Wolfdancer gets ranked among the top public courses in Texas and it was easy to see why! The name “Wolfdancer” stems from the Native Americans who occupied the land years ago. And, I thought the land was the course’s defining feature. There is a mix of open and wooded holes, elevation changes and nice views of the area. Plus, there aren’t any homes in sight. Arthur Hills designed the course.

The front nine is highlighted by the 556 yard par-5 3rd (603 yards from the tips). It plays downhill from an elevated tee box and offers an endless view, where the sky just falls into the terrain. The sea of bunkers contrasted nicely against the green grass too! Like many holes at Wolfdancer the 3rd has a great look to it.

The back nine seemed to have a bit of everything, including a split fairway on the 18th. Much of the back nine plays on some flat land near the river – the 13th through the 18th holes. These holes are lined by pecan trees and are a relaxing way to end the round, after some difficult holes early. For reference, the white tees are 71.3/132/6314.

Before you reach that river stretch of holes, you get to play the 12th, which was my favorite hole at Wolfdancer! The 12th is a short par-3, which is 115 yards from the whites. It is a transition hole on the river bluff and it plays about a club downhill. The green is small and trust me you don’t want to miss over the back edge, as things drop off severely.

The conditions were very nice. The course was well watered and it was comforting to see plenty of green turf, compared to the burnt out look of many courses in this region during the summer! I had good lies and putts rolled well.

Wolfdancer can be a bit pricey but there are a few deals out there to be found if you are so inclined.

From what I had read Hawks Creek seems to get listed as one of the more upscale public options in Fort Worth. That turned out to be my experience – although I actually think it is a muni!

I found a discounted time for $43 on a weekend morning and couldn’t resist booking it! Normally, the green fees go for somewhere around $60 so it was a nice savings. If you want to splurge (an extra $20) then you can get one of those electric golf boards instead of a cart.

While Hawks Creek has a modern feel to it, thanks to a renovation by John Colligan in 2002, the course actually has military ties and dates back prior to Colligan’s work. From what I could find Hawks Creek was previously called Carswell Air Force Base Golf Course. That means you might get to see some some fighter planes taking off and flying around!

The main feature at Hawks Creek is the creek that cuts through the property, and at times it creates some spacing issues. I played the blue tees (71.8/133/6515) and the creek holes are going to be what makes the course a bit tougher. The greens are also fairly demanding!

I thought the best part about Hawks Creek was the maintenance, which was top-notch! The fairways had the ball sitting up and the greens were smooth and quick. The bunkers were beautiful and seem to be some of the best that you’ll find at a public course around these parts.

The above average conditioning and chance to see some fighter jets make it worth a play if you haven’t been out here!

Old Brickyard is a little south of town off the I-45 and I scored a morning deal for $20. Even the normal rate here shouldn’t be much ($35 to $45).

I’ve found a few gems in recent weeks and from my research I hoped Old Brickyard might be another! What made the course so interesting to me is that it is built along some old quarries. Ultimately, the course didn’t make it to that “gem” status, but the setting is as unique as you’ll probably find in North Texas.

Old Brickyard occupies land with some elevation change, thanks to an old brick company’s business here years ago! Apparently the ingredients for bricks were excavated here and the course plays around the edges of the old pits. Overall, I found it to be a pretty neat setting and the course has a cool brick theme with quite a few bricks on display throughout the property.

As soon as I parked the car I was drawn to what I’d later find out are the 9th, 10th and 11th holes, which can be seen from the parking lot. A large lake filled what I’m assuming is one of the old quarries and these holes border the lake. The parking lot and clubhouse sit at a high point (on a bit of a bluff) so you have a great look out over everything.

If you throw in the par-3 8th – Old Brickyard’s signature hole – then you have an awesome four hole stretch (the 8th thru the 11th)! The 8th is a 207 yard par-3 that plays across another lake. It has a great look and forces you to hit a solid long iron or hybrid. Even without playing a ton of courses in the area I’d say this stretch is as good as you are likely to find in North Texas for the sub $50 green fee.

