Course Review – Texas Rangers Golf Club
The last time we checked in on Texas Rangers Golf Club was back in 2021. The new, state-of-the-art clubhouse had just opened, and the property was finally complete. The course has been up and running since 2019, but the clubhouse took a couple of additional years to finish.
Shortly after the completion of the clubhouse, the City of Arlington announced Rangers would be the host site of the Korn Ferry Tour’s Veritex Bank Championship, an event that brought another professional tournament to DFW. The event has been met with plenty of success, boasting winners like Tyson Alexander, who won back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, journeyman Spencer Levin, who took home the hardware in 2023, and Tim Widing, who is the defending champ. The tournament has been so well received, the city, Vertiex and the Korn Ferry Tour recently announced a six-year extension to their partnership, which will keep the event rolling into the near future.
Speaking of that beautiful 34,000-square-foot clubhouse, one of the first things you notice when you enter is the large display case to your left, with plenty of Texas Rangers baseball memorabilia to check out. It’s a great first impression and a quick toe-dip into the baseball-themed adventure upon which you are about to embark.
If you are looking for a bite to eat, then check out the “Home Plate” restaurant and patio. Home Plate continues the baseball theme, with Rangers jerseys from every era of the franchise framed and displayed on the walls. There is even a large mural of Hall of Fame third baseman Adrian Beltre on one of the walls. There are plenty of TVs, including one wall that features eight screens that can display different programs, or be synced to form one large screen. It’s a great feature, making Home Plate not only a great place to chill out pre- or post-round, but also a killer spot to just pop in for a burger, beer and catch your favorite team on the tube.
If you are interested in some of the food served at Home Plate, I recommend the Rangers burger, which is a brisket-infused Nolan Ryan beef patty, topped with bourbon bacon jam, white cheddar and crispy onion straws. If you are looking for something a little lighter, then try the crispy tofu power bowl, which is mixed greens, tofu, quinoa, bell pepper, pickled red onion, avocado, egg, cucumber and carrots. It’s a sure-fire way to fuel your body for your afternoon on the course. Wash any of the dishes down with an ice-cold beer, cocktail or iced tea.
If you are looking for a venue for your next tournament or corporate outing, the new clubhouse features a large banquet hall that is perfect for functions or to settle up scores after a charity scramble. It will also serve as the player hospitality area and check-in for this month’s Korn Ferry event. They are also experts in wedding planning, making it a perfect place to get hitched. There is also a great patio, which is another great place to sit down for lunch or to host a post-tournament lunch and awards ceremony.
Texas Rangers also boasts one of the best overall practice facilities in the area. They offer a massive driving range, with multiple targets to refine your game or get loose before your round. There is also a great putting green near the clubhouse, and a secondary, smaller place to roll a few just to the west of the driving range. Three chipping and short-game greens are available; each one offers a bunker, so this is a primo place to dial in those wedge shots and shave some strokes. The practice facility is so versatile, that you will often see the University of Texas at Arlington golf team working on their games there.
To really appreciate this property, we must take a look at the 18-hole, par-72 John Colligan-designed golf course. If you have yet to play the course, but have attended the Korn Ferry event, then you should be aware that the nines are flipped for the Veritex Bank Championship. This means that the par 5 that usually plays as No. 9 for the daily fee player, actually plays as the final hole when the professionals spin through town.
No. 1 is a great and fun appetizer for the rest of the round. A par 5, called “Lead Off,” is a dogleg left with a large bunker in the middle of a vast landing area. Longer hitters can cut off the dogleg, leading to a great opportunity at an opening birdie. If you can’t cut off the corner, pick a side to miss the bunker on and commit. The right side almost certainly makes this a three-shot hole, but the left can find a speed slot, offering some additional roll and an outside chance at getting home in two.
After a par 4 at No. 2, comes the first par 3 of the round, called “Ballpark.” Playing at 185 from the tips, this hole must carry a small pond to a green with a severe back-to-front pitch. Anything too long can find a bunker, leaving a nasty downhill effort right back toward the water.
After the third comes one of my favorite stretches in DFW municipal golf. This trio of holes opens with an uphill par 4 playing at just 375 yards. Sure, it’s short, but water on the left (which is barely visible from the tee) can swallow balls pulled left. There is a little more room on the right off the tee than it appears, so be sure to find the right half of the short grass for the best angle. Should you want to be hyper-aggressive, there is a “lower” fairway just over the bunker on the left that is completely blind to the players from the tee. This lower landing area will leave a closer, but far more awkward, approach shot.
Arguably the most scenic hole on the property is No. 5. This one, nicknamed “Double Play,” plays downhill across the irrigation lake in the middle of the course. The elevation change is about 40 feet from the tee box to the split fairway. There are a trio of wire grass-lined bunkers in the middle, making this a visually intimidating, but stunning, look from the tee. Taking the left fairway is much tighter, but offers a shorter approach. Taking the right fairway is far more forgiving, but can leave a much longer second shot. This does happen to be one of the flattest greens on this Colligan design, so there is some opportunity to make a long one here should you find the green in regulation.
The final hole of this whimsical trio is the shortest hole on the course. This par 3 can play as much as 135 yards when the pin is tucked in the back right. But should the pin be all the way up front on this serpentine green, it can routinely play just 80 yards or so. If you are one of those longtime players who have never captured the elusive ace, the front pin placement on No. 6 at Rangers offers as good a chance to dunk one as any par 3 in the Metroplex.
