Old Brickyard

Old Brickyard Golf Course in Ferris is about 20 miles south of Dallas on Interstate 45 and is well worth the drive – this is a fantastic course.  The course leverages the natural terrain to create lots of elevation changes and ups and downs.  Old Brickyard is also on the site of the old Ferris Brick Company and the course was designed around three quarries that were dug out by the brick company.  Coupled together, the quarries and the elevation changes make Old Brickyard a very fun, unique, and interesting 18 holes of golf. 

Old Brickyard is short by today's standards – three tee boxes with yardages from 4478 to 6280 – but it's still no walk in the park.  The front nine is outstanding – it's challenging, unique, and every hole is different from the others.  This nine is the hardest of the nines and  is probably a little longer than the scorecard claims thanks to elevation changes and uphill shots.  You'll encounter several elevation changes, blind shots, lots of ups and downs, ravines and valleys, water, pinched fairways, and elevated greens.  The bad news is that three of the holes play along busy Interstate 45 which can be a little distracting, but the good news is that those few holes demand focus and you may not even notice the cars and trucks buzzing by.   A very fun nine.

The back nine of Old Brickyard is a little flatter and more traditional but has several interesting and demanding holes as it plays around the three old quarries.  This nine may be easier of the nines but it still ate three of my golf balls and caused me to get some sand in my hair! 

Some of our favorite holes include:

• #2 which is the #1 handicap – a 455 yard par 4 with an uphill shot of the tee box to a heavily mounded and contoured fairway and than a long downhill shot though a narrow fairway with a pond on the right and tall hills on the left and a raised green with little room for error
• #5 is a long 562 yard par five with an uphill shot off the tee box to a landing zone littered with 4 bunkers and an approach shot that has to carry a deep and wide grass ravine to a green that will be hard to hit and hold
• the par 3 #8 has an elevated tee box with a forced carry 207 yards over the quarry and natural area to the green
• #9 nine demands accuracy off the tee box to thread the fairway pinched by a hill on each side and to stop short of the quarry and then you'll need a precise shot to stuff it on a slightly downhill 2 tier green guarded by a bunker, hills, and water
• #10 is the #2 handicap and one of those holes you'll love or hate – a 553 yard par five that horseshoes around the quarry and requires accuracy off the elevated tee box to carry the lake and land on a narrow fairway thanks to tall hills on the left and the quarry on the right; then you face a huge risk reward shot to carry the lake to get you closer to the pin, followed by a demanding approach shot – par this beauty and you deserve a margarita
• #11 is fun as it dog legs left along the quarry
• #12 has a dramatic elevated tee box (you can see forever) and a good risk reward shot to try and miss the trees and carry the quarry to shorten the dog right to the green – a great birdie opportunity

We played in the middle of August when all of Texas was suffering from a harsh winter and a severe drought and 99% of the Texas courses were in pretty poor condition.  That was also the case with Old Brickyard Golf Course – the fairways were dry and cracked and hard and firm.  The rough was the same with a sprinkling of weeds and dirt.   The lack of rain also meant that they were pumping from the quarries which were down 5 to 7 feet. 

The greens on the other hand were near perfect with little to no browning or damage.  They held the ball well, ran true, but were a little slow and bumpy.  They ranged in size from average to large and all had some gentle to severe slope.  Some were raised, some well guarded, and some difficult thanks to tiers and slope. 

The bunkers were average with hard firm sand. 

Bottom line – Old Brickyard Golf Course is a blast to play with some very fun and unique holes, lots of variety, and some demanding holes.  It is also a great deal and they have lots of coupons and specials available to save you even more money.