The Eagles Golf Club - Forest Course

The Forest Course at The Eagles Golf Club in Odessa, Florida (greater Tampa Bay) is a two-architect 18-hole public facility, Gary Koch designed the front nine, Ron Garl the back, that opened in 1995 and has been a consistent performer in the Tampa-area daily-fee market since. The 6,719-yard par-72 layout threads through a genuinely dense forest (unlike many Florida "forest" courses that are really oak-dotted pastures), with tree-lined fairways tightening the playing corridors and smaller greens demanding precise approaches. The signature island green at the par-3 6th is a 139-yard all-carry shot with water on three sides and a small bailout; the drivable par-4 3rd is a classic risk-reward test where eagle or disaster are both on the table. A 2012 renovation modernized the Champion Dwarf Bermuda greens and 419 Bermuda fairways, and reviewers consistently cite the conditions as among the best in the Tampa public-course tier. Golf Digest Places to Play rated both Eagles courses 3.5 stars, reliable if not marquee.