Choosing two Dallas courses for 36 holes (public only)

I know there have been a number of topics on courses in the Dallas area. However, I was hoping that by adding some additional detail, some of you might be able to help me determine the best 36 hole lineup for one day of golf. Specifically, I will be heading down to Dallas in under two weeks to visit my brother who is stationed down there, along with a buddy.

We will have Saturday and Sunday to play 36 holes each day. We have an early morning round booked at the Cowboys Golf Club, and will likely play a replay round after. I know that many people feel that the course is a poor value, but I got a great deal to prepay the round, so we are going to stick with that for Sunday.

That leaves Saturday, when we plan to play 36 holes. Ideally, we would play two courses within a reasonable proximity to each other (less than ~20-30 min). We are staying in The Colony, but proximity to the hotel isn't a huge deal. I have looked at playing:

• Frisco Lakes then The Tribute
  
• Waterchase then Texas Star
  
• Bridlewood then Coyote Ridge
  

I should also add that my buddy typically shoots mid-80's, I shoot mid-90's, and my brother is usually around 100. Obviously, we will select the right tees no matter which course we play. My current thought is to play Waterchase then Texas Star but I welcome any other thoughts or suggestions.

Thanks in advance for any input you can provide.

Old American is an excellent linksy course near the Colony. Designed by Justin Leonard and quite tough - well, it did me in anyhow. Very different to the Cowboys but a good challenge.

Old American is an excellent linksy course near the Colony. Designed by Justin Leonard and quite tough - well, it did me in anyhow. Very different to the Cowboys but a good challenge.

Old American and Tribute are right next to each other. Good to do those two back to back.

Agree with above just make sure the wind is not blowing or it will be a long day. If you want to cut down on cost you could also play Frisco Lakes with is right by The Tribute and Old American. Pretty open course but always has great greens and it is under $50 to play. Also like Waterchase and Texas Star idea as well.

I checked out the Old American website, but it looks like they don't allow public play on weekends until 11:00AM. Paying $150 for a round at what likely be 1PM, is a tough pill to swallow with so many other nice courses in the area. It looks like Tribute has tee times starting around 1PM for $49. Maybe the best move is to book the earliest tee time at Frisco Lakes, then hit Tribute for the afternoon round.

Assuming we skip Old American, is Frisco Lakes the best option considering cost/location? I was also looking at Coyote Ridge or perhaps Bridlewood. If it's truly worth the extra 10-20 minute drive, we would probably bite the bullet and drive to Waterchase or Texas Star. I wish we had more info about the new Texas Rangers Golf Club supposedly opening later this month as I would certainly add it to the list of options.

Thanks for all of the feedback so far!

Old American and The Tribute, expensive but adjacent.

Waterchase to TX Star is a bit of a road trip, though both are some of the best in DFW.

I'd skip Coyote Ridge, consider Cowboys then Grapevine Municipal (one of the best munis around, anywhere) which are adjacent.

Trails of Frisco and Frisco Lakes within 15 mins of one another.

Old American and The Tribute, expensive but adjacent.

 

Waterchase to TX Star is a bit of a road trip, though both are some of the best in DFW.

 

I'd skip Coyote Ridge, consider Cowboys then Grapevine Municipal (one of the best munis around, anywhere) which are adjacent.

 

Trails of Frisco and Frisco Lakes within 15 mins of one another.

Agree on skipping coyote. It’s great for a local track, but if you’re in town for only a weekend not worth it.

I’d try Frisco lakes in the am and old American in the pm. Tribute, although nice, doesn’t hold a candle to Old American and would be worth if it’s your only time in DFW. But I completely understand about being conscious about the price.

Big fan of Waterchase, would pair this with Fossil Creek. A little further than Texas Star but still doable.

Waterchase and Texas Star are good options, but a long drive from the Colony. Bridlewood and Grapevine Municipal wouldn't be a bad pairing either as they are only 10-15 min apart. I live in the area and I still haven't played Old American so that would be the top of my list personally.

Cowboys to Grapevine would be a great pairing. Cowboys price is a little steep but you get the VIP experience with free food/non alcoholic beverages all day and as stated above, I'd put Grapevine muni up against the best around.

Forget Coyote Ridge, they have not done anything to the bunkers in two years.

Trails of Frisco and Old American/Tribute would be solid. Frisco Lakes WINDY!

:)

Yup, Cowboys is one of my favorites. Grapevine is another good one. Texas Star kicks me in the teeth, but I like it!

