Lockhart State Park Golf Course

Review of Lockhart State Park Golf Course

Lockhart State Park Golf Course, which is the only State Park staff operated golf course in the Texas State Park system, was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in the late 1930’s.  During it’s heyday, golfers teed off on the first hole from what in those days was dubbed the “highest tee box in Texas.”  The original #1 tee box can still be seen from the CCC built recreation hall.

The Lockhart State Park Golf Course is a nine hole par 35 layout that is typical of some of the older courses – short, fairly straight ahead holes, no tricks or gimmicks, leverages the existing terrain, and small round greens.  There are three tee boxes with yardages of 2406, 2810, and 2989 yards.  The only slope and rating listed on the scorecard is 68.1 and 110.

Some of what makes playing this course both fun and demanding include:

• an elevated tee shot that you’ll have fun pulling out the big dog and smacking it as hard as you can, just make sure you put it through the tight tree lined slot and over the trees
• some uphill and well as downhill shots
• an elevated green with a 4 or 5 railroad tie high front that requires a precise shot to stuff it on the oblong green – a bump and run shot puts you at the base of the railroad ties
• a couple tee shots that require accuracy to make it through the tree lined slot or to avoid a ditch
• firm hard fairways and greens that give you lots of extra roll that you need to manage
• a small hidden body of water on one of the holes
• no bunkers to worry about but one hole that has 5 small grass mounds surrounding the green
• small oval greens that are difficult to nail in regulation
• a couple holes that are long (438 yard par 4 and a 210 year par 3)
• a challenging 9th hole that requires you try a risky shot to carry a ditch and fly some tall trees to hit the green and get near the pin

The above plus an affordable rate is the good news, the bad news is that:

• the conditions are not the best:
• the fairways are a combination of a variety of grasses and weeds, clover, bare dirt spots, and some cracks in the soil big enough to swallow your golf ball
• the tee boxes are firm and dry and some require a hammer to get your tee in the ground and a crow bar to get it out
• the greens are a little slow and bumpy

But the price is low and you get what you pay for.  Regardless, we enjoyed our round even though the previous day we had played one of the Top Ten Private Courses in Texas – The Hills Country Club Signature Course.  

To score well on Lockhart State Park Golf Course your tee shots need to fly the trees or make it through the tree lined slots and you need to be deadly accurate to hit and hold the small greens.

Most of the fairways are ample but miss them you’re in the rough (which in most cases is thin and playable), under the trees, or in a natural area and lost.  There are a couple dog legs but on most holes you can see the flag from the tee box.  When we played in July, the fairways were very dry and bare which meant lots of extra roll. 

As mentioned, the Lockhart State Park Golf Course greens are very small and all but one are oval.  They weren’t in too bad of shape but were bumpy and slow.  Most have some minor slope and some have sections with some very significant slope or a tier.  No bunkers to contend with but if you over run the green, you’ll be in the trees or natural area.