Valley of the Eagles Golf Links is getting some back-to-back press coverage. The local golf course featured prominently in an eight-page spread in the September edition of Golf Digest about Anchorage, Palmer, Haines and Juneau courses.
The annual bald eagle congregation also gets a mention in the piece. The courses “integrate the player into this incredible scenery… in playing a round, you become part of it,” wrote photographer Dom Furore.
The magazine piece apparently also inspired a visit by John Henebry, who photographs golf courses around the world. Henebry will incorporate a Haines shot of Valley of the Eagles in his 2016 calendar, said Niall Hackett, pro at the local course.
Hackett said managers of the course are excited by the publicity. “(The Golf Digest piece) is a pretty good story about golf and nature and the balance between both, which is what we’re about up here.”
Hackett said Henebry was impressed by the setting of the course, which compares well to ones in places like Scotland and Hawaii. “It’s just a different kind of beauty, to have a golf course here.”
Links owner Stan Jones said he’s hoping the publicity boosts numbers at the course, particularly from cruise ships. He says the course attracts about 400 cruise ship passengers per year. Increasing that number is key to making the course break even some day, he said.
A golf tour is sold aboard Holland America ships visiting Haines and aboard Royal Caribbean and Silver Seas ships in Skagway. “(The publicity) is an honor. If somehow it could be leveraged to get more ships in Skagway to sell a tour here, that would be a major thing,” Jones said.