In late June I played out at Squaw Valley, which is a good distance from Dallas down U.S. Highway 67. While looking at Squaw Valley I found Cleburne Golf Links (also a John Colligan design), which is located on the edge of Lake Pat Cleburne. The course looked really good from what I could find so I’ve been excited to check it out!

Cleburne Golf Links is a little over an hour from Dallas and about 40 minutes from Fort Worth, so it isn’t the most convenient course. However, I think it is one of those places that is worth the drive!

I booked a mid-morning tee time for $35 on a weekend – not bad! One nice thing about the course’s semi-remote location is that it will probably be a quicker round than what you’d find within the Metroplex. I teed off by myself and trailed a quick-moving threesome in about 3.5 hours.

From a design perspective what you’ll find at Cleburne Golf Links is an open layout with somewhat of a “linksy” look to it. There are very few trees in play as most of the holes are separated by native grass. The tree-deprived landscape allows for some great lake views and almost half the holes play close to the water.

I thought the par-3’s at Cleburne were the best holes, especially the 8th and the 17th! The 8th is 160 yards and plays across a finger of the lake to a peninsula-style green complex, with more water to the left. The lake is probably only in play on the worst shots, but if the wind is blowing in from the lake then it will be tough to club.

The 17th is another pretty par-3 that is on the other side of the property, out near the lake’s boat ramp. It plays 180 yards and has some excellent views of the water. The green is mounded to the right and that helps add some contrast on the fairly flat property.

There are some other good holes along the water including the short par-4 4th and the long par-5 11th. These holes offer options depending on how aggressive you want to be.

I played the black tees which are 74.0/126/7068. Since the course is fairly open the length is going to be the most difficult thing about Cleburne. There are some super long holes here including two 460 yard par-4’s and two 575+ yard par-5’s. Also, the greens are fairly small and have plenty of undulation, so that makes them one of the course’s primary defenses.

The conditions were solid (firm though!) and made the course a good deal for the price. The greens looked to be aerated a few weeks ago and still need a little time to heal completely. They were slower and bumped some. The tees and fairways were nice – just a bit scruffy. The rough was spotty with plenty of crabgrass. I certainly wouldn’t let the current conditions keep you from playing here!

I enjoyed Cleburne on a couple levels – the setting is great and it mixes fair and challenging elements nicely. With the difficult greens I wouldn’t expect to go too low but the course lets you hack it around and you can save plenty of strokes with your short game (if missing the greens in the proper spots). This is another one of those DFW fringe courses that is worth a look.

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