Look, I'll be straight with you… Southlake itself has exactly one golf course. But before you close this tab, hear me out: within 15 minutes of town, you've got access to some of the best golf in Texas, from $40 twilight specials to clubs where the initiation fee costs more than my house.
Why Southlake golfers have it pretty good
Here's the thing about living in or visiting Southlake: you might only have Timarron Country Club within city limits, but you're basically at the epicenter of North Texas golf. Within a 15-mile radius, there are 18 different courses ranging from "I can afford this if I skip lunch" to "I need to win the lottery first."
The area's golf scene reads like a who's who of course design. Byron Nelson created not one but two layouts here (including Timarron Country Club, the only course he ever designed). Ben Hogan left his mark with the only course he ever designed at Trophy Club. Then you've got Tom Fazio, Robert Trent Jones Jr., and a bunch of other architects who apparently decided North Texas needed more ways to lose golf balls.
What makes these courses special isn't just the names attached… it's the terrain. Thanks to the Trinity River watershed and some ancient limestone deposits, you actually get real elevation changes here. We're talking 100-foot swings on some courses, which in pancake-flat Texas might as well be the Himalayas.
The renovation revolution happening right now
If you haven't played around here in a while, things are changing fast. Vaquero Club in Westlake just wrapped up a massive renovation that basically turned it into Augusta National's wealthy cousin. They installed bentgrass greens with hydronic heating and cooling systems… because apparently regular grass isn't fancy enough anymore.
Meanwhile, Cowboys Golf Club is under construction through October 2025, promising to add actual game-used Cowboys turf to their driving range. Yes, you read that right. You'll be hitting balls off the same grass Dak Prescott threw touchdowns on. Or interceptions. Depending on the season.
Breaking down your options (from "sell a kidney" to "totally reasonable")
Let me walk you through what's actually available, starting with the courses where you'll need a member to vouch for you… and possibly co-sign a loan.
The private club scene
Timarron Country Club sits right in Southlake at 1400 Byron Nelson Parkway. This is Byron Nelson's only course design, and he apparently decided to make it memorable. The layout stretches 7,013 yards with a 139 slope rating, which in non-golf speak means "bring extra balls."
The signature hole is the 18th, a 540-yard par 5 that plays downhill into the prevailing wind, with your approach shot having to carry water to reach an island green surrounded by bunkers. It's the kind of hole that makes you question your life choices. Membership initiation fees range from $10,000 to $60,000, depending on what level of financial pain you're comfortable with.
Just five miles away in Westlake, Vaquero Club has become THE place to play if you've got serious money. After their 2023 renovation by Andrew Green, they're now sporting Pure Distinction Bentgrass greens with those fancy heating and cooling systems. The club limits membership to 385 equity positions, with initiation fees north of $300,000 plus annual dues of $15,000-17,000. One member described the locker rooms as "Dallas Cowboys level," which I guess means really, really nice.
Trophy Club Country Club offers something unique: it's home to the only golf course Ben Hogan ever designed. The Hogan Course, created with Joe Lee in 1975, demands the same precision Hogan was famous for. They've also got the Arthur Hills-designed Whitworth Course, named after LPGA legend Kathy Whitworth. The club houses both Hogan's and Whitworth's trophy collections, making it basically a golf museum you can play.
Public courses that won't require a second mortgage
Now for the courses where you can just show up with a credit card and a decent attitude.
Sky Creek Ranch Golf Club in Keller is probably the best public track in the area. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., it features water on 16 of 18 holes thanks to Big Bear Creek, which seems determined to eat your Pro V1s. The course sits on the highest point in Tarrant County, which means great views and absolutely no protection from the wind.
Current rates run from $55 for weekday Loyalty Club members to $125 for prime weekend times. Everything's included… cart, range balls, and the inevitable frustration of hitting into Big Bear Creek. Book tee times up to 7 days out on their website.
Grapevine Golf Course might be my favorite value play in the area. It's a 27-hole complex designed by Byron Nelson, with three nines called Pecan, Bluebonnet, and Mockingbird. You can walk for $40 on weekdays or ride for $60, which in today's golf economy is basically stealing.
The Mockingbird nine is perfect if you're… let's say "accuracy challenged." Wide fairways, minimal forced carries, and rough that won't swallow your ball forever. The facility even earned Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary certification, so you can feel good about losing balls in an environmentally responsible way.
Cowboys Golf Club is currently a bit of a mess due to renovations, but when it's fully operational, it's unlike anything else. It's the world's first NFL-themed golf course, stretching 7,017 yards with a 138 slope rating. Their model is all-inclusive… green fee, cart, range balls, plus all the food and non-alcoholic drinks you can handle for $150-280. It's like an all-you-can-eat buffet, but with golf.
Matching your game to the right course
Let's be honest about our abilities here. We're not all scratch golfers, and there's no shame in admitting it.
