This past fall I had the opportunity to visit Texas Rangers Golf Club with architect Trey Kemp of Colligan Golf Design. The build up from photos on twitter and never ending rumors of open dates overflowed into an incredibly interesting and insightful afternoon. My perception of the course from renderings and individual hole sketches was that it was just good golf. Individual holes looked interesting and unique, there was variety, and there was potential to become a marque public course in Texas. While these perceptions still hold true, I walked away with a much different outlook on Texas Rangers Golf Club.
The baseball theme is interwoven in the atmosphere of the course. Just off the first tee, players will notice the 'on deck' circle as you would see on the baseball field. This last minute practice facility is reminiscent of World Woods in Florida. Aside from the opinion that this could be seen as tourist driven feature, the uniqueness and application of baseball culture is done in an appreciable manner. In contrast to Cowboys Golf Club, the exterior theme aside from golf offers the casual golfer a hands on encounter with the other sport and team.
While it can be easy to submerge into the vibes of America's favorite pastime, the golf and design remain the point of interest. From the first tee, players already know they are in for a unique experience. From the back tees on the first, players tee off from a tee box that is part of the practice putting green. Overlooking the course and the city to the DIRection, the round begins not only with a eccentric teeing are but a pronounced descent into the property.
The routing of the course feels more like a journey than a set of holes to be played in consecutive order. With the first, fourth, fifth, tenth, and eighteenth holes all coming back to the high point on property, the course creates a rhythm that has players constantly wandering up and down the landscape. To further accentuate the journey of the course, the variety of holes constantly shows its self to players. Statistically, the standard deviation of par-5 length is 44 yards, par-4 length is 51 yards, and par-3 length is 27 yards. Needless to say, players will face a variety of shots due partially to length but wind direction as well.
After visiting the property, a hole-by-hole analysis does not do this course justice. Each player will have his/her own distinct experience that can vary based on a number of factors such as tees and weather. However, having not played the course yet, I'm most excited to see hole 6 in action. The championship model of length equals difficulty is thrown out the window and provides a contrasting argument to the design adage of old. The "inverted Biarritz" as Trey Kemp described it to me, requires one of the best shots of the day to have a reasonable birdie look, yet is still playable for the masses. I would compare this modern version of a template hole to the 9th at Sweetens Cove. It's bold, it's unique, and will likely challenge the common understanding of golf course architecture in Texas. This course not only adds to the impressive portfolio of Colligan Golf Design courses, but the state of DFW golf and Texas golf in general.
