Firewheel - Old Course

Review and Rating of Firewheel's Old Course in Garland

Firewheel Golf Park, which is owned and operated by the City of Garland, has 63 holes of very good golf. The Bridges is the newest course and has 27 holes that are consistently rated as some of the best in the Dallas area.   In 2013 the Bridges Course ranked #2 in Avid Golfer's List of the Best Mid-Priced Courses ($50-$59) jn the Dallas area.  The Bridges is also a little more expensive than the Old Course and the Lakes Course.

The Old Course hasn't changed much since opening but the Lakes Course was substantially redesigned in 2001 and the bunkers were being redone in 2015.   Here are links to our reviews of the Lakes Course, Bridges Champion Course, and the Bridges Masters Course.

The Old Course at Firewheel opened in 1983 and it's tree lined fairways play through gently rolling terrain, across a meandering creek, and around 65 bunkers.  The front nine is a little longer, offers some good variety, and seems a little easier.   A couple of the holes that we liked on the front included:

• #3 is a 556 par 5 that takes a gentle right turn around a cluster of three bunkers and heads uphill to a green tucked off on the right side and surrounded by 3 bunkers – trees on the right front of the green can block your approach
• #5 is fun with an elevated tee shot with a risk reward shot if you want to try and fly a cluster of trees where the fairway dogs left and heads down hill to a green with a left and right pond on the front

The back nine at Firewheel's Old Course is a little shorter than the front and it's a par 35 with 3 par 3s, 4 par 4s, and 3 par 5s.  I think the back is a little tougher thanks to the creek that crosses every hole, strategically placed bunkers, and small greens with more undulation and slope.  We liked:

• #16 which is a 567 yard par five that dogs right around a big lake and heads toward a green with 3 bunkers – take a risky shot off the tee to fly the bunker and avoid the lake for a much shorter approach shot to the green
• #18 is a diabolical finishing hole that requires a good drive to not overrun the dog left fairway and avoid the two bunkers and the lake on the right and the approach is tight and must fly the creek, miss the trees, and avoid the bunkers on the left side of the fairway

The fairways are gently rolling creating some uphill and downhill shots and they range from wide open to tight and tree lined.  Some homes line three or four fairways.  The front nine fairways seemed to be in a little better condition but both nines fairways were dry and thin – which means some extra roll.  The rough varied quite a bit – from thick and dense, to dry and thin, to a mixture of grass and dirt. 

The greens at the Old Course at Firewheel range in size from small to about average and are a variety of shapes.  They were in pretty good condition, held the ball well, and ran true but a little bumpy.  Some are raised, others are flat, and all but three are guarded by one to three bunkers.

The bunkers need some sand and some TLC – the sand was very thin and in some cases very gritty and some weeds were starting to encroach into the bunkers.  They range in size from small to about average and the lips are 1 to 6 inches – easy to hit over.  The back nine greens seemed to have more slope and undulation.