If you're actually good at this game
Low handicappers looking for a challenge should focus on:
- Sky Creek Ranch (136 slope, water everywhere)
- Cowboys Golf Club (138 slope, when it reopens)
- Bear Creek East Course (138 slope, 14 doglegs)
These courses will test every club in your bag and probably have you muttering things your mother wouldn't approve of.
For us mere mortals
Mid-handicappers have some great options:
- Bear Creek West Course
- Any combo at Grapevine, especially with the Pecan nine
- Texas Star in Euless
These courses offer enough challenge to keep things interesting without making you contemplate taking up bowling instead.
If you're still figuring out which end of the club to hold
Beginners, high handicappers, and anyone who measures their score in "flights of balls lost" should stick to:
- Grapevine's Mockingbird nine
- Iron Horse in North Richland Hills
- Grapevine's Bluebonnet nine
These courses understand that golf is supposed to be fun, not an exercise in self-hatred.
When to play (and when to stay home)
October is absolutely the best month to play golf around here. The weather's perfect (70-80 degrees), the humidity has finally given up, and the courses are in great shape before winter dormancy kicks in. It's basically golf paradise, assuming you can get a tee time.
Summer golf in Texas requires strategy. Or masochism. Sometimes both. From June through August, you need to book either:
- Super early (before 8 AM)
- Twilight rounds (after 5 PM)
- An appointment with your therapist
The good news? Twilight rates drop 40-50% from peak pricing. Cowboys Golf Club's all-inclusive model actually makes sense in summer when you're guzzling water and sports drinks like they're going out of style.
Winter golf from December through February offers the best deals and smallest crowds. Sure, the bermuda grass is dormant and the course plays firm and fast, but you can usually walk on without a tee time. Private clubs sometimes even open up limited guest play. Just avoid the three days per year when we get ice… Texas golf courses and ice go together about as well as pineapple and pizza.
How to book (and not go broke)
Here's what I've learned about booking tee times around here:
Most public courses open bookings 5-7 days out. Weekend morning times at the good courses disappear faster than free samples at Costco. Your best bet is to attack from multiple angles:
Online booking platforms:
- GolfNow Hot Deals (20-50% off last-minute)
- TeeOff DEAL Times (no booking fees)
- Course websites directly (sometimes have exclusive deals)
- Old-fashioned phone calls (for cancellations)
Money-saving strategies that actually work:
- Group bookings (12+ players) save 15-25%
- Replay rates offer a second round for $5-15
- Annual passes at municipal courses
- Walking instead of riding (if you're not melting)
Sky Creek Ranch has a Loyalty Club that's worth joining if you play there more than a few times a year. Grapevine's annual passes pay for themselves after about 15 rounds, which some retirees knock out by February.
Getting better (or at least trying to)
If you want to actually improve instead of just donating balls to local water hazards, the area has solid practice facilities.
Cowboys Golf Club is installing Toptracer technology on their range, which tracks your shots and lets you play virtual courses. Because apparently just hitting balls into a field isn't entertaining enough anymore. They're also adding that game-used Cowboys turf, which won't make you hit better but will give you something to talk about.
For instruction, GOLFTEC Southlake offers those fancy 3D swing analyses for $95. They'll show you exactly why your swing looks nothing like what you imagine it does. Jeff Isler Golf has built a national reputation and uses Tour-level technology, perfect if you're serious about improvement.
Club Champion Southlake can fit you for clubs from their selection of 65,000 combinations. Fair warning: they'll probably convince you that new clubs will fix your slice. They won't, but you'll feel better about it.
Local knowledge that'll save your score (and your dignity)
Some things you need to know about playing around here:
Bermuda grass greens are tricky. Putts break more toward water or toward the west (where the sun sets) than you think. That six-footer for par? Yeah, it's going to break twice as much as you read it.
Wind is a factor. Especially at elevated courses like Sky Creek Ranch. Summer winds blow from the south, winter from the north, and afternoon winds are always 10-15 mph stronger than morning. That 7-iron that was perfect at 8 AM? It's coming up short at 2 PM.
Pace of play matters. Four hours is the maximum acceptable round time. Any slower and rangers will politely (at first) encourage you to pick up the pace. Some courses are less polite about it.
Cart rules are serious business. When it's cart path only, it's cart path only. Period. Yes, even for that perfect lie in the fairway. The courses here protect their conditions fiercely, and they should… have you seen the price of water in Texas?
The bottom line on Southlake area golf
While Southlake proper might only have one course, the surrounding area offers everything from affordable municipal golf to ultra-exclusive private clubs. Whether you're chasing par or just chasing daylight before your spouse wonders where you've been for five hours, there's a course here for you.
For consistent value and conditions, Grapevine Golf Course is hard to beat. For a challenge that'll test your skills (and patience), Sky Creek Ranch delivers. And if you've got the connections and cash, the private clubs offer experiences that justify their eye-watering prices… mostly.
The real beauty of golf around Southlake isn't just the courses themselves, but the variety. You can play a different track every weekend for months without repeating, each offering its own character and challenges. Just remember to book early, bring extra balls for all that water, and maybe practice your putting on bermuda grass. Trust me on that last one.
