The Old American Golf Club Review

[volrus]

First off, I was in DFW area for business and managed to get in a round while in town earlier this week. I actually live in Tennessee. Also, this is the only course in DFW that I've played so I don't really have anything to compare it to. However, if you haven't played it, you HAVE to play The Old American in the Tribute development. This is a Justin Leonard and Tripp Davis design and is one of the funnest and best laid out courses I've played in a long time. The conditions were what I would for the most part call very "tournament like" in that the fairways were hard and fast and the greens were firm (although not very fast). There was practically nobody out there (granted it was on a Wednesday) and the staff were very friendly. Some might see the price of the round and think it's a little high (I paid $90 I think), but it turned out to be an excellent value because EVERYTHING is included. By everything, I mean once on the course you can drink all the bottled water, soft drinks, and gatorade you can drink and you can eat all the candy bars and chips you want.

 

On to the course itself, the design is intended to capture the "golden era" of golf course architecture (basically the 1920's) and it does so VERY well. The course is full of Donald Ross influences with greens with false fronts and that slope off of all sides to collection areas. The greenside bunkers are pretty well several paces off the greens allowing the collection areas to come into play on most holes. Further, the bunkers (of which there are well over 100) are very natural looking and flow with the fairways and include that "sandy wind blown look". They also let the fescue/bermuda/zoysia grow pretty tall around the lips of the bunkers so that they look very natural. There are also a lot of holes where you have options....from the "go for it" option to the bump and run to the high flop, etc. The approaches to the greens are all very open. In fact, I don't recall any bunkers ever being directly between me and the green. Again, very Ross like. In the end, the course was in excellent condition and was an excellent overall experience. About half way through the round I decide the course reminds me very much of a combination of Pinehurst #2 and Pinehurst #8 just without the sandy waste areas and wire grass (although they do use native grasses in many locations). The gentleman in the pro shop said I wasn't the first to say it reminded me a little of Pinehurst. He said others have said it is much like Shinnecock but unfortuantely I wouldn't know about that!

 

I suggest you all go play it, it won't disappoint!

[Simp]

I've heard nothing but good things about this course.

[callawayjay]

I agree. While the course next door, the Tribute, is always in great shape. It seems contrived as well as pretty easy

Old American is infinitely more difficult and visually deceptive. It's my favorite course in the area.

[callawayjay]

aaaaand I'll be there tomorrow...again. DAMMIT!

[mantan]

I played it earlier this year. It's a very nice track - tough course, but rewards you when you hit shots. It still needs to mature a bit, I think it'll be phenomenal in 5-10 years. It is pretty easy to get on...I think the high price coupled with the limited amenities (I'm not sure if the clubhouse is done now) is going to keep a lot of casual golfers away.

[t_m_harris]

Played there now a few times since it opened and Im a fan. Have seen it be in incredible condition also seen it in not the best shape. The layout is amazing and really enjoy how the course flows around the lake, visually its a treat to play. The green design and bunkers (esp the ones in the middle of the fairway) I think could be greatly improved. I have always found many good, well struck shots dont end up in the best spots. Local knowledge and more experience would help this im sure.
There is a ton of trouble behind greens and just off a few fairways so a marginal shot can be extremely penal all throughout the course. The wind is always blowing hard around the lake and its a challenging course no matter what the conditions are. The small flags always throw me off and having some type of range finder/laser is a must playing there. Leonard/Davis did a nice job with this very old looking traditional track.

[mctrees02]

Agree with pretty much what everybody else has said. I've played their 3 times now (once after opening late last year, then in May, and again a few weeks ago) and it's fun seeing how the course has grown up in just 12 months time. The greens have been firm but fair every time I've played there. I love getting creative from inside 150 yards and virtually every hole on the course allows me to consider a low flighted shot using the mounds/slopes as well as a traditionally flighted iron into the green.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned here yet are the bunkers. Every bunker on the course is played as a waste bunker which is greatly appreciated. Being able to ground your club and obtain additional feel for some of the quirkly lies you can find around the course really helps out.

I did run into an issue with how they stake their course. My experience at other courses (Texas Star, Grapevine, Tierra Verde, Tribute when they used them) has always been that a stake with a white tip and then a different colored base (typically green) means that it's an environmental area (do not look for your ball, play as a lateral hazard for your drop). However, Old American marks all of their hazards, laterals, environmental and OOB areas with maroon stakes that have a colored tip (white, green, red, yellow). Unfortunately for me, the first stake I came across was a white tipped stake. Their card doesn't provide any local information about these unusual markings so I played it as environmental hazard only to see a yellow tipped stake a few holes later and learn that the white tip was OOB and I played the hole incorrectly. As it was just a practice round it wasn't a big issue but had I done this in a tournament I would be very upset.

Stake painting issue aside, I love playing at the course. I've got a buddy that's a member that has found a love for the game again after joining out there. Their membership program has been some variation on $5,000 annually (sometimes it's 18 months for $5k, they run other promotions as well). If I lived closer to the Colony, this would be an easy decision for me over spending about the same annually to play the various publics around DFW.

[farmer]

I have to go to Dallas a few times a year, where is this?

[sompin2do]

[quote name='farmer' timestamp='1320806417' post='3777501']
I have to go to Dallas a few times a year, where is this?
[/quote]


In The Colony

http://www.theoldamericangolfclub.com/

[kevch25]

The Old American is a great track. Only played out there once but walked away with the same impressions you had. I jump on every deal I see for The Tribute & The Old American GC when it's on Idealgolfer, as I'm only about 15-20 min drive away in Frisco. Prices may seem steep, but I've never had a 5+ hr round out there, conditions are great and the layouts are different from the normal tracks I play in Dallas.

[Jimmie48]

Played this course this past week and really loved it out there. The clubhouse is done but is just really a small office and cart barn. They were still adding onto it while we were there but it is nothing really to write home about. The course has new carts with one of the most advanced gps systems I have ever seen. You get a flyover video before every hole with an audible description. Pretty cool. The course was dormant of course due to the time of year but the fairways were still pretty good. The greens were tricky but rolled well and the bunkers were in perfect shape. I think it is a bit overpriced for a weekday round as we played but I really enjoyed it out there. Not sure I would want to play it every week or anything but it would be a fun place to play once a month or so. I hope this course matures a lot and they get some good facilities out there to support such a great track.