My friend and I had one final round left on this trip/move. We were looking for a course close to where I live and thought Ridgeview Ranch Golf Club looked as good as any!
We grabbed a noonish tee time for ~$50, which I didn’t think was too bad on a holiday. As you’d expect on Memorial Day it was busy as the parking lot and range were packed when we arrived. The round only took a little over 4 hours so things moved well!
Ridgeview Ranch is a Jeff Brauer design that is located in the DFW urban sprawl. From the little Dallas golf that I’ve played most of the courses seem to have a similar look to them, including Ridgeview Ranch. It seems the majority of the courses are in the middle of city blocks and were given the land that could not be easily developed.
The land constraints at Ridgeview Ranch are certainly noticeable on some holes, but that shouldn’t keep you from checking out the course. I have to say the design grew on me as the round went along!
The starter told us about the 4th and 15th, which are tight/visually intimidating holes and should be approached with caution. Both of these holes are narrow with trouble on each side and you’ll have to thread the needle with the tee shots. I’ll say there is room to the left on the 4th, but not tons.
While there are some other wooded holes besides the 4th and 15th, my general feeling about Ridgeview Ranch is that the course is approachable. There are plenty of large fairways and comfortable drives. We played the blue tees which are 71.8/133/6529 and I think much of that slope comes from the handful of tighter holes.
The best part about Ridgeview Ranch has to be the par-3’s, especially the 5th and the 7th! The 5th and 7th are short par-3’s playing 125 and 136 yards, respectively. They are part of a stretch of holes that play near a creek and the designer used the natural features to make each hole standout.
The 5th is framed by some mounding behind the green and offers a secluded feel, considering the course’s location. It was just a wedge for me, but come to find out the green is deeper than it looks.
The 7th plays over the edge of a natural hazard with rocks framing that green. The green angles from front right to back left so you’ll really need to hit it the perfect distance for a birdie putt. Just make sure not to miss short as it will be a lost ball.
Without any other courses locally to compare the conditions to, I’d say everything here was fairly average. The conditions were playable with full greens that ran on the slow side. The fairways had some different grasses, but nothing that influenced my shot choices. The bunkers were washed out and in need of some sand. The ground was firm so be careful of the big bounce!
I enjoyed the day with my friend at Ridgeview Ranch and as I mentioned, the design did grow on me by the time I got to the 18th. I don’t think a round here is worth driving across the Metroplex but if you are within 30 minutes then playing here certainly won’t hurt.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):