2013 Dallas Morning News - Top 100 in Texas

[Steve Lang]

  Yesterday I picked up a golf mag (one touting the 2013 drivers) to flip through it for a couple of minutes and read that among Tom Doak's top ten greatest surprises of 2012, were two courses in TX...

#8  Pine Dunes in Frankston and
#2  Wolf Point in its secret SE TX location

Unfortunately WP couldn't beat out the Himalayas location with great visuals that got #1, but pretty nice praise for Mike and Don with flat land on the gulf plain or should it be the golf plain!!!

who's going to Frankston before it gets hot again??  I have some unfinished business there
 

[Greg Clark]

I am always up for a return to Pine Dunes.  Count me in.

[Andy Troeger]

 I think your question is legit, it comes up a couple of times a year. There is lots of good golf in Texas but not much great golf. I also don't think there's as much great golf in America as people want us to believe. I'm not going to rip on particular courses but some of the courses on both coasts and Chicagoland seem to get more love than they deserve while I think there are golf courses in Texas that if you transported them to a coast would be considered great.

Sam,
How much golf have you played on the coasts? I've only lived in Indiana and New Mexico and would like to believe that the central US is competitive when it comes to golf, but the truth is that the great golf in this country is primarily on the two coasts. I've played 15 courses just in New York and California that I rate ahead of Dallas National, which I do like and think is a top 100 course. Eight of my top ten courses are in NJ, NY, CA, or OR. If anything the 2nd tier courses in coastal areas take a hit because they are can't make the top ten in their state. Sleepy Hollow and The Creek are both incredible golf courses that don't get national recognition. Wolf Point and Whispering Pines may very well be great, but there is no coastal bias. Those courses generally are just that good.

[Sam Morrow]

I've not played on the west coast at all and played some out east, I just look at it that far to often people want to give a bias on things (not just golf courses) towards the coasts.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

How baout June 7th for a gca get together at Pine Dunes?

[Jeff_Brauer]

Schedule permitting, PD would be a great outing!

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Or perhaps Whispering on friday and Pine Dunes on the saturday?
I think Whispering would be willing to allow DMN raters and a group of us and very reasonable rates for accomodation between the two

[Sam Morrow]

Im interested.

[Lou_Duran]

Or perhaps Whispering on friday and Pine Dunes on the saturday?
I think Whispering would be willing to allow DMN raters and a group of us and very reasonable rates for accomodation between the two

Early June- put it together and I am there.  Maybe add Crown Colony for a trio.

[Andy Troeger]

I've not played on the west coast at all and played some out east, I just look at it that far to often people want to give a bias on things (not just golf courses) towards the coasts.

I've certainly seen that written/said a lot of times, including many years when the Big East or ACC is good in College Basketball. Maybe at times its true, but not with golf courses. The combination of good land and available money makes a difference.

I do agree with you, by the way, about Chicago. Great city and a lot of great clubs, but the courses themselves are a notch behind the best of the best. The flattish nature of the land doesn't help. Shoreacres has a great stretch of holes, but I liked Yale, Sleepy Hollow, and The Creek better as examples of MacDonald/Raynor designs. The Creek is the most similar in quality because the holes at the top of the course don't match the rest.

[Sam Morrow]

I've not played on the west coast at all and played some out east, I just look at it that far to often people want to give a bias on things (not just golf courses) towards the coasts.

I've certainly seen that written/said a lot of times, including many years when the Big East or ACC is good in College Basketball. Maybe at times its true, but not with golf courses. The combination of good land and available money makes a difference.

I do agree with you, by the way, about Chicago. Great city and a lot of great clubs, but the courses themselves are a notch behind the best of the best. The flattish nature of the land doesn't help. Shoreacres has a great stretch of holes, but I liked Yale, Sleepy Hollow, and The Creek better as examples of MacDonald/Raynor designs. The Creek is the most similar in quality because the holes at the top of the course don't match the rest.

A great course on flattish land is the biggest treat to me, I love seeing what the architect can do with what would be looked at by many as a lesser piece of property. This is why I appreciate places like Wolf Point and Wild Horse so much.

[Steve Lang]

 
Friday: June 7th  WP or PD ... PM
Sat: June 8th  PD or WP  ... AM & PM
Sun: June 9th Crown Colony ... AM


last year we played PD late on a sat afternoon (was a bit slow) then drove over to Lufkin to sleep and took in Crown Colony early on Sunday.. was very nice..  in a way i liked the quirky adrenaline rushes of CC more than the pure feel of PD..

don't forget GolfWeek Raters attending

best to set the dates and hold it..

[Andy Hodson]

Steve,

Don't know if WP is open during those dates.

[Sam Morrow]

Anybody want to add on Links at Lands End? I still haven't played it.

[mike_beene]

Looks good to me.

[Greg Clark]

I'm in.  I'm anxious to see the new par 3 course at Whispering Pines.

[K. Krahenbuhl]

I'm in.  I'm anxious to see the new par 3 course at Whispering Pines.

They're starting to grass some of it now.

[Steve Lang]

Steve,

Don't know if WP is open during those dates.

Andy,  Are you back in play?     

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Sounds good to me, I will make some calls tomorrow to Whispering Pines et al unless somebody has a contact there already?

[Tim_Weiman]

I would also be interested in seeing Pine Dunes.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

I just emailed Chris at Whispering Pines and the people at Pine Dunes for the dtaes of Fridat and Saturday June 8/9
Golf at WP on the 8th, staying at Pine Dunes that evening and then playing on the saturday.
At this point I was basing on two foursomes, so that was the intial request, I will let you know when I hear any response.
mwp

[Sam Morrow]

Thanks!

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

The Pines Dunes portion...Stay Friday night 36 holes of golf on Saturday $150 per man based on 4 sharing one of their condo's.
The fcat that we are playing on the weekend means they are unable to comp raters but will not charge for any replay, which seemed very fair to me...opinions?

[Sam Morrow]

Let's play 2!

[mike_beene]

Very fair