Featured Golf Course of the Month
Links At Land's End Review

Texas Outside Rating: 9.0

Golf - Public Course · 18 Holes · Par 71
Yantis
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· Stay & Play

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Links At Land's End Review

Review of The Links at Land's End Golf Course

With 13 holes playing along the shoreline of one of the best bass fishing lakes in Texas and known as the "Pebble Beach of East Texas,"  The Links at Lands End golf course was inspired by the original Land's End on the southwestern tip of England.  The Links at Land's End may be a little difficult to get to but it is well worth the drive.  The course is scenic as it plays through the tall trees and along the shoreline of Lake Fork, it's typically in excellent condition, it's fair but demanding, its a great value, and the service is country friendly.  And they have a good Stay & Play option!

The Links at Land's End has won a number of awards and accolades over the years, some of which include:

  • #37 in the 2014 Dallas Morning News "Top 50 You Can Play"
  • Listed in Texas Outside's "Best 25 Public Courses in Texas"
  • #1 "Hidden Gem" and "Best Outlying Course" according to Avid Golfer
  • County Line Magazine rated it "Best Golf Course"
  • Nominated for "Best New Course in America"
  • Ranking #100 in the "Best Courses in Texas" according to the Dallas Morning News

The first 5 holes are very traditional and straightforward with flat fairways and what you see is what you get.  But don't spray the ball or you'll be ricocheting off of the trees and lost in the forest or in the back yard of a scattering of large beautiful homes.  And you'll start to ask - "where is the lake?"  But then you'll hit holes 6 and 7 which are a warm up for the next four holes known as "Amen Corner."   And you're going to need your "A" game and maybe a few extra balls for 8 through 11. 

The Links at Land's End states: "Great golf begins where the land ends - world class golf on a world class bass fishing lake."   Part of what makes The Links at Land's End a fun and memorable golf course is that holes 6 through 14 meander through the trees on a peninsula surrounded by Lake Fork giving you some great views of the lake and lots of fisherman trying to land dinner - typically they are far enough off shore that you're not going to be able to bonk them with one of your golf balls or catch a lure from a wild cast. 

The Links at Land's End  is loaded with some fun and challenging holes, for example:

  • #8 is a short 380 yard sharp dog leg right where you'll be tempted to try to bite off and carry a large part of the lake to get closer to the pin but you're best off leaving the big dog in the bag, go for the middle of the fairway, and play an easy flop wedge into the green with little room for error
  • #9 is another short par 4 with a slight dog leg right and a good risk reward shot if you want to try to carry the lake and natural area and you'll need an accurate approach shot to a raised green surrounded by dense brush and the lake
  • #10 is a demanding 237 yard par 3 with a pond on the left, Lake Fork behind and on the right of the green, plus two greenside bunkers and typically 15 to 20 mile per hour winds
  • #16 is a 412 par 4 with a tight fairway with lots of trouble and green that juts out into the lake

There are several other holes that are a blast to play like #15 which is a 203 yard par 3 that requires an accurate tee shot to avoid the lake, manage the wind, and stay out of the bunker and #18 which is an excellent finishing hole that dog legs left around a pond leading to the green and the hecklers enjoying a beer on the veranda.

The fairways are generally flat and tree lined and range from ample to tight.  Miss them and you're under the trees, lost in the natural area, or swimming with the bass in Lake Fork.  We've played the course 4 times and the fairways have always been in excellent condition - well manicured, lush, and a joy to hit from.  The rough is cut thick and can be challenging. 

The greens at The Links at Land's End were also in near perfect condition.  Most of the greens seem much smaller than average and they range in shape from ovals to some skinny oblongs.  When we last played they ran true, at a good speed, and held the ball well.  Most have some gentle slope and a couple had a tier to contend with.  Putting wasn't a challenge for us but hitting and holding the greens was.  The fringe is ample and puttable.  Bunkers guard most of the greens.

Speaking of the bunkers, they were also in good shape with soft, somewhat thick sand.  The bunkers range in size and shape and the lips are manageable.  

Links at Land's End has a great Stay & Play Package with good lodging, an affordable price, tasty but a tad pricy food, and excellent servicer - read our review of the Land's End Stay & Play to learn more.

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Course Slope & Ratings

Tee Box Yardage Rating Slope
Blue 6,100 70.2 126
White 5,653 68.1 122
Gold 6,664 72.6 130
Red 5,068 70.4 119

Course Information

Course Architect:
Williams, Gill & Associates
Greens Type:
Tif Eagle
Greens Condition
9.3
Greens Difficulty
7.5
Fairway Condition
9.5
Bunker Condition
9.3
GPS:
Yes
Walkable:
Yes
Course Map
Beware of water on 13 holes and the 30 sand traps.

Texas Outside Rating

Overall Rating:
9.0 out of 10
Beauty:
9.0
Difficulty:
8.0
Variety:
8.8
Fun to Play:
9.5
Value:
8.5
Condition:
9.5
Front Nine Rating:
8.7
Back Nine Rating:
9.2
15thgreen

FEES & AMENITIES

Approximate Weekend
Rates: $30.00 to $49.00

Service is outstanding - very friendly, prompt, and fast. The pro shop is well stocked, the range and putting green are adequate, and the restaurant is good.

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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.