Delaware Springs Golf Course Review

Texas Outside Rating: 8.5

Golf - Public Course · 18 Holes · Par 72
Burnet
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Delaware Springs Golf Course Review

Review of Delaware Springs Golf Course in Burnet, Texas

Delaware Springs Golf Course opened for play in 1992 and it is a fun and straightforward course and an excellent value.  Delaware Springs was chosen by Golfweek in 2008 as one of the "Best Courses You Can Play" and was given 4 out of 5 stars by GolfReview.com.  We think is one of the best municipal courses in Texas and a real joy to play.  

The course designers, Dave Akland and Dan Procter, really put some thought into the course and laid it out to take advantage of the gently rolling hill country terrain and native rough.  Each of the holes has a name that describes what to expect, for example #5 is named "Mountain View" because of it's view of some of the Hill Country Mountains or "Roon the Bend" because of it's sharp dogleg right.  The course is located in a nice golf community and a few homes line couple of the holes. 

By today's standards, Delaware Springs is a little short from each of the 5 tee boxes with yardages ranging from 4749 to 6802 yards.  Even though it's a little short, it still will challenge players of all skill levels thanks to blind shots, lots of dog legs requiring a precise drive to make the turn, some elevation changes, and strategically placed bunkers.  Delaware Springs gives you an excellent opportunity to have a very enjoyable and relaxing round in the country and an opportunity to walk into the club house with a record score and avoid having to buy the round of drinks. I had to buy margaritas and they were excellent!

Both nines are good, however we thought the front nine was a little prettier, a stroke or two harder, and more interesting. The front nine at Delaware Springs is a par 37 with 3 par 5s, 2 par 3s, and 4 par 4s and the back is a par 35 with one par 5.  You'll encounter some fun and challenging holes, like  Delaware Spring's #17  which is listed in Jeff Barr's "1001 Golf Holes You Must Play Before You Die."  At first glance, this is a birdie waiting to happen. But, as is often the case in this tricky game, first glances can be deceiving.  This is a devilish little hole, and it's deception is delicious." 

Some of the other fun holes include:

  • #1, a 524 yard par five with a downhill drive that needs to be precise to make the turn left and avoid the driveable creek which crosses the fairway
  • # 6 is a narrow tree lined fairway which requires a great shot off the tee to position you to avoid the large tree in the middle of the fairway and to nail the uphill shot to the green
  • #9 is a short 325-yard par 4 dogleg right that requires excellent club selection and offers a good risk reward shot if you think you can carry the trees and hit the narrow fairway - a good opportunity to walk into the club house with a birdie
  • #16 is a 202-yard par 3 with water and a natural area along the entire left side, a fairway bunker plus a couple bunke ofrs guarding the green

The Delaware Springs fairways, which were in very good condition, range from flat to gently rolling and they are firm giving you lots of extra roll.  The rough is wide and playable but if you miss it, you'll most likely lose your ball in the native grass and trees. 

The greens range in size from huge to about average and have minor slope and undulation.  They held the ball well, ran a good speed (they are kept at a 9 to 10) and ran true, and they are relatively easy to read.  The majority of the greens were in above average condition. 

The bunkers also range in size from some small pot bunkers to some large strategically placed monstors.  All of the bunkers have been redone with the Better Billy Bunker System with provides better drainage and minimizes sand erosion and contamination.  They were filled with soft, thick, fluffy with sand - a real pleasure to hit out of!

Bottom line - a very good course with great conditions and an excellent value.  One of the best munis in Texas.

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Course Slope & Ratings

Tee Box Yardage Rating Slope
Black 6,802 72.0 127
Blue 5,777 68.2 110
White 5,332 66.9 109
Gold 6,314 70.3 121
Red 4,749 66.8 106

Course Information

Course Architect:
Dave Axland & Dan Proctor
Greens Type:
Champion
Greens Condition
8.5
Greens Difficulty
7.0
Fairway Condition
8.5
Bunker Condition
9.0
GPS:
No
Walkable:
Flat but far between holes
Course Map
Beware of water on 3 holes and the 21 sand traps.

Texas Outside Rating

Overall Rating:
8.5 out of 10
Beauty:
8.0
Difficulty:
7.8
Variety:
8.5
Fun to Play:
8.8
Value:
9.0
Condition:
8.5
Front Nine Rating:
8.6
Back Nine Rating:
8.2
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FEES & AMENITIES

Approximate Weekend
Rates: $41.00 to $53.00

The pro shop is very well stocked with all the basics, the grill serves an excellent burger, and the practice facility is ok. All of the bathrooms were recently renovated and a new pavilion was built.

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Here's How Texas Outside Determines the Scorecard Rating

The Texas Outside rating scale ranges from 1 to 10 – a perfect 10 course would be something like this:  links along a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean and bordered by tall trees; lush fairways on rolling hills with lots of natural hazards; water (which is crystal clear) on most of the holes; immaculate greens (but they are undulating and tough); lots of variety and character (each hole is completely different and includes blind shots, elevation changes, doglegs, and significant challenges); perfectly manicured traps with the whitest and prettiest sand you’ve ever seen; a nice club house with great food and a 19th hole; a GPS; plenty of beverage carts or your own cooler and ice; and it only costs $40 bucks! What this means is that you probably won’t find any 10s in Texas – try Cabo San Lucas, Pebble Beach, or some of the Hawaii courses! 
Texas Outside rates courses on the following:

  • Beauty – tall trees, rolling hills, beautiful houses, waterfalls, and similar stuff would score high; a 1 would be flat, bushes or cactus instead of trees, and some grass but mostly weeds
  • Difficulty – a straight, 300 yard par 4 with no traps or hazards, no out of bounds or water would probably get a 1; if it is a 460 yard par 4 over two ravines, with water along one side, natural hazards on the other, strategically placed traps or that dreaded tree right in the middle of the fairway, we are talking a 10. 
  • Variety – what would you give a course where all the holes looked and played exactly the same (“I thought we just played that hole!”); were side-by-side, which is good for finding or dodging other people’s balls, but not much fun; and you can see the flag from every tee box?  That’s right, it gets a 1.
  • Fun Scale – a 10 is where you walk off the course and say “now that was fun” and you can’t wait to get back, or you immediately turn around and play another 18 holes
  • Value – a 5 is $50 to $60, a 10 is $20 to $30, and 1 is $200 or so – of course all of this is dependent upon how you liked the course.  For example, if a run down, boring municipal course, with six players on each hole was only $10; it would still get a value rating of 1.
  • Condition – this one’s pretty easy – what condition are the fairways. A 10 commands very lush perfectly manicured fairways, compared to a 1, which has fire ants, weeds, and more dirt than grass!
  • Condition of Greens and Difficulty – very hard to read greens with lots of undulation and tough pin placement, rate very high on the difficulty scale.  Condition is self-explanatory.  

All of the above determines the overall score for the golf course.  In other words, we like courses that are pretty, fun, very challenging with a lot of variety, and fairways and greens in excellent condition – all for $40.  We also tend to play the courses that are affordable for the masses, which means in the $30 to $80 range. We rate hard and we haven’t found a 10 in Texas yet – don’t worry we haven’t given up and we’re still looking.