Wichita Falls Country Club was founded in 1914 and was originally a nine hole course. Over the years the course has gone through many changes, improving the overall quality of play and architecture and now measures 6,917 yards from the back tee. One such change was the addition of bent grass greens, making it one of the first to do so in North Texas. The most recent renovations have come from D.A. Weibring and Steve Wolford in 2008. Some changes include the repositioning of 18 green with the addition of water; Filling in the pond between 14 and 15; Reshaping of greens like 4,7,10,11,12,15; as well as bunkering changes (new sand and new bunkers). These changes have done wonders for the course making it one of the best parkland style courses in Texas. The course is also hosts the Texas-Oklahoma Junior Golf Tournament with Weeks Park Golf Course for the past 60 years. Past champions of the event include Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, Bob Estes, Scott Verplank, and Rick Massengale.
Hole 1: 370 yards Par 4
The first hole gives players a calm start to the rest of their round. The 370 yard par 4 can sneak up on players and give them plenty of difficulty if they aren't careful. A tall oak tree pinches into the right of the fairway about 290 yards from the tee box. This gives players two options. Trying to go past the tree (wind is usually helping) takes the tree out of play on the second. Players can end up with some difficult shots but still have a wedge into the decent sized green. Another option is to lay back off the tee and allow yourself to hit a shot over the tree. The fairway is around 30 yards wide for players laying back of the tree compared to players taking on the tree who only have about 18 yards of width. The green is well defended by a bunker in front of the green and a run off area left of the green. On the green, the right section creates a little bowl, making accuracy a premium on the approach. This hole does a great job of letting players know what is to come for the next 17 holes.
Hole 6: 532 yards Par 5
The first par 5 offers players some relief from a few of the difficult holes to start (especially the 5th). Off the tee, players can choose from a couple of options depending on how they want to attack this hole. For longer players, this hole is definitely reachable and driver off the tee with a right to left ball flight will set them up nicely. For players not going for the green they can choose to lay back of the bunkers with a shot about 250 yards (or less) or still get aggressive with driver. The second shot can become very tricky. Players laying up short of the creek will have to face a shot that lands on firm ground and roll more than they think. This play also leaves players with a little more difficult angle to a back pin. If players choose to go over the creek, they'll have a wedge in and have a nice angle to almost every pin. The green is very benign but there are a few places that can become very difficult. Just over the green is thick rough giving players a downhill stance hitting into a green running away from them. The two bunkers guarding the green aren't extremely penal and the green itself it ver simple with a ridge running through the center.
Hole 7: 455 yards Par 4
The seventh hole is arguably the toughest hole on the course. A good tee shot is crucial to playing the hole well. Off the tee, players can take driver and play safely right. This option brings water into play but hitting the fairway can set up the best chance of par. Another thing players do is stay short of the water on the left. Hitting something about 215 yards will keep you short of the water and give you the most width to work with. This option will leave you with a much longer club into the green however (about 225 yards). The green is guarded by a bunker left and a deep swale right. Missing in both of the places still give players a chance to make par. Going long on the approach is where the most trouble is. The green tilts sharply toward players on the approach and is divided into three sections by ridges. So coming from above the hole leaves players with an incredibly difficult shot to get close.
Hole 8: 412 yards Par 4
The eight hole is one of the most remarkable holes on the course. The risk reward factor is very present off the tee and makes it one of the most demanding shots on the course. The tee shot forces players to pick their angle into the green. Staying short off the tee is the safest option but gives players a little longer shot into the green sitting at an angle of about 65 degrees. Players taking driver off the tee take the risk of having their tee shot go into the hazard but have a much shorter club into the green. A rule of thumb off the tee is that 25 yards (off the tee) takes off 10 yards into the green and about a 20 degree shift to the right into the green. The green is guarded by a bunker right and a steep drop off on the left. The green is only about 16 yards wide so having a shorter club into the green makes the approach much easier .The green is fairly simple and making it hole that can cause some momentum shifts.
Hole 10: 563 yards Par 5
The tenth hole puts a huge premium on accuracy off the tee. The creek through the end of the fairway functions as a Great Hazard and players who don't hit a good tee shot will have to punch out short and hit over on the next shot. Off the tee, players have a tree 185 yards out in the middle of the fairway and trees on the right about 260 yards away. This forces players to either bomb something down the fairway and get past the trees or thread the needle by the first tree and lay back with a shot around 230 yards. The second shot is generally wide open. If you're long enough off the tee you can go for the green but if not the lay up is fairly straightforward. However, a few slopes in the green make positioning a must in order to make a birdie. Staying left on the second shot will give you a good angle to play the slopes and also a good angle that allows you to hole the green with a back pin.
Hole 12: 340 yards Par 4
The twelfth hole is perhaps my favorite hole on the course. The Lionsmouth Bunker by the green effects every shot on this hole. The pin placement on this hole can determine options off the tee and can make it one of the toughest holes on the course at times. The tee shot is fairly straightforward, to a left pin players can take out driver and rip one down there. This is probably the most benign hole location and can be very gettable from a lot of places. A right pin is one of the tougher hole locations. Off the tee, staying right is a premium. However a bunker on the right side of the fairway can take driver out of play forcing players to lay back off the tee and hit it into a tighter part of the fairway (from personal experience, the fairway bunker shot is at an awkward yardage and very intimidating with hazard over the green). A pin in the center of the green tempts players to take on the Lionsmouth Bunker. Getting yourself to a comfortable yardage is more important than anything else and distance control is key. On the green, you obviously don't want to be on the opposite side of the Lionsmouth Bunker as it gives you no chance of going at the hole. For the most part though it is very simple and yields many makable putts.
Hole 16: 322 yards Par 4
The sixteenth hole gives players a great view from the water up to the club house. The tee shot seems much more difficult than it really is. The water hugs the fairway around 205 yards from the tee and slowly pinches in. A bunker flanked on the outside of the dogleg left sits 255 yards from the tee and contributes a lot to what players do off the tee. The easiest option is hitting something about 200 yards off the tee and having about 110 yards to the green. However, this leaves you with a fairly difficult angle into the green so some players will get a little more aggressive and hit something around 240 yards to the widest part of the fairway. This leaves players about 70 yards away and in a prime position to make a birdie. The really long players can take the bunker out of play by simple carrying it far enough. This can leave you with a shot from anywhere to 30-50 yards. The green is guarded in the back with a single bunker and drops off toward the left. It definitely gives players more of an advantage if they take risks. The green itself is fairly simple although a front-middle pin near the water can sit in wet seems like a bowl and can give players fits for not playing it correctly.
Hole 18: 416 yards Par 4
The final hole at Wichita Falls Country Club is one of the most unique finishing holes in Texas. The tee shot is fairly blind and a bunker about 245 yards out guards the left side of the fairway (the clubhouse is right next to the bunker and does a nice job of scaring people away from the bunker). The ideal line is to tug the left bunker. An approach coming in from the right has to deal with a severe downslope and water behind the green (at this angle). So staying left will give you more options that are much easier. You can choose to fly something to the green like a normal approach or run something down the slope (typically the ideal shot for a front pin). The approach on this hole is really interesting and is extremely fun to mess around with. The green is guarded with water left, a bunker short and left, a drop off on the right, and a bunker long. The green itself however, is fairly simple and rewards good shots. Wichita Falls Country Club is a true gem in Texas with some really unique and fun golf to be played.
