Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the great women in our lives, and for me and WiscoGolfAddict.com contributing writer Troy Giljohan, this past Mother’s Day was a special weekend—even better—we got the chance to drop off our kids with their grandparents and treat our in-laws to a special weekend away at A major golf resort in the Midwest just several hours south of Milwaukee in Galena, Illinois: Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa.
While close, Eagle Ridge couldn’t feel like southeastern Wisconsin. Its gorgeous bluffs adjacent to the Mississippi River (“Dieppe River…” — real dad, I have to sing Clark Griswold every time we come near it annoys my wife to no end) provide the outback with superb terrain, drive, friendly staff, championship-level golf and location. The gorgeous attractiveness gives her a lot of charm.
Most golf enthusiasts in the Midwest have heard of The General, which lives up to its stellar reputation, but it’s not one golf course that ever makes it an avowed golf destination. Instead, it’s the high school and tertiary courses that make it worth visiting and contributing our hard-earned dollars to…and the Eagle Ridge North and South courses make this Galena neighborhood property well worth the visit.
On Friday morning, my wife, Kelly, and I left our car seats and overnight bags at my parents’ house in Hartland and set off for two days of parents-only fun across the border in Illinois. Driving southwest, we were only a few hours from home, but we felt like we were in a completely different part of the country without losing any of our Midwestern hospitality.
Between the grandeur of the Mississippi River and its stately bluff, the area took me back to my college days at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse. To my regret I did not play more golf while I was there; I still need to go back to shoot and review La Crosse Country Club, and to replay Forest Hills and Drugan’s Castle Mound (one of the locations I got to in college, serving old fashioned after old fashioned) among a few others.
Kelly, Troy, Katherine, and my go-to Galena had a relaxing, entertaining time, which was exactly what everyone needed.
Galena, Illinois
Check-in at Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa was fast and our rooms comfortable. Kelly’s and my room had two queen beds, a sitting area, bathroom and prep area.
We did spend very little time in our room, though, preferring instead to spend the days on the golf courses (for me and Trouda, including a 45-hole day on Saturday!) and in the spa (for Kelly and Katherine). We always hooked up for a drink at the end of each day at the Woodlands Lounge, and ended up every night playing trivia in the lounge.
The last night of our trip – Mother’s Day – Kelly and I decided to head out into downtown Galena on our own. Kellie is definitely our family’s planner, so she took the time to research the area and decided on Galena Cellars on a Saturday night.
Three floors in all, the downtown location of Galena Cellars specializes in well-curated wine and food flights. We tried at least a dozen different wines – many we liked and bought – and the food was excellent. We started with a cheese and charcuterie board, then had twin lobster tails, portobello mushroom fries, and roasted carrot hummus, and everything was delicious.
And the price? Let’s just say the twin lobster tails were only $45. We were really impressed with both the quality and value (theme of the building while in Eagle Ridge) dining in downtown Galena.
Galena Cellars was the perfect restaurant for a night out over Mother’s Day weekend, and would serve as a great place to bring your spouse or significant other any other time, too.
After dinner we wandered the main streets of Galena, which was more spacious than I expected, and got ice cream, macaroons, and another round of cocktails before being met by Eagle Ridge transportation back to the resort for free. Everyone on duty at the resort was incredibly friendly and accommodating, and we couldn’t have asked for more from our night away from the resort.
A historic city located along the Mississippi River, Galena was home to the 18th President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, and was at one time a bustling road during the early development of the United States.
While this has been a bit of a lodging as many of the country’s major cities have receded from the banks of our main waterways, Galena has recently been coping quite well. I’d like to compare it to Stillwater, Minnesota (a charming riverside town with great food, small year-round population, but growing seasonal blooms) – the downtown area was much larger than I expected and was a lot of fun to explore.
There are plenty of great photo opportunities as well while visiting downtown Galena. Here are a couple of our favourites:
to get to Eagle Ridge
Coming from the Milwaukee area, Eagle Ridge is just under a three-hour drive away. Most of it looks like a quad-city drive, but the last 45 minutes to an hour is spent on upside-down back roads – the kind that would be nice to drive on a motorbike or in a Porsche Roadster, but few are less fun in an SUV than late model.
We took a different route home, which was recommended to us by the novice on the south course. By taking Interstate 20 away from the property, we were at least primarily on main roads rather than back roads. The lag was minimal, but it was more comfortable with fewer blind spots and random stop signs.
Looking at Google Maps, each route takes 2 hours and 52 minutes without traffic to/from Menomonee Falls (2:45 to/from downtown Milwaukee), so it’s literally a choose-your-own-adventure scenario.