After a couple of par 4s at No. 7 and No. 8, comes the long finishing hole to the outward nine. “Around the Horn” gets its nickname due to its long and winding design that culminates back up a steep hill to the back of the clubhouse. Playing at 605 from the tips, this hole is anything but short, and coupled with a tee shot that is hit into the usually southerly prevailing winds, it can play very long. The fairway is wide off the tee but begins to narrow a bit around the 275-yard mark. From there, longer players can have a go at the green, but water left eliminates that side as a bailout. The water left of the green streams downhill and cascades across the fairway, adding some challenge to those who choose to lay up. Overall, it’s a tough hole, especially on days where the winds are ripping out of the south.
After a short par 4 at No. 10, players face the par-3 11th. This hole doesn’t look to be terribly challenging from the tee, and playing at just 173 yards from the back tees, it’s not exactly a monster length-wise. But this hole can be a bit of a Rubik’s Cube for those who haven’t seen the course more than a handful of times. For starters, this hole almost always plays directly into the south wind. There are trees behind the green, so often when you are standing on the tee, you don’t see much movement from the pin flag or feel that wind as you get prepared to tee off. Secondly, there is a subtle uphill climb to the putting surface, so that almost always adds a half club to the yardage. Combine the two, and you see player after player come up short in the massive front bunker. Should you choose the right stick and hit the green, the fun doesn’t stop there, as the almost 7,000 square-foot putting surface is split by a large hump in the middle. So if you don’t hit the proper side of the green, a two-putt could be a tall order.
No. 12 is one of the few holes on the property that really requires a precision tee ball, but it does appear to be tighter simply because it is one of the few holes where trees frame the hole on both sides. Finding the fairway is paramount here but will still leave a mid-iron for most players.
If there is a hole at Texas Rangers that presents a little bit of controversy, it would be No. 13. This hole is a 512-yard par 5. Well, it plays as a par 5 for the daily fee player. For those teeing it up in the Veritex Bank Championship, it is played as a par 4 (also, it is played as No. 4) in the tournament. The tee shot here is straightforward; players just need to avoid the water left and some bunkers and native vegetation right. The controversy, if you can call it that, lies with the second shot. The green sits about 10 feet lower than the layup area, but the hole plays short enough to entice almost every player to go for the green in two. The way the green sits and the pitch of the surface don’t receive shots as well as they probably should for a par 5. Long irons that carry into the green will rocket off the back and usually never be seen again. Laying up is an option, but even wedge shots tend to release, making it tough to get the ball close to the hole. It’s quirky, and the fact it plays as a par 5 for amateurs helps. But it is a hole that should be a scoring opportunity that can turn into much worse with the way the green is carved out.
The final stretch at Texas Rangers Golf Club offers some chances to score. No. 16 is a short par 4 that plays just 327 from the back tees. It does creep a little bit back uphill. So even though it may seem like you can get to the green from the tee, you may fall a bit short. Laying up is a wise option, but the great equalizer here is the funhouse putting surface. Pins up in the front can be hard to get close, as everything wants to run away toward the back, and carry it too far into the green and a severe ridge will send shots careening some 35-40 feet away. A chip or putt from back-to-front is no cupcake either, as this effort can be very tough to judge. On this approach shot, pick a number and commit to it for the best chance at a birdie.
No. 17 is one of the few holes that uses a similar routing as the old Chester W. Ditto Golf Course. This hole runs parallel to North Collins St. and plays as a 405-yard par 4. The tee shot requires players to shape something from right to left and also avoid a bunker in the middle of the fairway. Those players who can execute a high draw with the driver will have a distinct advantage over players who play a fade. Favoring the right side of the fairway is the best option, but will leave around 170 yards remaining into another fascinating green complex with a runoff on the left and a bunker on the right.
The final hole of the day is a very gettable par 5. It’s a great finishing hole for those groups that might have some money on the line. Anything from eagle to triple bogey is in play on this hole called “Walk Off.” This hole trundles downhill about 25 feet from the tee to the landing area and then climbs 25 feet back up to the green. Carry the cross bunker that is visible from the tee, and a speed slot will send balls deep into the fairway, offering a great look at getting home in two. Four water ponds ascend the hill on the right, featuring meandering brooks that spill from pond to pond on the way down the hill, offering a stunning final view, and one more obstacle to avoid. The green is heavily contoured, so don’t assume hitting the green in two or in regulation will lead to a simple birdie or par. It’s a great finishing hole to a course that has become one of our favorites in the area.
Texas Rangers is rightfully a great place to host a Korn Ferry event. The professionals make birdies in bunches on this layout, but amateurs can choose an appropriate set of tees and have those same opportunities. For the most part, Rangers is very generous off the tee, which offers even the mid- to high-handicapper plenty of chances to score. They also overseed in the winter, which keeps the course green and lush when most courses in the area are dormant.
Overall, Texas Rangers Golf Club is a little higher priced than a lot of the other municipal options in the Metroplex, but the stately, baseball-themed clubhouse, the great food and bar and a Korn Ferry Tour stop golf course are worth the price of admission. Now, we just need a replica World Series trophy in the memorabilia case when you walk in the door.