The overall conditions were decent with the tees, fairways and greens in very nice shape. Outside of those areas the rough had lots of crabgrasss, bunkers were thin with weeds in them and there was a decent amount of hardpan. Apparently the course had a landslide earlier this year which can be seen on the 6th hole.

There are plenty of other better courses out there but if you like a course with a story (as I do) then I don’t think you’ll regret a round at Old Brickyard.

I played the Old Course (well at Firewheel!) recently and live pretty much right around the corner. There are three courses here – Bridges, Lakes and Old – and the Bridges has 27 holes. Pace of play was 2.5 hours on a weekend for me so really awesome.

From what the proshop was telling me the Bridges is the “best” course at Firewheel, the Lakes is the toughest and the Old is probably the most enjoyable to play. I guess the Old has been made quite a bit easier in recent years.

Overall, I thought Firewheel’s Old Course was a solid muni. The setting isn’t very inspiring with nearby homes, power lines in play on a couple holes and a what looked like a small water treatment facility near the 17th hole.

If you can overlook the setting I think you’ll find a mostly fun layout that offers you a chance to hit some big drives and make a couple putts. I hit many different clubs and was able to pick all sorts of lines depending on which shot I was trying to play. Keeping things interesting are a handful of drives that play into some super narrow fairways.

One thing that drove me crazy were some of the trees crowding tee boxes! I think that will be the biggest difficulty on the Old Course. If you hit a big slice (like me) then this may not be the place for you as multiple tee boxes have overhanging trees just to the left. If you can get the tee ball past these trees then you can score.

Conditions won't win any awards but they were solid as the course dries out during the summer. The greens were the highlight.

Final verdict - this is a decent muni ($30) and worth a play for the local golfer. I look forward to getting back to try the other courses here.

After my round at Pinnacle I made my way over to check out Star Harbor Golf Course, which is a bit more south along the lake. In a direct line the courses are probably just a few miles apart, but it took 20 minutes in the car to get around the lake and over to Star Harbor.

I got over there a bit after 5pm and parked in what looked like the clubhouse parking lot. Come to find out that parking lot is for City Hall and that is where you pay your green fee! There is a drop box for green fees and I put $15 in an envelope and headed to the 1st tee. I suppose it is pretty common at short courses to pay your green fee on the honor system, but I’ve never done that before.

Star Harbor is a par-34 with three par-3’s, five par-4’s and one par-5. The par-5 is the opening hole and at 420 yards it felt more like a par-4. Still, a drive in the rough and a short iron into the trees had me struggling on such an easy hole.

The rest of the course is made up of short par-4’s, mostly in the 300 yard range. The 8th is a 257 yard par-4 and gives you a chance to drive the green. The tiny greens here should play plenty of defense!

The course’s design is very basic with back and forth holes that make it a nice place for a walk. I played some tunes while carrying my bag and certainly enjoyed the walk, even if the course wasn’t anything special.

The conditions weren’t anything special either. The fairways were better than expected and the tees were playable. The greens were less impressive as they were furry, spongy and super slow. However, the greens seemed to have some decent contour to them.

At its core Star Harbor serves the community and that is a good thing. But, unless you are a golf course nerd like me, there isn’t really a reason to go out of your way for a round here.

Pinnacle Golf Club is one of the East Texas courses that I've been wanting to check out. The community seems to advertise itself as a "Dallas" community, but it is a healthy drive to get out here (about 1.5 hours from Dallas).

The community is a lakefront community on the Cedar Creek Reservoir and has some beautiful looking homes. Unfortunately, you don't get any water views, except the par-3 10th which is a cool hole playing about 180 yards over a finger of the lake. I actually had to wait for a jet ski to go past before playing!

The course is only ~6600 yards from tips but it is a stern test because every hole is a tunnel of trees that you hit down. My Northern CA comparison is Bayonet (at least when I played there years ago). You really need to be accurate to score or you'll spend a lot of time in the woods. Thankfully, everything is cleared out and you can find your ball easily and at least pitch it out. I think I had maybe 6 or 7 pars and I know I hit more trees than that! With all the trees the course presents so well. Many greens slope from back to front and are difficult to putt - a little bit old school in that regards.

