Earlier this spring I purchased a couple iDealGolfer certificates and I guess I lost track of time! The certificates were set to expire in about five days so I needed to use them this weekend. Sugar Tree Golf Club was first up on Saturday afternoon.

My last Texas round was at Canyon West Golf Club, which is actually off the same exit number. Canyon West is closer to the I-20 while you head a bit south to get to Sugar Tree. Either way, both courses took the better part of an hour and a half from where I live.

From the looks of the parking lot when I arrived it seemed like the course had a busy morning. I got going right about 2pm and played through a group of six (3 couples it looked like) and then another twosome. I made it around in about 3 hours 15 minutes and never caught any of the morning groups!

Sugar Tree was designed by Phil Lumsden, who has ties to the area (a previous mayor of a local town). He designed Sugar Tree and nearby Split Rail, which I haven’t played yet. I’m not sure if these courses were passion projects or what but he certainly created some interesting golf holes.

Sugar Tree’s front nine plays as par-37 with three of the four par-5’s. The front nine is longer than the back nine (par-35), which works its way out to the Brazos River. Overall, I preferred playing the front nine as I found the back squished onto the property. But, I’ll concede the best holes are on the back nine.

The front is highlighted by some pretty green complexes which are framed by a creek that cuts in front of them. Once you get to the 456 yard par-5 4th then everything climbs into the hills before the 7th drops you down to flatter ground again. The 7th is a fun, 182 yard par-3 that plays at least a club downhill. The green is guarded by water which makes club selection tough.

The back nine features the course’s signature holes, which are the 12th and 14th. The 12th is another par-3 with water short of the green. Nice stone work and a water fall (which wasn’t running) add to the look of a tough hole. The 14th is a par-5 that hugs the Brazos River and gives you good views of the bend in the river.

I played the gold tees (74.0/137/6810) and “difficult” is the only way to describe the playability. Even from the white and blue tees the rating and slope are high. Water is in play on the majority of holes, driving areas are tight and awkward, trees line every hole, holes dogleg at odd angles and there are many blind landing areas. While there is some character to Sugar Tree, I found plenty of funk to the design and routing.

My certificate was $29 and for that price you really cannot go wrong. Unfortunately, the conditions at Sugar Tree would be disappointing for much more than that price. The greens were solid surfaces and rolled well, however everything else was struggling. Tees were sloped, fairways were mixed with firm and soft lies and all the tree cover created plenty of hardpan. Sadly, that 14th hole appears to flood quite often as it was in awful shape.

I hoped for more from the conditions at Sugar Tree. If the course is in good shape it is worth a look from Fort Worth as there are some cool holes here. However, know that there are just as many head scratching holes as well.

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