WinStar Golf Course - South Course

Just across the Texas border is WinStar World Casino which is home to a championship golf course designed by D. A. Weibring.  The WinStar Golf Course has 27 very good holes plus an upscale multi-function 10,000 square foot clubhouse with a well stocked pro shop, men’s and women’s locker room, the Legends Bar & Grill, a great outdoor patio, and some banquet and meeting rooms.  In addition, adjacent to the Clubhouse is the WinStar Golf Academy which is the place to go for lessons, club fitting, clinics, and golf schools.  The well done Golf Academy also has a fitness center, covered driving range, putting green, chipping and bunker area, golf simulator, and more. 

WinStar Golf Course was designed by D.A. Weibring and Golf Course Architect Steve Wolfard and they created a very “Golfer Friendly” 27-hole layout that is suitable for all levels of play from the beginners to the pros.  There are five sets of tee boxes with yardages on each nine from 2439 to 3621 yards, the fairways are wide and forgiving, the greens are relatively flat and smooth, and there are several recovery areas.  Pick the right set of tee boxes and you'll have a very relaxing and enjoyable round of golf with an opportunity to turn in a good score.

Owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation, WinStar opened in 2006 with 18 holes and was nominated for Golf Digest's "Best New Public Golf Course Award" and Avid Golfer rated it "Best New Course in 2006." In January 2009 they opened another nine creating the East, West, and South course.   Each of the courses is a little different from the others, for example:

• The West Nine has three of the original 18 holes and six new holes and it’s mostly a links style course with a couple tree lined holes and it is considered the most straightforward and easiest of the nines – here is a link to our review of the West Nine
• The East Nine is what used to be the front nine of the original course and it is a links style course with wide open sweeping fairways and native areas – read our review of the East Nine to learn more
• The South Nine is a mixture of six of the original back nine and three new holes which makes it a combination of a links style plus three tree lined holes and it is regarded as the hardest of the nines

Common to all three nines are:

• Very good conditions with near perfect above average size greens
• Well maintained and manicured common areas and natural areas
• Very good service and upscale amenities
• Great carts with a good GPS
• Resort style wide and forgiving fairways
• Enough bunkers and hazards on each nine that you need to pay attention to where they are
• Some fun holes and an opportunity to turn in a good score

If you gamble at the WinStar Casino, make sure you win enough money to play all 27 holes on WinStar Golf Course.  After your round, take your golf winnings and double down at the Casino.

The South Nine at WinStar was our favorite nine – it is the most interesting and unique and the hardest of the nines.  South starts off with a great par 5 that sets the stage for this nine – a 557 yard par 5 that requires a fairly precise shot to make the turn right to a tight fairway with a lake along the left side and a couple bunkers on the right side.  The next two holes are part of the new nine and they are narrow and straightforward but if you miss the fairway, you’re in the trees which may be tough to recover from.  That’s followed by a wide open links style hole with a slight dog left – a good risk reward opportunity to shorten the hole if you think you can carry the bunker and nail the fairway. 

The last three holes on WinStar's South Course are really fun:

• #7 is a 382 yard par 4 that has a slight dog leg left around a lake and the right side of the fairway has mounding and bunkers
• #8 is a long 231 yard par three that requires a carry over a large bunker in the front of the oblong green
• #9 is outstanding with a wide sweeping and rolling fairway lined with a natural area along the right and a lake that goes along the right and back side of the green which also has a small bunker on the left, a large long bunker along the entire right side, and a hidden bunker off the back side. 

South only has 14 bunkers and ten are protecting the greens.  They range in size from some smaller pot sized to a couple huge monsters.  The sand was wet thanks to a little rain but it looked like it would normally be very thick, soft, and fluffy.  The lips are manageable.  35 of the bunkers at WinStar Golf Course will be redone starting in the winter of 2011 to help improve the drainage. 

On the South Course, the  fairways from the original nine were in very good condition as were the roughs while the new nine hole fairways are still maturing and not quite as lush and plush.  The three tree lined fairways are a little tight and you need to select a club that will keep you in the fairway or you’re in the trees.  On the rest of the fairways, bring out the big dog and let it rip. 

The greens are on the large side and relatively flat with some subtle breaks.  When we played they were in near perfect condition, ran true and at good speed (around a nine to ten), and five are guarded by one bunker and the rest by two bunkers.  You'll love these greens and one or two putts are common.

WinStar has an excellent Stay & Play package that you should check out.  You can stay in the WinStar Hotel or camp in the WinStar RV Park.  Read our article about our stay at WinStar Hotel.

Bottom line – good conditions, a pretty good value, and some fun holes make for a relaxing and enjoyable round.