The par-5 16th is the only "odd" hole on the course as it has a hard-to-get-to layup area surrounded by water. After the drive it is basically like playing two par-3's.

Everything was in summer bloom with the crape myrtle trees adding some color. The conditions were near perfect as well. Under the trees were thin spots but everything else was great. I think there is some zoysia around the tees and greens so that was tricky to chip from as the ball sat up more than normal.

Somehow I paid $17 and it was a total steal. This place is well worth the $50 green fee. If you are in the area check it out!

Like most short courses Benbrook (9 holes) is more about the walk than the course. The cool thing about Benbrook is that it has lights so you can golf at night. I found out earlier this year playing at night is a blast. I didn’t catch Benbrook at the right time to play under the lights but I’ve got that in mind for next time!

The course itself is a very simple design (think no bunkers and flat greens) and you shouldn’t expect much from the terrain. The land the course occupies easily could be home to grazing livestock! It is flat and has a pond in the middle of it. The most interesting thing about the course’s location is that it is close to Benbrook Lake, which looked like a fun recreational area!

The best holes are probably two par-3’s that play across the pond – the 90 yard 3rd and the 65 yard 7th. All the other holes have a similar feel to them and most are fairly short. The longest holes are the 2nd at 138 yards and the 4th, which is 177 yards.

The conditions were pretty good for $10. Each green had two flags so I could pick my target. I played the purple flags, just because I thought they looked cool! It didn’t really matter though which flag you went at, because every green was in great shape. As I’ve found on par-3 courses the greens are very small and require a perfect shot to yield a birdie putt!

Whitestone turned out to be a bit of a surprise find. It is a mid-level course located on the edge of Fort Worth. I read positive reviews recently and that was my experience as well.

Whitestone is Jeff Brauer and Jay Morrish design located towards the last of the urban sprawl, out near where the prairie seems to begin. While the topography at Whitestone isn’t dramatic (like most of North Texas) it allows for a nice setting for the course. A creek that runs through the course is the main feature – which also seems to be a North Texas theme – but you do get a couple prairie views and a little elevation change.

I played the blue tees which are 73.1/131/6615. I’ll admit Whitestone isn’t “easy”, but I didn’t find it super tough either, besides a large number potentially lurking out there on a handful of holes. I found there to be plenty of space off the tee. The creek is hidden in some spots so it is better to be more conservative than aggressive with your distances if playing here for the first time.

I think the best holes at Whitestone are the par-3’s, especially the 5th, 11th and 17th because they all had some character. The 5th plays across a pond and with the wind gusting I was very proud to pick the right club and get it pin high! The 11th plays downhill at least a club and the green was framed by some bunkers and the prairie while the 17th is surrounded by mature trees.

Conditions were solid with the exception of about half the bunkers which they are re-doing. If you live in Fort Worth this is probably worth a play.

With all the daylight this time of year it wasn’t difficult to squeeze in a replay on the Comanche Lakes course, even after starting my first round at 2:00 P.M! Things were quiet and I got out right away on the Lakes after paying the $33 replay rate.

Comanche Lakes is the newer course at Squaw Valley, opening in 2001. I believe John Colligan gets the credit for the design of the Lakes. As the course’s name indicates the Lakes has plenty of water as its defining feature. The course has seven holes which border two different lakes and those holes have a wetlands feel to them. These holes circle a lake and you get some nice views across the water at the opposite holes. The parallel I drew was something that might be found on the RTJ Golf Trail in Alabama or even at Florida course.

The remaining holes (except for the 11th which is also a water hole) have a nice look as they are lined by mature trees. The 18th is probably the best of the wooded holes because the trees there allow for some strategy. I thought it was a great golf hole!

The 11th crosses Squaw Creek just like the 14th on the Links and has a similar angle. I’d say the right half of the green is the best target because there is a massive spine on the left that separates the front left section of the green.

The conditions on the Lakes were good as well, but seemed a step below the Links. The bunkers on the Lakes need to be redone bad! I ended up in two bunkers and one lie was in thin dirt/sand and the other was in caked mud. The greens on the Lakes were aerated more recently than the Links so they have a little more time still to fully recover.

