WinStar Golf Course - West 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
• 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 – read our review of the South Nine to learn more about this nine

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 West Nine is the most straightforward and traditional with a lot of “what you see is what you get” and there’s not a whole lot that will get ya!  The fairways are wide and forgiving, the 19 bunkers are intimidating but seemed easy to avoid, and the greens are manageable.  This is a nine where you can have a fun, relaxing round, and turn in a good score. 

There are some fun holes like:

• #5 a 380 yard par 4 and #6, a 562 yard par 5 which have a common lake that lines most of the fairway from tee to green – beware, the #6 fairway is like a kids roller coaster creating some uneven lies and stopping some of the normal fairway roll
• #8, a 452 yard par 4, is one of the original 18 holes with 3 bunkers on the left side of the fairway (one of which is very long and wide) leading to a challenging green complex with two large bunkers protecting a sloping green with a couple ridges
• The finishing hole is an impressive 524 yard par 5 that will test your game

The fairways are a mixture of the mature and lush original holes and the new holes which still need some maturing.  All of them are wide and forgiving and straightforward with little to no major trouble. 

The MiniVerde Bermuda greens are excellent – near perfect condition, good speed, smooth, and true.  Better yet there is little to no undulation and the slope is manageable.  11 of the 19 bunkers are guarding the greens, but the greens are large and avoiding the bunkers wasn't a problem. 

The bunkers were in good shape but a little wet – 35 of the WinStar bunkers will be redone in 2011 to improve drainage.  They vary in shape and size and the sand is soft, thick, and normally fluffy. 

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.