strategy can change quite a bit.
A short-ish straight par with a lake on the right. A big drive can actually fly the lake on the right, but the fairway does also pinch in the farther goes, including a few fairway bunkers and some trees to the left. the green is small, angled front left to back right, and has undulations on the surface but also around it to reject shots on the edge into a couple of bunkers or low areas.
Eagle Bend (Eagle) Hole 6 (below):
This downhill par three has an angled green between two large bunkers. Depending on pin placement and wind, the chosen club and strategy can change quite a bit.
Eagle Bend (Eagle) Hole 9: Straight and long, this hole has thick trees and OB on both sides and requires two blasts to reach a fairly well-guarded green with three bunkers.
Eagle Bend (Bear) Hole 1: This par five doglegs left around some bunkers. There are fir trees on both sides of the fairway that are very low to the ground that will make any shot from under/around them very difficult. However, a strong drive here will give the player a good to reach the green in two. The rest of the hole has some bunkers but is pretty straight forward, with a slightly raised green complex that is more wide than it is deep.
Eagle Bend (Bear) Hole 2: This short par three has a split fairway of sorts, but is pretty wide open. Finding the fairway is key as the green is small and has a really placed sand trap. Pins behind it are on a very small slice of green and require a really good shot to get close.
Eagle Bend (Bear) Hole 4: Downhill, going right is very bad as there are bunkers, big trees and eventually out of bounds. The green is angled around yet another big bunker, so this hole requires two good shots to find the green. Tee shots that go a little left might find their way down to the light rough or even the fairway.
Eagle Bend (Bear) Hole 5: This tough par four features a lake on the left (only huge drives can find it) that really plagues the green complex. There is also a bunker short as well leaving the only real bailout as pin-high to the right of the green, which is otherwise quite shallow and raised. Going too far left or right off the tee is also OB.
Eagle Bend (Bear) Hole 7: The most striking hole on this nine has a green up against a marsh-land type hazard. the green angles from front left to back right, but misses long and left leave an awkward shot down humps to the green, with all shots rolling toward the hazard. In 2025, heavy rains caused this hole to be adjusted and now the water has no reeds and the green feels more open although the shot itself plays very similar.
Eagle Bend (Bear) Hole 8: The Bear nine's final par four has a drive with hazard really on both sides and then a second shot that has to clear a creek where those join. The hazard is more in play on the drive than the approach, but it's just close enough to be in your mind, especially in a left to right wind.
Eagle Bend (Osprey) Hole 2: The Osprey nine plays closer to Flathead Lake than the other two nines, but is also lower in elevation and very flat. This par three hole gives the golfer just a peek at the largest lake west of the Mississippi River (in the USA) but the golfer must avoid the more "local" lake that goes left of the green. Otherwise, the right front of the green is the most open and easiest to hold, but there is a bunker back-right as well.
Eagle Bend (Osprey) Hole 4: This par four has water to clear but it's easy to do so. The lake right of the fairway is between 250 and 300 yards to reach, depending on the tee played. If those hazards are avoided and the golfer doesn't go way left into the trees, then this short-ish par four is a good scoring opportunity.
Eagle Bend (Osprey) Hole 5: This long par four starts the best 5 hole stretch on property and might feature the most difficult tee shot as well. Requiring driver, the player can't go left into the Flathead River (usually guarded by Osprey or Bald Eagle nests as well) and there is also a pond to the right for drives that over-compensate. The green is guarded left by the river and has two well-placed bunkers ready to gobble up shots as well.
Eagle Bend (Osprey) Hole 6: This is one of the most dynamic and beautifully located par threes in the world. The shot itself is fairly tough, required a mid to long iron to a wide green that is fronted by a large bunker. However, the dynamism lies in the Flathead River to the left and the views of the mountains beyond. In the spring, the water levels are lower so the short/left of the green appears almost like a bunker as it is dry river bed and the background peaks are covered in snow. in the summer months, the snow on the mountains disappear, water levels rise and the river approaches the putting surface making it a much more threatening hazard.
Eagle Bend (Osprey) Hole 7: The most visually intimidating tee shot here is on this dogleg left par four. Picking a line and carrying the water is a must but there is also another pond right for the golfer that bails out too much. If the golfer can fit their shot in right of the lone tree and left of the bunkers, it leaves a decent shot into the green that also has a couple of bunkers short that flank the putting surface.
Eagle Bend (Osprey) Hole 8: This par five sends the golfer on a wrap-around odyssey to the left. The drive can challenge the water on the left to leave a shorter approach, which usually then plays downhill. Playing as a three shot hole will leave a better angle to most pins but the challenge of a UGIR is there for the player who can strike two shots well. Carrying the water and finding the front bunker is also not a bad outcome as up and down from there is possible.
Eagle Bend (Osprey) Hole 9: The closing golf hole to the front nine requires the golfer to stay left of the water and right of the thick trees. The green is massive with water short and right of the surface.