My preference is the Links at Squaw Valley but the Lakes is a good course too and worth playing if you are in the area. Better yet, make it a 36 hole day here like I did and you won’t regret it!

I went out of the way recently to check out the two courses at Squaw Valley. The facility has 36 holes and is anything but convenient to Dallas! It took about an hour and 45 minutes from where I live to get here, although from Fort Worth it will be a more manageable drive.

The remote location aside I was very impressed with Squaw Valley! The courses looked great and I found them interesting and playable. Plus, for $45 they were in super shape and an excellent value. Squaw Valley represented the things I appreciate most in a golf course!

I started out on the Apache Links course which ultimately turned out to be my favorite course at Squaw Valley. I ended up doing a replay on the Comanche Lakes course late in the afternoon, which I’ll review in my next post.

The Links is the original course at Squaw Valley and was designed by Jeff Brauer, who seems to be a common designer around these parts. The course is defined by an open, links-style front nine and has a clever back nine with a Texas Hill Country vibe to it.

The back nine is where the Links hits you with tons of character! The back plays along and across Squaw Creek, which meanders through the property. The 11th kicks off the parade of shots you’ll hit over the creek. All in all, you play across the creek on six holes of the nine holes.

While I don’t think there is a bad hole on the back nine, the par-3 14th is the signature hole. The 14th is a 165 yard par-3 that is an outstanding hole. It plays across the creek which can come into play if you miss short or left, as everything feeds towards the creek.

The conditions were excellent for the price. The fairways were recently aerated but full and the ball mostly sat up for me. The fairways had some spring to them, which I haven’t adjusted to yet in Texas! The greens were smooth and rolled at a medium pace. I wasn’t in any bunkers but they looked acceptable, just without lots of sand.

I'd put this one on your North Texas list and think it meets that "hidden gem" status.

I found a deal here for $30, which is quite a bit less than the course's afternoon rate of $50. The course is located in a retirement community on the outskirts of the McKinney area. It appears there is a large member base and it is a golf cart community, as I saw quite a few member carts parked near the clubhouse.

Heritage Ranch is pricey with weekend morning times around $80, but the nice thing about the higher price is the great conditions. The tees, fairways, greens and bunkers were all in outstanding shape except for a couple sanded spots. The turf here was more lush than what I’ve found at other North Texas courses since I’ve moved and had a healthy “green” color. The bermuda rough was gnarly and especially difficult to chip from around the greens. The greens were as smooth as can be and slick – I had to be defensive on many of my putts.

I thought the front nine at Heritage Ranch was really well done for a community course. There is some nice elevation change (at least for the DFW area) and some holes near a nice natural area. Mature trees line the 3rd through the 7th and add a nice feel. On the other hand, I didn’t find the back nine all that interesting. The back nine has the good-looking par-3 11th (probably the course’s signature hole) but I thought it lacked some character. Arthur Hills designed Heritage Ranch and while I’m not a huge Hills fan I found Heritage Ranch to be one of his tamer designs.

Overall I think Heritage Ranch is a decent option if you are looking for an upscale course in the area.

Fossil Creek was high on my list of public courses in DFW to check out! I usually enjoy a Palmer design so the course caught my attention. According to the course's website it was one of the final courses to be designed by Palmer himself. Makes ya miss "The King"!

The main feature about Fossil Creek is the creek that cuts through the course. The creek comes into play on a handful of holes while other smaller creeks that feed lakes come into play on other holes. There is quite a bit of hazard trouble here so you might want to bring some extra golf balls. The neat thing about the creek holes are the rock-lined edges that you get to play over (or drop near).

Challenges include small greens, plenty of mounding and I thought some local knowledge would be helpful to pick lines off the tees. The forced carries could be a bit much for some.

The course’s signature stretch starts on the 9th and runs through the 13th. All these holes have some water in play and photograph very well! The 13th is a 173 yard par-3 that plays to a peninsula/island green complex. One of those do or die shots for sure.

Conditions were great and well worth the $50 I paid. Fossil Creek is worth checking out and worthy of its position near the top of DFW public golf - just be prepared for a little target golf.