I’ve read good things about Cedar Crest Golf Course and thought I’d take Saturday afternoon to check it out. The course is about 10 minutes south of downtown Dallas and its claim to fame is that it hosted the 1927 PGA Championship.

I looked for any pictures/videos of the 1927 PGA Championship but unfortunately couldn’t find much. I guess it doesn’t really matter though because whenever I get to play a course the pros have played, it is a special experience! That turned out to be the case at Cedar Crest and I found a lot to like. Oh, and for those wondering who won the tournament – it was Walter Hagen.

Besides the major championship history, Cedar Crest also has a famous designer responsible for its creation. A.W. Tillinghast designed the course in 1919 and he is well-loved by many in the golf architecture community. I’m not the biggest architecture buff but Tillinghast has designed many great major championship courses still in the rotation today – Winged Foot, Baltusrol, and Bethpage, for example.

While Cedar Crest is not on the same level as Tillinghast’s top 100 ranked courses, it offers an affordable round for the Dallas golfer. The course is a municipal course, run by the Dallas Parks & Recreation Department and was refreshed in 2004 by D.A. Weibring. I paid $38 to ride on a weekend afternoon and thought it was a good value. The only issue with the conditioning were the areas of winterkill that resulted from the nasty storm in February.

Unfortunately, because of all the spots of damaged/lost turf the course has a “rough around the edges” feel right now, at least in my opinion. I did what I could to present the course favorably in my pictures, but the winter scars are noticeable and influence play. Besides those areas the rest of the course was in really good shape. The greens were quick and rolled smooth. The fairways were cut low and the ball sat up. The course was starting to take on that summer feel and played firm and fast with the ground drying out.

I played the black tees which are 73.2/131/6701 and one of the things that stood out to me was the nice piece of property Cedar Crest occupies. Similar to other courses built during the time, the course got the best land and houses were later built around the perimeter of the property. The course isn’t far from the Trinity River and the land gently slopes down towards the river. That means you get some good elevation change, uneven lies and even a few glimpses of the Dallas skyline.

Another thing that stood out to me was just how tough the course plays, given its par. The course is a par-70 or par-71 depending on the par of the 10th hole (on the scorecard it is shown as a par-4/5). I’m sure my opinion doesn’t matter but I think it is better as a par-5. Anyway, there are six par-3’s which reduce the par and make it difficult. All the par-3’s are long and play between 180 and 226 yards. On the back nine the three par-3’s are 226, 211 and 220 yards – crazy! Throw in the firm ground and the North Texas wind and Cedar Crest played tough.

My favorite hole was the 1st hole which I think is one of the best opening holes in North Texas, at least out of the courses I’ve played. It is a 611 yard beast that pinches and doglegs right for the layup. If you hit the fairway then you’ll face a downhill lie and an awkward angle to get a short iron for the third shot.

Like most of the DFW courses I’ve played, Cedar Crest is solid and one I’d recommend. I think the course’s history is underappreciated and that history makes it special. I do wish there was more variety in the par-3’s because one long par-3 after another got old. Once the winterkill is repaired I’d like to get back out here for another round.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):