Grand Oaks Golf Club
Written: Aug 25 '09 (Updated Sep 03 '09)
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Pros: Great course design with great greens, nice amenities, and killer prices.
Cons: The back nine still needs work to keep her from flooding after a rainstorm.
The Bottom Line: This course is a real diamond in the rough. Seven years ago it was a hideous mess. After 3 updates, it's turning into a real gem.
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| berniez40's Full Review: Grand Prairie Country Club |
The old "Grand Prairie Country Club" was a course that always showed promise, but never came close to its true potential. When I first played it, roughly 7 years ago, the course had not only begun going to seed, it appeared to be in a real live death spiral. The membership was in the toilet, the greens on the back nine were 1/2 dead, and whenever it rained in the area, the entire course had to be shut down due to it's location, which actaully runs right at the same level as the local water table.
The sad thing was that the course was originally designed as a shotmaker's paradise, with a natural creek that ran throughout the entire 18. Water used to come into play on 13 of the 18 holes. but combine the low lying land, the creek, a rainstorm and black gumbo turf, and you've got a genuine marsh land on your hands whenever you get more than a standard issue rain shower. --Seven years ago was, fortunately, the absolute bottom for this course, which is a very nice Don "Bones" January design. If one were to take a look at it nowadays, seven years after the fact, and currently on it's 3rd, and possibly final rennovation, one would see a course that is just beginning to live up to the promise it showed on opening day way back in 1972.
Now that the new owner has sunk a lot of his own money into this course, it plays almost as well as some of the finer resort courses. There are still a few rough patches here and there from redoing the drainage, laying new sod on the fairways, rebuilding the tee boxes, and expanding the greens to allow for false fronts, better fringe, and contoured plateaus. With all that going on, it's amazing how well everything has been coming together. The 328 Bermuda Fairways, and Tiff-Dwarf Greens are top notch materials. Those that remember the old "Country Club Course" would be in shock.---Thus the new name--"Grand Oaks Golf Club."
THE COURSE
#1--is a 540 yard Par 5 that starts out with water right at the tee box itself. A good clean drive is what one wants here, as there are plenty of grassy berms on the left, and a line of ball-eating trees on the right. "Out of bounds" isn't too far off to the right either--so slicers beware. After that it's a pretty straight ahead advance up the fairway. Don't think that the left is an easy bail out though. If the grassy berms don't get you out of the gate, the water on the left as you approach the greeen most certainly will.
#2 --is also great fun. It's a chance to let your guard down just a bit if you can hit it straight. The fairway is medium to narrow, and lined with trees on both sides. This is not a course that offers an advantage to those who play a fade or a draw. It is a 413 yard par 4 that offers one of the better opportunities for birdie if you are long and straight off the tee. Blast one into the trees, however, and double-bogey will seem like a blessing.
#3-- is the most challenging of the Par 3's on the course. It's 165 yards doesn't look that long, until you realize that the green is surrounded by water, and sits a bit higher than the tee box. This slight elevation makes it deceptively long, and the water adds another 20 yards to the imagination through shear intimidation if nothing else. If you undersshoot this green you are wet. If you overshoot it you have no shot coming back. Left leaves you short-sided or bunkered, and right leaves you bunkered or no shot at all from the gourse.
#4--Is pretty straight ahead. It's a fairly simple looking 375 yard par 4. The trouble is that there is water coming across the middle of the fairway at 190 yards, and water and out of bounds on the right. You must aim left, which is hard to do on auto pilot as the tee-box is ever so subltey lined up to aim you ever so slighly right of target.
#5-- is a 182 yard par 3. It's basically a straight shot to a very elevated green. Therefor it tends to play more like 210 yards. It's a pretty easy hole unless the wind is coming in out of the west. At that point it's in your face and the narrow fairway comes into play.
#6 --is a 560 yard beast of a par 5 that has water cross right at the 195 yard mark. It takes a solid 245 yards of carry to clear the water and get a decent lie. This shot must also land center fairway or ever so slightly right as there is literally no appraoch to the green from the left. Not only is there a tree line all along the left, but a shot into the trees will also end up wet. The creek runs right behind these trees and runs all the way up to the green. Approaches from the right are fairly easy, but the rough out here will force you to use at least one extra club than what you normally calibrate for.
#7--is a pretty easy hole. It helps take the sting out of your score card after the beating most people take on #6. It's a straight 145yard par 3 with a semi-forgiving fairway, and a straight shot from tee to green. It's a fairly easy par, and a pretty good chance for birdie.
#8--is a very narrow fairway with trees on either side. They ought to call this hole "Tunnel Vision." The further you go down the fairway, the more the trees encroach upon your landing area. It gets smaller and smaller as you approach the green that is 375 Yards away. The fairway does open up just before the green, but low and behold, water hugs the entire left hand side of the green from here on in. This hole has been known to foist triple bogey's onto the best of score cards.
#9--ia a real beast just before the turn. It's 665 yards of wide open fairway at first. Just as you approach the marker that tells you you are 150 yards rom the green, the creek rears it's ugly head one more time. It's just not a real good place for those who love to rip their second shot after a long drive, and it has forced many a layup on that all important second shot. A layup isn't a bad thing here though, as the green is surrounded by bunkers on the front. The back edge isn't a great choice, as the contour of the green is actually an incline towards the front. And yes, that's not a miss print. I said--"665 Yards."
