Links At Land's End Stay & Play Review

Stayed & Played in March 2009

We had played and enjoyed Links At Land's End golf course a couple years ago and we were anxious to get back and play it again. When we heard they recently opened a new Links At Land's End Lodge and offered a Stay & Play Package, we immediately got on the phone and booked a room and a round of golf. And had a great time!

If you're looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, enjoy a peaceful and serene round or two of golf in the country, sample some east Texas country cookin', and maybe cast a line and catch a big bass, then you need to book a Stay and Play Package with Links at Land's End. So round up your golfing buddies or favorite companion sweetheart and head out to Land's End for a weekend or overnight stay and some great golf. Land's End is located in Yantis (where?) on the shores of Lake Fork about 90 miles east of Dallas.

The new Lodge at Land's End opened in September of 2008 and it's a short walk from the Lodge to the Pro Shop. The Lodge is two adjacent buildings each of which has six guest rooms that open into a common lounge area. All of the rooms have two full size beds, flat screen TV with cable, bathroom, mini refrig, and coffee maker. We found the rooms to be clean and comfortable - nothing special or unique about the rooms but good enough for a fun weekend. Two of the rooms are a little larger then the other four rooms which are about the size of a normal hotel room. Each of the Lodge buildings have two decks with chairs, a table with an awning, and a grill overlooking the trees and a Lake Fork cove in the distance. The decks are a perfect place to start the day with a cup of coffee or end a round of golf with a cold drink. Each building also has a common area that is very comfortable with a large leather sofa and chair, large flat screen, and a table with six chairs - a great place for a small meeting or a round of games or poker.

But you don't come to Links At Land's End to stay cooped up in a room, you're here to play some golf, enjoy the country, and take advantage of the lake. Let's start with some golf. After a good nights sleep you can walk over to the Pro Shop for breakfast, hit a bucket of balls, practice your putting to get used to the greens, and then tee off for an enjoyable four hours of outstanding golf.

Links At Land's End is one of the best courses in East Texas and has received several awards and lots of recognition, some of which includes:

• County Line Magazine rated it "Best Golf Course"
• Avid Golfer rated Land's End "#1 Hidden Gem"
• In 2008, the Dallas Morning News rated Land's End #5 in it's "Top 25 High-Priced Courses in the State of Texas" and #19 in the "Top 50 Course You Can Play"
• Texas Outside gave Links At Land's End a rating of 8.5 - here is a link to the

The course is flat but takes advantage of all the trees and Lake Fork to make it fun, scenic, and challenging - what more can you ask for! The first five holes are pretty straight and easy as they play through the Land's End housing development. You'll see some absolutely stunningly beautiful huge homes. By the end of the fourth hole you've got your game together, scoring well and saying this is not so challenging and where's the lake. Bask in your glory for awhile and then pull out your A game because from hole 6 on you're going to need it. Water, doglegs, narrow approaches, strategically placed bunkers, reeds and trees, and well protected greens are going to challenge you from here on out! In fact, holes 8 through 11 are known as "Amen Corner" and have been known to ruin what set out as a great scoring round! These 4 holes play along Lake Fork and although they aren't that long (#11 is the longest at 457 yards, par 4) they are deceivingly tough. Take #8 for example, a short 380 yard par 4 that is the #1 handicap. The drive needs to be precise to make the 90 degree dogleg, avoid the reeds and lake on the right, the trees to the left, and not over-shoot the fairway. Then you need to stuff the approach shot and get the ball to hold on a small oblong green that is well protected by the lake and a bunker - par this one and the rest of "Amen Corner" may see easy!

As you can tell from the pictures, when we played in March everything was still dormant - the course is lush, green, and beautiful during the growing season.

The remaining holes are in and out of the trees and along the shoreline of Lake Fork. Number 15 is a beautiful 203 yard par 3 requiring you to carry the lake. Number 16 is a fantastic hole - #2 handicap at 412 yards with a dog leg left and a green on a small peninsula jutting into the lake - a fun, beautiful hole. Eighteen is a great par 5 finishing hole at 541 yards as it bends left along a pond to a green protected by a large bunker on the left - which is naturally where your ball wants to land! Back at the clubhouse it's fun to relax on the deck with a cold drink and listen to the finishing golfers either curse or high five as they end their round.

Each time we have played Land's End, the conditions have been well above average. The 419 Bermuda fairways are well groomed and the rough is playable. If you miss the fairway and end up in the trees, its not that difficult to chip back to the fairway and save a par. The majority of the 50 bunkers protect the greens and the sand is soft and thick. The TIF Eagle greens were in very good condition, about average speed, and relatively easy to read which made one or two putts very common. The Clubhouse has a small bar area, dinning area with a flat screen TV, deck and chairs overlooking the driving range and 18th green, and the pro shop. The restaurant hours vary by season, but it is open for lunch every day, and breakfast and dinner on Friday and Saturday. The lunch menu includes appetizers, soups, salads, and a variety of sandwiches - the Philly and chicken wrap were excellent. The pro shop has a variety of gear, the range and putting green should be used before you head out, and the service is courteous and helpful.

Either before or after your round of golf, you should allocate some time to get on Lake Fork to catch a new record bass or just enjoy the lake for cruising, swimming, or skiing/boarding. So bring your boat if you have one - just down from the Lodge, you'll find a boat ramp. If you don't have a boat, here is a link to Lake Fork Boat Rentals. Or better yet, call one of these Lake Fork Fishing Guides and let them take you to where you might catch a new record bass. Lake Fork is 27,690 acres and is respected as one of the top 3 bass fishing lakes in the United States. In fact, of the record largemouth bass catches in Texas, 18 out of the top 25 came from Lake Fork, with the average weight from Lake Fork being 16.74 pounds!

If the Land's End restaurant is closed, you have several choices that are about 10 minutes away. Three of the most popular are AJ's Fish House (an all you can eat buffet - 903 473-4198), Moser's Restaurant (well known for their pies - 903 765-2087), or Ranch House Steak & Seafood (903 473-0000).

If you have time and for some silly reason don't want to play Land's End more that once, then try Lake Fork Golf Course which is about 15 minutes west of Links At Land's End. It's a fun, very affordable, family oriented, laid back country course that is well worth playing if you're in the area. Here is a link to our review of Lake Fork Golf Course.

Bottom line - Links At Land's End is a fun, tranquil, serene, and challenging outlying course that you will want to play again. Deploy some good club selection and course management and you can have a very good round. The lodging is adequate, comfortable, clean, and affordable. And the fishing is outstanding. Check out the

 

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