Golf Scrapbook Blog (The Top Ones)

Dallas National Golf Club

Coming up 18 with the clubhouse in the background

August 2022 – There are a lot of “hot-in-the-moment” architects that have the golf nerds all a-slobber: Tom Doak, Gil Hanse, Coore and Crenshaw, David McLay Kidd, to name a few. I love a lot of their work, too. However, it seems Tom Fazio has been a little forgotten – ala Billy Joel:

“Ah, you’ve seen me in the papers
I’ve been in the magazines
But if I go cold I won’t get sold
I’ll get put in the back in the discount rack
Like another can of beans”

Except Tom hasn’t gone cold. He still has more designs in the top 100 rankings than any other modern architect (or really any other architect period). That’s because he creates courses that challenge, that are visually awesome, that are fun to play without being a pushover, etc. And when you give him a piece of property like at the Ridge in NJ or Dallas National, just wow. I loved this course. I loved the vibe, the staff (even though they weren’t thrilled with my Eagles golf towel), the conditioning, the clubhouse, the fact that the staff kept delivering bloodies and screwies as needed and as requested. Another thing that sets DN apart is – like at Pine Valley – you will not see one hole from the next. You are on 18 little islands of golf. All within a 20-minute drive of downtown Dallas. DN has pretty much been #1 in Texas since opening (though Whispering Pines has since surpassed it in Golf Digest).

Back to my Eagles towel in Dallas. As an Eagles fan, I have hated the Cowboys since the beginning of time. I hate their uniforms. I hate their faces. I hate everything about them. As this is the closest course to Texas Stadium that I’ve played, let me walk you through the five things I hate most about the Cowboys:

5. The fricking thing they used to do at the line of scrimmage under Tom Landry. Skip ahead through this shitty video to the 3:44 mark…

4. The stupid Tom Landry hat and shit-eating grin. I was so happy when he got fired until…

3. They replaced him with this douchebag – who I smacked in the head with a snowball at Bounty Ball II…

2. This asswipe (23andme testing proves he is an Ewok)…

  1. And finally the anti-christ himself (Skeletor-looking MF’er)…

Honorable mentions go to Vander Esch’s stupid neck guard, the fact they drafted Micah Parsons and Sean Lee and now I have to hate them, Michael Irvin, Golden Richards, but I digress.

To the course. As noted, Dallas National is a top ranked course. #71 in Golf Digest’s Top 100 US Courses. #35 in Golfweek’s Modern Courses. It’s currently only behind Whispering Pines in the GD Texas rankings. The treatment you get is second-to-none. I’ll do the hole-by-hole descriptions in the captions. I know I missed one hole – the bunkers were getting re-done – but should have the rest. I don’t really have a favorite hole on the course – they all were so good and offer such a variety of challenges and looks. Dallas National has everything you want in a course and should 100% be on your bucket list. We got on through my friend Christian whose buddy is a member but couldn’t make it. So, we played with the pro Austin and another of Christian’s buddies from Maridoe, Allen. Austin was so awesome to play with. He made the calls to get us our drinks and was one of the nicest people you will ever meet. We had a great caddie, Alex. We played in the morning in August so the heat only started getting bad by the back.

I talk about the DFW area a little in my Colonial post. I rank Colonial a little ahead of Dallas National in my rankings because of the history and tournament legacy but these are equal. Just a hair lower is where I rank Maridoe, which just opened in 2017 and will be a high flyer. They are expanding their clubhouse and when complete and some surrounding construction is wrapped, it will be a tournament-ready course. In all, to date, I’ve been to the DFW area a ton in my life but have only played 11 courses. There are some decent public tracks around: Cowboys (make sure you pee on the star on the 6th fairway), Old American, Tour 18 (pretty neat replica course), Sky Creek Ranch to name a few. The next tier privates are okay (I’ve gotten on Las Colinas and Prestonwood). My buddy Pat belongs to a club in the Fort Worth area so will hit that and write up soon.

Opening hole. We played the II tees which measure over 6,200 yards. The first is a straight-ahead 318-yard par four and the number 18 handicap. Fazio eases you into the course. My buddy got a birdie. I hit a great drive but left my approach out a little and into the trap. Skulled it across the green. Tough chip short. then on and one putt 6. Was figuring the bloody better start kicking in fast.
Two is a short par-five. I left my drive out right and into the bunker. Don’t do that. Got out ok but it leaked on my long approach to just shy of the bunker right. Duffed chip into the bunker. Barely on in five and two putt. Was not loving life but enjoying the course.
155-yard par three third. Hit the green but rolled off left. Chip up was great but lipped par putt, four.
Four is another sub-500-yard par five (from the II’s). Not sure how I played it but another double bogey.
Five. Long par-three. Love the variety of par threes here. Another push right abut about pin high. Do not be long on the holes here is a good rule to follow. Another nice chip and another lip par putt for bogey. There’s a great drink/snack shack to the right of the green here. You also pass it on 8.
Six is a 415-yard par four. I doubled again. Don’t really remember what I did wrong but felt I wasn’t hitting the ball that crappily to be in the 100+ scoring range but I was well on my way to busting the golfing Mendoza line.
Seven is a short par four, just 317 from the II’s. Great drive and stuck a wedge within gimme birdie range. Whether it was the bloody kicking in finally or just some better breaks, I would not double again.
Eight is the number two handicap. There is a rock outcropping/weedy knoll out to the right. My buddy’s drive went into the gnarl on the top of the knob so it is definitely drivable. I was right behind it but was able to get a 7-iron up and over to within 6 feet, missed back-to-backs but a gimme par. Load up on drinks as there are no other drink shacks and you do not come back anywhere near the clubhouse again.
As you’ll see from the pix, nine starts you out on a much more dramatic part of the property. If I had to name one, nine might be my favorite hole on the course. I pushed my drive right but crushed Stumpy (the nickname for my hybrid 7-wood). Great chip and just missed par putt for a bogey to finish nine with a 47. Not good but the last three holes saved me from complete embarrassment.
Ten is a l-o-n-g par five (610 from the tips which are only back a little from the II’s). Room left so keep it there. I think Austin was saying this is the high-point of the property. Took a satisfying bogey.
They were re-doing the bunkers on 11. It’s a short 295-yard par four and took another bogey. I missed 12, another par four and another bogey. This is the 120-yard 13th. I aimed left and hit the dreaded straight ball. Don’t be left with the pin up front – it is a tough chip. I hit it too hard and off the other side. Almost jarred my chip back and a gimme four.
Fourteen is another dramatic par four – not long but uphill and yes another bogey.
Classic Fazio – intimidating-looking drive but more room than you think. The 15th is a long four and the number 5 handicap. Bogey yet again.
The approach on 16 and the number one handicap. Guess what? Another bogey.
Talk about variety. Fazio gives you four very distinct par threes. Seventeen played to 200 yards. My three wood got me to the right edge and a two-putt par to stop the bogey parade.
Eighteen from the tee. 48–yard par five that is – as you can see – well bunkered. You need to thread the needle (I did with my drive of the day) then avoid the waste area to the short right of the green. I didn’t. Drop three. Four on. Two-putt bogey but salvaged a 91 after being 10 over after six..
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