After the turn, it's time to suck it up, and get ready for a back nine that requires some seriously creative, and accurate shot-making.
#10 --strikes one as a pretty straight ahead 410 yard par 4. The problem is, once again, right at the 195-200 yard mark, water comes into play, and requires a solid carry of 245 to not only clear the water, but to find a decent lie as well. If the ball goes even slightly right you are wet. If it goes too far left, you may be dry, but you've got absolutely no shot at the green. I usually leave my driver in the bag for this one, and hit a 7 wood followed by a 3 wood. I usually par it vs. most peoples bogey+ scores.
#11--is a fairly short par 5. This hole, provided you get a decent tee shot, is one of the best birdie opportunities on the course. The water doesn't come into play until the 300 yard mark past the tee box. This gives you ample room to maneuvre the ball with your first two shots. Don't try to be a hero and go for the green in two. A good approach shot will set you up for an easy wedge into the green, and a good shot at a 1 putt.
#12 --is a 210 yard par 3. The only danger to this hole is to overshoot the green. The backside of it is water. Otherwise this is a pretty easy par. Take advantage of it. You'll need it.
#13---a pretty straight ahead 384 yard par 4. Once again, there is a chance for an easy par, but you'd better check your alignment off the tee box. It will point you left towards the trees, and if you're in too much of a hurry to get that easy par---you'll get yourself a big fat double-bogey.
#14--is a snother straight ahead 180 yard par 3. This one is slighly left of target, but the tee box points you there, and usually the prevailing winds are at your back. Grab a chance for birdie or an easy par, because the next two holes are chock full of sucker punches.
# 15 is a meagre 316 yards. Herein lies the problem. At 160 yards the fairway takes a sharp dogleg left. Leave the driver in the bag and breakout your 160 club. If you do slice it, you will be wet. Accuracy is of the essence. Many a chucklehead has walked up to this tee box, and said--"Watch me drive the green on this one." If the overswing doesn't push them right, where they end up wet, the over pull yanks them left, and into the trees. Hello double bogey. Not only do you have to escape out of the woods, but you have to work your way back around the dogleg as well.
#16--Usually this hole really sucker punches people. It's a shortish 342 yard par 4 that tempts those who have been burnt by the previous hole. " Ahah!---342 yards. I'll just smash one out of the gate and get that birdie here to make up for that last hole!"---Well the fairway is a bit tighter than one is led to believe, and the rough on either side is awfully fluffy. You can absolutely count on having to use 2 more clubs than anticipated if you land in this stuff. It's very deceiving as it is a fluffier rough than most, but not gourse-like at all. This usually catches people off guard and foils the accuracy and distance of their approach shots.
#17--- is a standard issue "awfully long for a par 4 hole." It stands at 450 yards w/out the benefit of an elevated tee box, prevailing tailwind, or any of the other advantages most longer par 4's carry. It's you against the distance. The fairway is a tad wider than normal for this course, so if you can smash it--this is the hole to do it on. The problem is, most big-hitters are gun shy after suffering the numerous slings and arrows of the the shorter par 4's. Go ahead and bring it on for this one.
#18---is a very easy par to help salve the wounds suffered earlier in the round. It's only 406 yards, and the water comes in at 175 yards, making a 200 yard drive good enough to carry and get a good lie. Just watch out for the bunkers on the front left and right of the green, and you'll be alright.
AMENITIES--
This course has many. At one point it was a bustling country club. They are just now bringing the tennis courts back to life, and the pro shop and sports bar are reminiscent of the late 60's early 70's era in which they were built. As the new owners try to help resuscitate a course that was once a real winner, but fell upon hard times, there are many green fee specials to be had. Don't be surprised on a hot sunny day when one of the beer fairies shows up bringing you an ice-cold mango-scented towel to help beat back the heat. Don't be surprised by the amount of greenskeepers peppering the grounds, as they resod old drainage ditches, beat back what little is left of the weeds, and help manicure parts of the fairway that are again reaching a lushness not seen since the late 70's.
The parking lot is still rough, and has its fair share of potholes. The grill isn't open in the middle of the week. Sometimes when we get a real downpour, the back nine needs to be closed for a day. Still, the overall condition of this course is light years ahead of almost all the local munis, and it's giving the ultra high dollar daily fee courses a run for their money as well. With the need to overcome a bad reputation as a seedy quagmire, many a green fee special is now run to get folks back in the doors. Every now and then they let me play all 18, cart and all for less than $20. (If it's middle of the week, and the course isn't crowded.) This is a great course that is getting closer and closer to hitting it's fullest potential. I may give it the full 5 stars on a future update, but suffice it to say----this is so easily a 4 star course at it's regular green fee prices. A special makes 5 stars a gimmee! This course is the easiest 4 1/2 stars I've ever rated.
Recommended:
Yes
Green Fees Paid (US$): 35.00
Speed of Play (typical weekend): 3 to 4 Hours
Look Out For: Water
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