We all drove on Friday, after my son’s “Donuts with Grown-Ups” event at his elementary school and before the 2:10 tee off at North Playground. We arrived early enough to get the ladies to the newly renovated centre Stonedrift SpaThey spend a good deal of Mother’s Day weekend receiving treatments including massages, facials, detoxes, and pedicures.
Troy’s wife, Katherine, posted all about their spa experience on her Postcard listing Website, linked below:
golf
Chances are if you are reading this article and are interested in visiting Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa You are interested in playing golf, and Troy and I thoroughly enjoyed the four courses there.
As mentioned earlier, The General was about as good as it was advertised. It even reminded me a bit of Blackwolf Run at times with its great adaptation and adventurous uses of land.
There are a lot of golf fans on my Instagram who have mentioned North as their favorite course at Eagle Ridge, and many others who have pointed out South.
On the back of the minor courses, the golf destinations are worth traveling to, and the Eagle Ridge minor courses are worth playing. It is incredibly exciting with its ground movement and design elements, and it is very challenging and very beautiful.
Northern session
Troy and I spent a Friday afternoon on the North Course. Slightly less accurate as The General, it has many of the same signs including exceptional shot values and other global changes in elevation that reveal portions of the property to golfers after good shots.
Holes seven through nine, in particular, were incredibly memorable with clear drops on the seventh and eighth followed by a loaded putt on the nine that had to climb a huge fairway hill.
The course conditioning was excellent, and the styling required heroic shots that now make me think we probably couldn’t have played tips – but it was so much fun!
Full Nordic Course review coming soon
The general
On the first set of Saturday mornings at The General, Troy and I were on location by 5am to start filming.
We had plenty of time to get all our drones and other gear ready as sunrise was delayed by heavy cloud cover, and as we each headed alone towards different sections of the world-class property, we texted each other about how amazing it was. He was. It wasn’t until after we got around that we realized just how much each of them missed the other nine – this place has many distinctive holes and an amazing variety of its hole layouts.
After filming we picked up our clubs and headed to the first tee.
I’m not a great player these days, but I did manage to shoot 39 up front and 42 nines in the back. That was a really strong result for me, especially on a very tough course like the General.
There are very few courses I’ve played anywhere near the elevation changes made by The General. In fact, several holes reminded me a lot of the more exciting holes at another of my favorites in the Midwest, Greywalls at Marquette Golf Club (yes, I know I need to come back soon to reshoot and review) in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
If you have ever benefited 4-some perfect Treat there, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about and realize how exceptional he is.
Full review of the gen soon
Eastern session
After our morning run on The General, we finished early enough that we had several hours to kill before we hit the south course. With the wives tied up with spa treatments, we were green-lit for extra golf.
Great golf destinations are brimming with golfing opportunities, and you’ll certainly find that in Eagle Ridge, where the East Course may command a lower bill but provides a fun, shorter experience well worth checking out.
The nine-hole layout, opened in 1991 and designed by Andy North, Roger Packard, and Bob Lohmann, the course is far from a chip-and-putt experience with some twisted fours, five pars, and all the elevation changes you’ve come to expect at this gorgeous Galena resort.
The second hole, for example, the insanely downhill third par, is a fun example of what players can expect here:
Southern session
We finished off our Mother’s/Friends’ Day golf trip with an unforgettable tour of the South Course.
In typical Eagle Ridge fashion we were greeted and given our plot of land by some of the friendliest newbies we’ve met anywhere. The people of Eagle Ridge are proud of their golf experience, and have plenty of reasons to be. The South Course is another gem with a design that winds through forests and across hilltops, up and down steep hillsides with a strong attention to design.
While this was the last course we played at Eagle Ridge, we had a hard time deciding what was our second favorite. Both the North and South courses are very strong and each stand well on their own.
While I was amazed at the quality of the golf at Eagle Ridge, Kelly and Katherine were incredibly complementary to the spa and resort experience. This ride was exactly what we needed and that such a huge change of pace and overall feeling so close blew our minds.
If you’re looking for a fairly economical way to play unforgettable Midwestern golf this season, consider Eagle Ridge whether it’s with your buddies, your spouse, or even an entire family.
We certainly found Galena a great experience on its own, and I think you – as we were – will be really amazed at how good all the golf is, especially For the price.
Have you had a chance to play Eagle Ridge yet? I’m curious – how do you rank the courses there? My guess is 75% or better would say the General is number one, but what would you put it at number two?
Please, vote in the comments and also let me know what you think of the top three golf destinations in the Midwest for value and quality. Eagle Ridge definitely belongs in the discussion!
Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa website