Golf - Public Course · 18 Holes · Par 72
Lubbock
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Reveiw and Rating of The Rawls Course in Lubbock Texas
In 2003 Texas alum Jerry Rawls donated $8 to have Tom Doak create a golf course that would be an amenity to Texas Tech University. opened 2003 exas Tech alum Jerry Rawls donated $8 million to create a golf course that would be an amenity to the university. attracting visiting alumni and faculty to interact with students in a low-key setting. The dead-flat site required significant earthworks – more than our previous ten projects put together - in order to breathe life into the fairways and greens while hiding some of the surrounding development from view.
Dock must have moved hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of sand and dirt from a very flat desert to sculpt the tall berm around the perimeter of the entire golf course hiding it from the road and to create to rolling and heavily contoured fairways, berms and valleys, and the raised green complexes. He truly created a unique and fantastic desert links style course that is well deserving of all of the awards and accolades, some of which include:
The Rawls Course has 4 sets of tee boxes with yardages ranging from 5493 to 7349 and a rating of 116 to 139 – the strong winds can make the course play much tougher and so. Which means it’s key to pick the right set of tee boxes and not bite off more than you can chew. The front nine is shorter and a little easier and the back is home to some outstanding holes.
Some of the reasons why we love this course and why it’s one of the best in Texas include:
And there are lots of holes that are both challenging and fun, some of which we really liked include:
The fairways at The Rawls Course are huge off the tee box and generally speaking wide all the way to the green, but you’ve got to content with strong winds, tall berms, and natural areas that will make it hard to find your golf ball if you miss the fairway and rough. The fairways are heavily contoured and some are like a miniature roller coaster ride. You’ll encounter some slight uphill as well as downhill shots and lots of berms and nasty bunkers. When we played the rough was manageable but in some spots very thick and difficult. The rough and fairways were both in near perfect condition – the fairways felt like lush carpet with a very thick soft pad under it, a joy to hit from.
The greens range from small 25 yard to 48 yards deep (they average 8000 square feet) – some seem so large they could have their own zip code and if you’re at the other end from the pin you are most likely in for a roller coaster double breaking putt! The greens are a variety of shapes, a few are raised, most are well guarded putting a premium on your approach shot, and all have some combination of slope, run off, ridges, contour, or tiers. But they soft and hold the ball well, run true if you can read the breaks, and roll at a good speed of 9 to 10.
The bunkers at The Rawls Course are something else and you need to deploy some course management to do what it takes to avoid them. Most are huge and multi-fingered and very steep and deep. The sand is very soft and thick and a joy to hit from – as long as you can clear the steep face. They are very well maintained. Most have some very dense and thick grass around them that may stop you from going in but it still makes for a tough shot.
Just because you have to content with heavily contoured fairways, nasty bunkers, wind, challenging green complexes, don’t let that stop you from playing The Rawls Course at Texas Tech – the conditions are excellent, the service and facilities are great, and the course is fair and a blast to play.
49 in the Dallas Morning News Best Courses in Texas
levation - 3,200 feet above sea level
Grade - Elevation change up to 30 feet
Berms - Surrounding entire course, 10 and 15 feet above playing surface
Greens - Dominance plus bent grass
Rough - grasses, jackpot, blue gramma, bahia
Water Hazards - one central 4.5 acre, man-made lake
Fairways - 115 to 125 acres of fairway
Tee Box | Yardage | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|
Blue | 6,825 | 72.4 | 129 |
White | 6,270 | 70.3 | 126 |
Gold | 7,349 | 75.3 | 139 |
Red | 5,493 | 67.2 | 116 |
Approximate Weekend
Rates: $42.00 to $65.00
Service is very good from the pro shop to the starter to the cart girl and even the maintenance crew. The pro shop is well stocked and the practice facilities are very good. There is a full bar and a grill with burgers and more.
Here's How Texas Outside Determines the Scorecard RatingThe 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!
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.
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