Conveniently hidden and secluded off of I-30 and just east of 360 in Grand Prairie, Texas, Great Southwest Golf Club is one of the area's top championship courses featuring 6,706 yards of mature, tree-lined fairways and enough water hazards and sand bunkers to challenge Texas' best golfers.
Designed by Byron Nelson and Ralph Plummer in 1964, Great Southwest is consistently rated among the toughest courses in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. This renowned Texas track was renovated in the summer of 2000 to provide the best in playing conditions.
Renovations included upgrading to Champions greens which not only provide a pure putting surface, but actually thrive in the hot Texas heat when Bentgrass greens struggle.
What separates Great Southwest from other area Country Clubs? The four main things that come to mind are the course itself, the competition level, pace of play and the ability to play other superb sister clubs in the area and throughout the country.
The Course
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The layout of the course is something you might expect to find at Pinehurst. It's not the longest course in the area, but then again, driver off every tee is not the most prudent approach. With forests of trees guarding almost every fairway, a long iron or fairway wood will help you find the short stuff.
Competition
Are you looking for a little action? If you cannot stand playing for the pure excitement of the game and need a little something (or a lot) on the line to get your juices flowing, Great Southwest is the place for you.
With over thirty-five years of tradition, the club boasts a very competitive membership. Of the 428 current members, twenty-four players have a handicap index of less than 1.0. Seventy-three more golfers carry a 5 or better. Don't plan on waltzing in and taking home the Club Championship.
They do have a very active MGA, Players Club and tournament schedule. Can you get a game at Great Southwest? Most certainly. Will playing against better competition improve your game? Absolutely.
Average round
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On the weekends, they tee off of #1 and #10 in two shifts starting at 7:30 am and again at 11:45 am. This allows more members to get that preferred tee time.
Some clubs will take in as many dues-paying members as they can get. What's the use of being a member of a club if you can't get on the course? Great Southwest has limited their golf membership level to 500. Getting on the course is never an issue.
Sister Clubs
One of the other reasons for considering a membership at Great Southwest is the exclusive Metroplex Alliance Package which allows you to play at some of the area clubs including Woodhaven CC in Ft. Worth, Diamond Oaks CC in Ft. Worth, Thorntree CC in DeSoto and Eldorado CC in McKinney.
In addition to being able to play at these private tracks, your membership also permits you to play on some of the areas top public facilities like The Tribute, Trails of Frisco, Riverside, Riverchase, Waterview and Buffalo Creek.
Do you like to play golf when you travel? You should consider the Platinum program that allows you to play more than 200 clubs, both public and private from coast to coast for merely the cost of a cart fee. All in all, a wonderful package for the true golf enthusiast.
Hole by Hole
The opening hole is a 420 yard uphill Par 4 with a slight dog-leg left. On the drive keep the ball down the right side with a draw as left is dead. Your approach will be with a mid iron to an undulating green with three tiers. You do not want to miss long or left.
The second hole is a straight forward 375 yard Par 4. Avoiding the fairway bunker on right will leave a short iron approach to a generous green... an excellent birdie opportunity.
Three is a beast of a Par 3... 223 yards, all over water! Forget the pin. Aim at the middle of the green, two-putt and RUN to the next hole. This hole has been ranked as one of the toughest Par 3's in Texas from the course’s inception.
The fourth is a tight, 408 yard Par 4 with menacing trees on the left and a creek running down the right-hand side. Your approach will be with anything from a mid to short iron to a very difficult green with steep slopes from the back and left.
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Six is a solid Par 3. 191 yards to a two-tiered green protected by two large well placed bunkers. Distance control is paramount to ensure a run at birdie.
The next hole is an extremely tight, short Par 4 of 363 yards, with a forest on the left and trees/OB on the right. Hitting the fairway is mandatory for any approach to the small, well-bunkered seventh.
Eight is the shortest Par 4 on the course. Several bunkers protect the fairway. Longer hitters can drive over all the trouble, but that leaves a delicate half-shot to a difficult sloping green. Course management is at a premium. You may consider a long iron off the tee and then a short iron in for a full shot.
The last hole on the outward nine is a devilish Par 5 of 551 yards. A huge fairway invites you to rip it. You will have to get it all to have any chance of going for it in two. Otherwise, the strategically placed creek sixty yards in front of the green will mandate a short iron lay-up and an approach of roughly 130 yards to a multi-tiered, difficult green. Definitely not a "gimmie" birdie hole.
The back nine starts with a 380 yard Par 4 with trouble everywhere off the tee. A forced carry, with water left, leads into a narrow landing area with bunkers protecting the end of the fairway. Distance control is a must. A long iron off the tee is the preferred choice for better players. The approach to the most severe green on the course is a difficult one. Trees protect it on the right and the left side slopes dramatically off into a catch area. There are three distinct tiers on the green with sharp slopes. Proper club selection is paramount.
Eleven is a straight forward Par 3 of 159 yards to a large receptive green. Finally a birdie hole!
The twelfth is yet another tight driving hole, 401 yards uphill to a generous green. Again, finding the fairway is critical for birdie seekers.
The thirteenth is a reachable 562 yard Par 5 with a sharp dog-leg left off the tee. Course management again is stressed on the second shot, which makes you choose between playing the hole as a three-shotter or going for the heavily bunkered green and searching for that elusive eagle.
At 418 yards, the Par 4 fourteenth is the longest Par 4 on the back nine. It requires a small cut off the tee to hit a narrow fairway. Overhanging trees on both sides are ready to catch all but a perfect shot. Miss your tee shot on the right side, and your ball funnels into the lateral water hazard. Your approach will be a mid to short iron to yet another well-tiered, super-slick green.
Decision time again. This 410 yard Par 4 fifteenth has a slight double dog-leg and is protected on both sides by large trees. Big hitters can blow it over the right trees, which leaves a sand wedge to a generous green, but watch out for OB just off the right fairway! Any drive left will result in trees blocking your approach, as the fairway runs out. Conservative players may opt for a long iron or fairway wood off the tee, leaving a mid-iron in.
Sixteen is a straightforward 385-yard Par 4. Again, trouble on both sides promotes a conservative play off the tee and mid-iron in. For risk-takers, avoid the right side fairway bunker 100 yards out. If you can hit this narrow landing area, birdie is likely. This green slopes heavily from back to front, so don't be long.
Seventeen is a 184 yard Par 3. This green has significant slope from back right to left. The deep green demands precision distance control for any realistic birdie opportunities.
Press!!! The eighteenth is a 526 yard Par 5. Big hitters can easily reach green... if they can drive it in a twenty yard landing area. Jail lies on either side of the fairway. Conservative players may opt for a fairway wood and then mid-iron to lay-up from the wide creek 40 yards short of the green. Going for it in two from 225 yards is no piece of cake. This green has a significant slope mid green that leads up to a back tier. Front bunkers frame the green and any misses result in difficult chips up dramatic slopes. A solid risk/return finishing hole.
Where do I sign up?
If this little review has piqued your interest and makes you want to join one of the best tracks in the area, a variety of membership packages await you. A limited number of memberships are still available, including a variety of Corporate programs structured to meet the specific needs of each company. For more information, please contact the membership director at Great Southwest at (972) 647-0114.