Oeste Ranch Golf Course Review

Texas Outside Rating: 7.8

Golf - Semi Private Course · 18 Holes · Par 72
Weatherford
Website · Locate This Course

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Oeste Ranch Golf Course Review

The Golf Club at Crown Valley closed in 2011 and reopened in 2013 as Oeste Ranch Golf Course.  We have not played Oeste and the reveiw below is for the old Crown Valley. 

The Golf Club at Crown Valley, just off highway 20 in Weatherford, opened for play in 1999 and ownership changed hands in 2005.  The new owners have made some changes to the holes and recently (November 2009) opened a very done new  pro shop, locker facility, and grill.  And the staff as well as the members we met seem like a "bunch of friendly good 'ole boys and girls."

The Golf Club at Crown Valley is a pretty straight forward traditional 18 holes some of which have an open links style look and feel.  In most cases, you can see the pin and quickly determine how you need to play the hole.  But beware, there are a few holes where the bunkers are strategically placed and well hidden, where creeks cross the fairway, or where the cheek lining the fairway is easier to hit than you think it should be.  There is water that could come into play on 16 holes but if you play smart you should be able to keep the majority of your balls dry. 

You'll find some fun and shot maker holes like:

  • #2 a 390 dog leg left with a creek following the fairway all the way to the green plus 5 strategically placed bunkers
  • #8 is 550 yards of very narrow fairway, which I don't think I ever played, that follows a marshy wetland to a narrow oblong green
  • #14 is a slightly downhill dog leg left with a creek about 140 yards out from the slightly uphill green guarded by two large bunkers - the first time you play this hole, it's not easy to judge how far out the creek is and you'll you're likely to drive right into it or as I did play safe and have a long shot to the green 
  • #18,  a 182 yard par 3,  is a great finishing hole with a forced carry over the creek all the way to the green which has a waterfall and pond along the left side and across the front - there is little room for error on this beauty

When we played in August, we were pleasantly surprised at the condition of the fairways and roughs - they were green with very few brown spots, well maintained, and in above average condition.  The fairways are very narrow, putting a premium on accuracy off the tee box if you want to score well.  If you miss, the first cut is very playable, in fact, in most cases the rough is the kind of grass that doesn't devour and hide you ball  - just the opposite, a majority of the time our ball would be resting on top of the rough and be very playable with the grass acting like a tee.  A lot of the fairways, particularly on the back nine are side by side.  However, in most cases you won't see your fellow golfer hitting the wrong way in your fairway, but the carts driving up the up the cart paths when you're trying to shoot can be a little distracting. 

The greens at The Golf Club at Crown Valley are huge!  We were pleasantly surprised how many times we were on the green in regulation, but then disappointed when we saw how long and accurate our putt needed to be.  Two and three putts were common.  The greens were in above average condition but some had some rough spots.  When we played, the pin placement was in the toughest location thanks to a local members tournament - making putting even more challenging.  The greens were slow (8 to 8.5) put true and there is plenty of slope and undulation.  Practice putting before you head out. 

We thought the bunkers were fairly easy to avoid - maybe we were just having a good day!   On average, they seemed smaller than normal, had shallow lips in most cases, and the sand was a little gritty. 

Bottom line:  The Club at Crown Valley is a good track that requires some shot making yet still fair enough where you can have fun and turn in a very good score - and the green fees are reasonable and the food is great.  

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Course Slope & Ratings

Tee Box Yardage Rating Slope
Blue 6,565 71.6 135
White 32,767 69.3 126
Gold 7,182 73.9 136
Red 5,179 66.7 107

Course Information

Greens Type:
Tif-Eagle Bermuda
Greens Condition
7.5
Greens Difficulty
8.5
GPS:
No
Walkable:
Very
Beware of water on 16 holes and the 46 sand traps.

Texas Outside Rating

Overall Rating:
7.8 out of 10
Beauty:
7.5
Difficulty:
8.0
Variety:
7.0
Fun to Play:
8.0
Value:
8.5
Condition:
8.0
Front Nine Rating:
8.2
Back Nine Rating:
7.5
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FEES & AMENITIES

Approximate Weekend
Rates: $32.00 to $37.00

The pro shop has the basics, the putting green and range are ok, and the grill serves some excellent grub and has a good bar area. Service is excellent and country friendly.

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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.