Legends Country Club

Review of the Legends Country Club in Stephenville

The Legends Country Club in Stephenville opened for play in 1979 and over the years has hosted several University Interscholastic League events. The course changed ownership in 2014 and they hired a new superintendent in late 2016.  When we played the course in 2006, the conditions were not the best and we gave the course a very low rating.  During our round in 2019 we were amazed at the transition from 2006 to 2019 – the conditions were much better and we found the course much more fun to play. 

Part of what makes playing the Legends Country Club interesting and worth playing is that there are some challenging holes that require accuracy off the tee box, the greens are small which puts a premium on your approach shots, and each of the nines is very different.

The front nine is the best of the two nines and it meanders through a medium-priced community with most holes lined by homes and trees on each side.  On this nine you'll find 7 doglegs, a fun par three over water, small raised greens, and some tight fairways. 

The back nine plays through what was most likely some farmland – it's flat and very open with a few trees on several holes that can block your shot, six doglegs, and water on three holes.  The fairways are tight to ample but miss them and you're most likely lost in some tall thick native grass.  The greens on this nine are also small, most are raised, and they are much harder than the front nine thanks to tiers and a lot more contour and slope.

Some of the holes that we really liked included:

• #3 is a fun 450-yard par 5 with 2 trees in the middle of the fairway at 200 yards out, then left around more trees, and up to a small green
• #7 is a 181-yard par 3 that requires an accurate shot off the tee to avoid the trees that pinch the fairway and then you need to carry the lake to hit the green
• #13 is a 480-yard par 5 with a couple of trees in the middle of the fairway that you need to miss and then a sharp dog left to the green
• #15 is a 175-yard par 3 with a pond along the left side waiting for your drive

The greens a Legends Country Club are small, mostly oval, and raised – a couple are like the back of a small turtle.  When we played they were in good condition and they normally run around an 8.  The front nine greens have some minor slope and the back has more slope and undulation.  

The fairways range from tight to below-average width and the rough was wide and playable – but miss the rough and you're in a back yard on the front or in dense tall native grass on the back.  The fairways and rough were in fair condition considering that the summer had record heat and no rain – as such, they were dry, mostly brown, and firm.

There is only one bunker and it's overrun with some weeds and dirt.