Texas Rangers golf club opens this Monday. It's in Arlington and the design looks great but is overpriced for the location. It is a bermuda course but the fairways and greens are fully overseeded and green (which is a bit of a rarity here for a public course this time of year) with great bunkering. I would recommend playing it over most any muni in the area except cowboys if you don't mind spending about $100.

Trails of Frisco was awful when I was out there a few months ago, I would not recommend playing there.

I'm not affiliated with either that's just my take.

Thanks for all of the feedback so far! Given that we're spending more on the Cowboys rounds on Sunday, we're trying to be more cost-conscious with regard to Saturday's rounds. I was able to book a great deal at The Tribute in the afternoon, so that leaves Saturday morning. Given the cost of Old American ($150) and Texas Rangers Golf Club ($119), I think we'll skip those on this go around. It sounds like there are a few good options we will have to consider:

• Grapevine Municipal
  
• Trails of Frisco
  
• Frisco Lakes
  
• Bridlewood
  
• Heritage Ranch?
  

Tough call...a lot of good options.

Thanks for all of the feedback so far! Given that we're spending more on the Cowboys rounds on Sunday, we're trying to be more cost-conscious with regard to Saturday's rounds. I was able to book a great deal at The Tribute in the afternoon, so that leaves Saturday morning. Given the cost of Old American ($150) and Texas Rangers Golf Club ($119), I think we'll skip those on this go around. It sounds like there are a few good options we will have to consider:

• Grapevine Municipal
  
• Trails of Frisco
  
• Frisco Lakes
  
• Bridlewood
  
• Heritage Ranch?
  

Tough call...a lot of good options.

I have played all of these and the Trails of Frisco is not near as good as the other 4. Any of those 4 would be a good choice.

Thanks for all of the feedback so far! Given that we're spending more on the Cowboys rounds on Sunday, we're trying to be more cost-conscious with regard to Saturday's rounds. I was able to book a great deal at The Tribute in the afternoon, so that leaves Saturday morning. Given the cost of Old American ($150) and Texas Rangers Golf Club ($119), I think we'll skip those on this go around. It sounds like there are a few good options we will have to consider:

• Grapevine Municipal
  
• Trails of Frisco
  
• Frisco Lakes
  
• Bridlewood
  
• Heritage Ranch?
  

Tough call...a lot of good options.

 

I have played all of these and the Trails of Frisco is not near as good as the other 4. Any of those 4 would be a good choice.

Agreed with leaving out Trails of Frisco. Can't go wrong with any of the other 4. I'd say try Frisco lakes for their cool peninsula par 3 kind of like the players 17th hole.

I would also agree to leave off Trails of Frisco right now.

Trails is another good local track, but wouldn't ever bring a visitor there. Grapevine Muni is phenomenal. Bridlewood again, good local track, but definitely not a visitor course. Heritage Ranch is great, but a hikeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. If you are going to make a drive, go play The Cliffs at Possum Kingdom Lake and thank me later. You can replay that course and not be bored, its that tough. I'd argue, and many have, one of the toughest tracks in Texas. Definitely in the top 5 hardest.

All very good courses mentioned. Sounds like its gonna be an awesome weekend.

I can attest, if the wind is blowing Frisco Lakes can be brutal

After looking closely at all of the courses, I ended booking the Saturday morning round at Frisco Lakes. Between, Frisco Lakes, The Tribute, and Dallas Cowboys Golf Club, it should be a great weekend. After another 6" snowfall last night in Michigan, I'm just looking forward to getting out and playing real golf.

I appreciate the input from everyone who commented!

Played Frisco Lakes Saturday. Tee time at 1p and even in 30 degree weather it took almost 5 hours for a round.

Thanks for all of the feedback so far! Given that we're spending more on the Cowboys rounds on Sunday, we're trying to be more cost-conscious with regard to Saturday's rounds. I was able to book a great deal at The Tribute in the afternoon, so that leaves Saturday morning. Given the cost of Old American ($150) and Texas Rangers Golf Club ($119), I think we'll skip those on this go around. It sounds like there are a few good options we will have to consider:

• Grapevine Municipal
  
• Trails of Frisco
  
• Frisco Lakes
  
• Bridlewood
  
• Heritage Ranch?
  

Tough call...a lot of good options.

 

I have played all of these and the Trails of Frisco is not near as good as the other 4. Any of those 4 would be a good choice.

