Harbor Lakes Golf Club

Review and Rating of Harbor Lakes Golf Club in Granbury, Texas

Harbor Lakes Golf Club was named “Best New Course in Texas in 2003” and it’s a real pleasure to play – good conditions, demanding but fair, and a great layout with some very good holes.  The front nine is a true links style course with rolling contoured fairways, lots of big nasty bunkers, large greens, swaying scotch broom lining most of the fairways, and plenty of mounding. 

The back nine is a little more traditional with some homes set back off the fairways, a few trees, and a layout that is a little tougher thanks to water on 8 holes and large strategically placed bunkers.  The back nine requires some good course management skills and the water and bunkers around the greens put a premium on approach shots.  On both nines you'll also need to manage several sharp dog legs, some minor uphill and downhill shots, rolling and contoured fairways that range from tight to wide open, and lots of mounding along the fairways as well as surrounding the greens – all of which contributes to making it a blast to play Harbor Lakes Golf Club.  

This course is demanding but very playable if you play smart and pick the right set of tee boxes and it's home to some outstanding holes like:

• #1 is a fun 391 yard par 4 with a slight uphill tee shot to a sharp 90 degree dog leg right around a huge bunker complex to a green with a bunker on the right and water three quarters of the way around it – your tee shot needs to avoid two big right side fairway bunkers and give you a shot to the green which most likely will be a blind shot – off the tee box you've got an excellent risk-reward shot if you can carry the bunkers and miss  the pond in back of them
• #9 has water on the left from tee to the pin plus a tough approach shot thanks to a pinched fairway with water on both sides and 3 bunkers (left, right, and back) guarding a challenging sloping green
• #10 requires accuracy on every shot – the tee shot has to fly between trees that create a fairly narrow slot and avoid a big bunker where the fairways takes a sharp left turn and then you need an accurate approach along a very tight fairway with trees protecting the right side and lots of mounding on the left
• #14 (554-yard par 5 and the #1 handicap hole) and #18 are both tough as they horseshoe around the lake past some big fairway bunkers to well-guarded greens

When we played in March 2019 the fairways were still dormant, but during the summer I image that they would be near perfect. The fairways range from wide and let-er-rip to tight and narrow and you need to try to stay out of the rough.  Overshoot the rough and you're wet or lost in the natural areas.  You'll also encounter lots of mounding, some minor ups and downs, and some rolling contoured fairways that can create some uneven lies.

The Harbor Lakes Golf Club greens are about average size and most are well guarded with water and bunkers.  They were in very good shape, rolled smooth, and at a great speed of 9 to 10.  A few of the greens are raised, all have a 5' puttable fringe, and most have some slope and undulation but nothing too severe. 

The bunkers are strategically placed in the fairway and around the greens.  Most are huge with some steep and tough faces.  The sand varied from very good to a bit gritty and rocky and shallow. 

Bottom line – a fun and demanding links-style course with good holes and great conditions.