WestRidge Golf Course Review

Texas Outside Rating: 8.2

Golf - Public Course · 18 Holes · Par 72
McKinney
Website · Locate This Course

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WestRidge Golf Course Review

WestRidge Golf Club is a unique Jeff Brauer design with 6 par 3's, 6 par 4's, and 6 par 5's and since it opened in 2001 WestRidge has been named the "Best Mid Priced Golf Club" and the #5 Golf Club Overall by Avid Golfer Magazine.   The course if fairly player friendly, will require the use of a lot of different clubs, and gives you the opportunity to turn in a good score.   In most cases you can see the pin from the tee box and easily assess what you're up against. 

The front nine is characterized by lots of mounds/berms lining both sides of the fairway and surrounding the greens plus 30 fairway and greenside bunkers that are fairly high lipped and deep.  Some of the berms are huge and dramatic and if you land on them it makes for a tough shot.  Homes line both sides of the fairway and if you spray the ball, you'll need to reload and try again.  On this nine you'll find water on two holes, a couple dog legs, slightly elevated greens, and a couple risk reward opportunities.  

The back nine seemed a little more interesting with a couple very fun holes, like #2 with a lake carry off the tee box, a creek crossing the middle of the fairway, and the same green narrowing the fairway and making the approach to the slight dog right green very challenging and #18 which requires a good tee shot to avoid the lake and creek and position you for the dog leg right green that is surrounded by grass bunkers and berms.   This nine is a little more scenic thanks to some tree lined fairways, less homes, and more water. 

When we played in June 2010, the fairways were in very good condition, the rough was cut thin and was very playable - meaning there was ample room off the tee box and to the green.  However, you might find that the fairway berms/mounds and grass swales are a challenge to hit from thanks to uphill, downhill, or sideways lies.  Do whatever you can to avoid the 16 fairway bunkers of all shapes and sizes.  

The WestRidge Golf Club Bermuda greens were in very good condition, on the smaller side of average size, and seemed very true.  Slope and undulation wasn't severe but can result in an extra putt based on pin placement and your ability to read the sublet breaks.

The bunkers are high lipped, steep, and most are deep, making recovery very difficult if you land in them.  The sand is thin and a gritty which adds to the challenge. 

I think you'll find this course fun, somewhat challenging but very fair, and an opportunity to turn in a very good score. 

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Course Slope & Ratings

Tee Box Yardage Rating Slope
Blue 6,651 72.0 127
White 6,004 68.6 115
Gold 7,043 74.0 131
Red 5,160 70.8 120

Course Information

Course Architect:
Jeff Brauer
Greens Type:
Bermuda
Greens Condition
8.5
Greens Difficulty
8.0
GPS:
Yes
Walkable:
Yes
Beware of water on 8 holes and the 46 sand traps.

Texas Outside Rating

Overall Rating:
8.2 out of 10
Beauty:
7.5
Difficulty:
7.0
Variety:
7.5
Fun to Play:
9.5
Value:
9.0
Condition:
8.5
Front Nine Rating:
8.0
Back Nine Rating:
8.3
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FEES & AMENITIES

Approximate Weekend
Rates: $18.00 to $48.00

The service is good, the pro shop has all the basics, the practice facility is adequate, and the burger at the grill is one of the best. WestRidge is also home to the Hank Haney Golf Academy.

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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.