The forecast was for windier conditions than I prefer, but after not golfing last weekend I was itching to go play this weekend! Eventually, I think I’d like to play every public course in the DFW area so I didn’t mind heading back to the Fort Worth area to play on Saturday.

I read a couple recent reviews about Whitestone that were positive and was able to snag a cheap tee time. My love of a deal is intact after my move and the price turned out to be only $25 for me to play! I think the normal morning green fee is close to $50 so I got a great price.

I joined a threesome (who made for a great time) and we teed off around 10:30am. I play a lot of golf in the afternoon so it was a nice change from normal for me. And, it turned out to be a good move to play earlier because the round took so dang long! It took us just over 5 hours to get to the 18th green!

I doubt that pace is normal as the group in front of us caused a huge backup. Their pace was slow, but acceptable for a weekend until we got to the 14th. Everything ground to a halt there thanks to all the liquor they told us they were drinking. I don’t think the course’s management was all too happy with that group about another matter either!

Whitestone is Jeff Brauer and Jay Morrish design located on the southwest side of Fort Worth. I looked through each architect’s portfolio of courses and cannot say that I’ve played many of their designs. Much of their work appears to be in Texas, although Morrish seems to have more courses scattered throughout the country. So, I suppose I’ll become more familiar with their names as time goes on!

While the topography at Whitestone isn’t dramatic (like most of North Texas) it allows for a nice setting for the course. A creek that runs through the course is the main feature – which seems to be a North Texas theme – but you do get a couple prairie views because of the course’s location on the edge of the urban sprawl. You even get a tiny bit of elevation change!

I played the blue tees which are 73.1/131/6615. I’ll admit Whitestone isn’t “easy”, but I didn’t find it super tough either, besides a large number potentially lurking out there on a handful of holes. I found there to be plenty of space off the tee. The creek is hidden in some spots so it is better to be more conservative with your distances if playing here for the first time.

I think the biggest difficulty will be trying to figure out the tricky greens. I racked up plenty of three putts as I couldn’t get a feel for the lines. The greens have more minor breaks but I was baffled trying to read them just right!

I think the best holes at Whitestone are the par-3’s, especially the 5th, 11th and 17th because they all had some character! The 5th plays across a pond and with the wind gusting I was very proud to pick the right club and get it pin high! The 11th plays downhill at least a club and the green was framed by some bunkers and the prairie while the 17th is surrounded by mature trees.

The conditions were very nice and even without my super deal Whitestone is a good value. The greens were almost fully healed from aeration and they rolled well with a bit of speed. The fairways and tees were full and the fairways allowed for some roll as the turf has started to firm up. The course is in the process of re-doing the bunkers and there is soft fluffy sand in about half the bunkers while the other bunkers are probably best played as ground under repair.

I’ll admit Whitestone isn’t for everyone as it does have a small amount of quirk. Some forced layups and the slight double dogleg 10th (which has been made more playable) weren’t my favorite things. Over though, I really enjoyed Whitestone. There are plenty of shot options and the routing is pretty solid. If you are in Fort Worth then I think Whitestone is worth checking out!

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