Cowboys Golf Club

Review and Rating of Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine

Cowboys Golf Club is the world’s first and only NFL-themed golf course and it’s a real pleasure to play – in fact, if you’re in the DFW area this is a must play.  Cowboys Golf Club was designed by Jeffery Brauer and he did a superb job of carving a unique course that leverages the heavily treed and natural rolling terrain.  Since opening in 2001, Cowboys Golf Club which is now part of the Arcis Golf portfolio of managed courses, was quickly recognized as one of the best golf courses in Texas.  In fact, since then some of the awards and accolades include:

#1 Daily Fee Facility in the DFW area by the Dallas Morning News

#1 ranked course in the Southwest by Zagat

Honorable mention in the Top Ten Courses You Can Play by Golf Magazine

#1 Daily Fee Course in the Metroplex by Avid Golfer

#22 in the Best Public Courses in America by Golf World Magazine

recognized by Texas Outside as one of the Best Public Courses in Texas

Jeffrey Brauer built a course that takes advantage of the 159 acres that the course plays through to create a scenic as well as fun and challenging 18 holes.  He worked closely with the City of Grapevine and the Army Corps of Engineers to preserve the natural environment while creating a unique DFW golf experience.  This is one of those courses that will throw a lot at you and test your game from the tee box to the cup – you’ll encounter trees, waterways and natural habitats, dramatic elevation changes, forced carries, dog legs, huge treacherous bunkers, contoured fairways, and complex greens. 

Cowboys Golf Club is a tad pricey but it is the only “all-nclusive golf course in Texas,” which means that the price includes greens fee, cart, GPS, practice balls, and all  food and non-alcoholic beverages for the day.  You might think that the food includes a hot dog and Coke but that’s not the case; at Cowboys Golf Club you can enjoy a full breakfast (eggs your way, French toast, buttermilk pancakes, brisket burrito, and more) and choose from several small bites (deep fried Dr. Pepper spare ribs, nachos, quesadillas, salt & pepper shrimp, and more), salads, big plates (fish tacos, chicken tenders or Thai crusted salmon) or hand foods like lamb gyro, Cuban sandwich, burgers, cheesesteak and more.  In addition, you’ll get to experience first-class service and facilities, near-perfect conditions, and some very fun golf holes plus a plethora of Dallas Cowboys memorabilia – golf carts named after an individual player (our cart honored Tony Dorset), replica Super Bowl trophies and rings, plaques at each golf hole with some Dallas Cowboy’s history, and lots more.

Cowboys Golf Club is tough, but fair, and if you can hit the ball fairly straight, avoid most of the bunkers, and putt, you’ll have a good score.  There are four tee boxes with yardages ranging from 4702 yards to 7017 yards and a slope of 114 to 140.  Cowboys Golf Club is no walk in the park, so make sure you pick the right set of tee boxes. The front nine is our favorite and it’s loaded with some fun and unique holes, while the back nine may be a little more challenging.

Cowboys Golf Club has some outstanding holes that are not only very scenic but fun, unique, and challenging, for example:

The first four holes are some of the best around (lots of “wows” from the tee boxes)  with dramatic elevation changes, wide sweeping heavily contoured and mounded fairways, treacherous bunkers, dog legs, uphill shots, challenging green complexes, and a forced carry over water

#8 is a fun 520 yard par 5 with a sharp dog leg left in front of a large pond and a very challenging approach to a smallish green (19 feet by 31 feet) with no room for error thanks to four treacherous bunkers – this hole requires accuracy off the tee box to avoid the lake and trees and give you a reasonable approach shot.  It will tempt you with a risk/reward shot to try and fly the trees to shorten the dog leg, and requires a precise shot to nail the green

#13 is the #2 handicap thanks to 594 yards to the green, a narrow dog leg right fairway, and a hidden creek crossing the fairway in front of the green

The finishing hole will make you want to play Cowboys Golf Club again – a 519 yard par 5 with a fairway that twists and turns through a minefield of  steep and deep bunkers – there are six big bunkers within 100 yards of the green

When we played in early October the greens were near perfect – smooth, true and challenging with some combination of slope and contour.  They were running at fair speed of around 8 to 9.  Most of the greens are on the large size, ranging from 18 to 73 feet wide and 20 to 47 feet deep, and all are well-guarded, requiring accuracy on the approach shots to stay out of trouble. 

The bunkers are huge and treacherous – steep faced and very deep and strategically placed, and there are a lot of them!  The bunkers were perfect – white, thick and fluffy sand that was a joy to hit out of.   Study the GPS carefully and do whatever it takes to avoid the bunkers some of which are so big you may get lost and others that are so steep and deep you may need a ladder to get out – take a snack with you in case you get stuck in one. 

The fairways range from wide and sweeping to pretty tight, but most are generous and fair.  The rough is wide and was cut very playable.  Miss the rough and you’re wet, in a natural area, or lost in the trees.  Most of the fairways are rolling and some are mounded and heavily contoured, causing some very uneven lies.  They were near perfect when we played.  One hole has some condos along one side – no homes or barking dogs but you do get to watch huge airplanes fly over on their way to land at DFW airport

Cowboys Golf Club has a resort feel to it – a beautiful 13,500-square foot Austin stone clubhouse, excellent practice facilities (including a star-shaped putting green), top-notch service, well-stocked pro shop, good sports bar and restaurant, excellent conditions and resort pricing.