Trails of Frisco, not 'as good' because??? I haven't played there in the past year or so, but when we were 'regulars' there, other than bunkers needing some attention it was always in good shape, so has conditioning gone down, or is the course just too hard (lots of folks feel that way, I don't but know many who do)?

Course looks to be in ok shape but i always think Frisco Lakes always has better greens. Also, when it rains it take Trails a while to dry out.

Thanks for all of the feedback so far! Given that we're spending more on the Cowboys rounds on Sunday, we're trying to be more cost-conscious with regard to Saturday's rounds. I was able to book a great deal at The Tribute in the afternoon, so that leaves Saturday morning. Given the cost of Old American ($150) and Texas Rangers Golf Club ($119), I think we'll skip those on this go around. It sounds like there are a few good options we will have to consider:

• Grapevine Municipal
  
• Trails of Frisco
  
• Frisco Lakes
  
• Bridlewood
  
• Heritage Ranch?
  

Tough call...a lot of good options.

 

I have played all of these and the Trails of Frisco is not near as good as the other 4. Any of those 4 would be a good choice.

 

Trails of Frisco, not 'as good' because??? I haven't played there in the past year or so, but when we were 'regulars' there, other than bunkers needing some attention it was always in good shape, so has conditioning gone down, or is the course just too hard (lots of folks feel that way, I don't but know many who do)?

I cannot speak to the current conditions of the Trails course as I played it about 10 years ago. But it was not in good condition when I played it and I thought it was a very uninteresting course. Granted, I might would have a different opinion if I played it again. With the exception of Grapevine, I have played the others all within the past year or so multiple times and they were all in good condition, both fairways and greens. But, most important for me, they were simply fun golf courses to play while also being challenging.

For me, one of the things I consider is whether or not I would go back and play a course again. I never cared to go back to the Trails but I have the others.

Have taken family (wife and son) to Cowboys at least 3-4 times and always had a great time, especially with the 'inclusive greens fees' that includes all the food and non-alcoholic drinks you can eat/drink while there. In the summer, or when time zone changes back from winter, you can get the less expensive rates at ~1:30pm (~$120/person), and at that time, we'll go in hungry at ~10:30, have full breakfast (free), hit balls on range, chip, etc, then have lunch or boxed and take it with us (free)....putt and hit a few more drives, then head out to tee time....hit the hacienda grill around hole #12 for a jalapeno sausage/sodas (free), then finish and head in for dinner/anything on the menu (free)….waitress of course gets a great tip. Or keep an eye out for those advertised Groupon? specials for $99.

Aside from Cowboys G.C., other courses that are also over-seeded in the winter are:

- Champions circle

- Bear Creek

Not overseeded, but a nice course for a muni is Grapevine Municipal (I think they have 3x 9 holes? that you can play one 18 hole setup or another? or 2 courses?)

Cowboys to Grapevine would be a great pairing. Cowboys price is a little steep but you get the VIP experience with free food/non alcoholic beverages all day and as stated above, I'd put Grapevine muni up against the best around.

Have taken family (wife and son) to Cowboys at least 3-4 times and always had a great time, especially with the 'inclusive greens fees' that includes all the food and non-alcoholic drinks you can eat/drink while there. In the summer, or when time zone changes back from winter, you can get the less expensive rates at ~1:30pm (~$120/person), and at that time, we'll go in hungry at ~10:30, have full breakfast (free), hit balls on range, chip, etc, then have lunch or boxed and take it with us (free)....putt and hit a few more drives, then head out to tee time....hit the hacienda grill around hole #12 for a jalapeno sausage/sodas (free), then finish and head in for dinner/anything on the menu (free)….waitress of course gets a great tip. Or keep an eye out for those advertised Groupon? specials for $99.

 

Aside from Cowboys G.C., other courses that are also over-seeded in the winter are:

- Champions circle

- Bear Creek

 

Not overseeded, but a nice course for a muni is Grapevine Municipal (I think they have 3x 9 holes? that you can play one 18 hole setup or another? or 2 courses?)

 

Cowboys to Grapevine would be a great pairing. Cowboys price is a little steep but you get the VIP experience with free food/non alcoholic beverages all day and as stated above, I'd put Grapevine muni up against the best around.

Champions Bear Creek overseed? I have been in the winter and saw all brown. Maybe I am mistaken? Have you been recently? I live nearby and hope you are right, lol. If so, I might just sneak 9 in after work.

Ahh, no, haven’t been there in 3-4 years. They used to overseed, but i guess fewer and fewer spend on the seed

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