TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas Review

Texas Outside Rating: 9.2

Golf - Resort Private Course · 18 Holes · Par 70
Irving
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TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas Review

Review of TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas Golf Course

This review of TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas Golf Course will give you our idea of what Texas Outside thinks about this golf course. Located between Dallas and Fort Worth, the Four Seasons Resort & Club at Las Colinas is the the only AAA Five Diamond rated resort in Texas and it is home to two excellent golf courses - TPC Four Season Las Colinas and Cottonwood Valley Golf Course.  The Resort is spectacular (excellent service, comfortable lodging, fine dining, and outstanding amenities plus a great golf stay and play package) and each of the golf courses have their own unique personality and characteristics:

  • TPC is a par 70 7166 yard layout that is demanding, but fair course for all levels of play and it's home to some challenging green complexes and stunning holes
  • Cottonwood Valley is about 3 strokes easier but has tighter fairways and has some holes that require precise positioning to par

TPC Four Seasons was originally designed by Jay Morrish with player consultants Byron Nelson and Ben Crenshaw and opened in 1983 when it became home to the annual Byron Nelson PGA Championship.  The course was given a dramatic redesign in 2009 by Champions Tour player D.A. Weibring and architect partner Steve Wolford.  TPC has large large undulating greens, tree-lined fairways, a variety of creeks and ponds, and panoramic views of the Dallas horizon – all on a course that's inviting to pros and recreational golfers alike. 

It's not often that you get to walk in the footsteps of PGA Tour legends and try to par some of the holes that the Byron Nelson Championship winners like Ben Crenshaw, Fred Couples, Payne Stewart, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia, and Jason Day most likely birdied! 

TPC is a par 70 with yardages ranging from 5030 to 7166 yards and it's regarded as a shotmaker's course with challenging green complexes that will test a pro's skills yet provide a fun and memorable round for us recreational players.  TPC has some beautiful holes, cascading water falls, lush fairways, huge majestic homes, strategically placed bunkers, contoured fairways, berms and swales, water hazards, minor ups and downs, dog legs, and top notch service - it just doesn't get much better and TPC is a must play course.  And the good news is that it's only available for play if you're a member or a guest at the Resort, which you're going to love.  Read our review of the Four Seasons Resort & Golf Club to find out why this is one of the best Resorts in Texas. 

Some of the holes that we really enjoyed and can't wait to play again include:

  • #3 is the #1 handicap and it's a beautiful 528 par 5 with an elevated tee box, a water fountain in a long tee to green pond lined with lilly pads and huge beautiful homes, and a big raised green guarded by two bunkers
  • #7 is a 542 yard par 5 that requires some shot making to manage a fairway that takes a sharp turn left past two big bunkers and then goes uphill past two large fairway bunkers leading to a large undulating green protected by 3 more bunkers
  • #11 is the shortest par 4 on the course at 323 yards but from the tips it's all carry across the lake that goes from the tee box to past the green - this is your opportunity to risk it all and go for it or play conservative and bit off less of the lake to carry - you'll also need to avoid 4 strategically placed bunkers
  • D. A. Weibring saved the best holes for last - 17 is a beautiful downhill par 3 and 18 is stunning with a large terraced pond with 3 sets of cascading waterfalls and the resort as a backdrop - hook it and you're wet, fade it and it’s in the trees, and an aggressive approach with most likely kerplunk into the water

TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas is well maintained, beautifully landscaped, and was in near perfect condition when we played.  The fairways were lush and plush and made me feel guilty when I took a divot.  The fairways range from wide and forgiving off the tee box to somewhat tight.  The rough was also perfect, very wide, and fairly thick.  Most of the fairways are gently rolling with some ups and downs and plenty of contour. 

The greens at TPC are bent grass and they are huge.  They were running around a 10, ran true, in near perfect condition, and held the ball well.  That's the good news - the bad news is they are raised, well guarded with bunkers, berms, and swales, and have a challenging combination of tiers, ridges, severe slope, and lots of undulation.  Practice your approach shots and your putting before you head out - and you may want to spend some time on your sand game.

The bunkers at TPC are strategically placed, range in size from small pot bunkers to huge monsters, and most are steep and deep.  The sand is great - soft and thick and fun to hit from.

Bottom line - a must play 18 holes, a first class resort, excellent amenities, and top notch service.

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Course Slope & Ratings

Tee Box Yardage Rating Slope
Blue 6,548 73.2 136
White 5,836 71.7 127
Gold 7,166 76.0 142
Red 5,030 71.5 135

Course Information

Course Architect:
D.A. Weibring
Greens Type:
Bent
Greens Condition
10.0
Greens Difficulty
9.5
Fairway Condition
10.0
Bunker Condition
10.0
GPS:
No
Walkable:
Yes
Beware of water on 9 holes and the 63 sand traps.

Texas Outside Rating

Overall Rating:
9.2 out of 10
Beauty:
9.8
Difficulty:
9.0
Variety:
8.8
Fun to Play:
10.0
Value:
8.5
Condition:
10.0
Front Nine Rating:
9.1
Back Nine Rating:
9.3
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FEES & AMENITIES

Initiation Fees: $55,001 to $70,000
Monthly Dues: $601 to $800

Service is top notch and unequalled! The pro shop is huge and well stocked with everything you need to look good and play well. The options on food range from the cart lady to fine dining to burgers by the pool. The practice facilities are excellent.

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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.