Golf - Resort Public Course · 18 Holes · Par 72
Whitney
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Review & Rating of White Bluff's New Golf Course in Whitney, Texas
White Bluff Resort is one of our favorite Texas resorts because it's on beautiful Lake Whitney, has a variety of accommodations, excellent resort amenities, and two very good golf courses - the Old Course and the New Course. In October of 2018, the White Bluff Resort Property Owners Association took over ownership of the Resort and the majority of the Resort amenities, including both of the golf courses which were in pretty rough condition when the POA took ownership. They immediately closed the courses and spent a significant amount of money on redoing the greens and bunkers, renovating the pro shop and golf stay and play accommodations, and on improving the conditions and playability of the course. In addition, they hired Arcis Golf, one of the premier golf management companies in the US, to manage the day to day operation and maintenance of the courses.
The New Course officially opened in August 2019 and Old Course opened for play in October 2019. We have played both courses a couple of times before the POA taking over and the POA improvements and course conditions were impressive when we played in August, 2020. The members that we talked to were also very pleased with the new ownership and with everything that the POA had accomplished.
Both of the White Bluff courses were designed by Bruce Lietzke and each course has its own unique personality and characteristics. For example,
Both courses are demanding but fair and common to each course and are in excellent conditions, some very fun and memorable holes, and good service. Both courses have a 4-star rating from Golf Digest and are consistently rated as some of the best resort courses in Texas by several sources - they made Texas Outside's List of the Best Texas Resort Courses.
The New Course opened for play in 1998 and Lietzke designed this 18 to be fair but challenging. As such White Bluff's New Course will test your shot-making and course management skills during your round. You'll find water that comes into play on 16 holes, forced carries, elevation changes, some huge bunkers, tight approaches, challenging green complexes, and some risk-reward opportunities. But don't let that scare you from playing this 18 - it's really fun, fair and playable, and very manageable and there are 5 different tee boxes to choose from.
Talk to the pro about the course to get some ideas on how to manage the course if you want to score well. His biggest tip to us was to target to get to the 150 and not beyond because most of the potential trouble is from 150 yards and in - water, bunkers, berms, trees, elevated greens, and more. It worked and we turned in a pretty good score.
The front nine of the New Course is fairly traditional and straightforward and the first three holes on the front start you out with water and trees and somewhat narrow fairways. The next five holes are more open and have a links feel. An example of a couple of fun holes that we loved on this nine include:
The back nine on the New Course was our favorite and it has a number of very fun, challenging, and memorable holes. Some of the holes we liked included:
When we played White Bluff's New Course in late August, it had been reopened for a little over a year after the greens and several other improvements had been made. We thought the course was in very good condition despite the 100-degree temperature for the last three weeks! The fairways were a little dry and firm and the rough was well maintained and playable. The fairways range from wide open to tight off the tee box and a majority are lined with berms on one or both sides and lots of trees plus creeks and ponds.
The greens on the New Course were replaced with TIF Eagle just over a year ago and they were near perfect. They were a tad firm but ran true and at a very good speed. The greens range from average to huge and most had some slope with subtle breaks but not a lot of undulation.
The bunkers ranged in size from big to bigger and some are real multi-fingered monsters. The sand was soft and thick and fluffy and the lips are manageable - of course, there were a few exceptions which were steep and deep and treacherous. All of the White Bluff New Course bunkers were very well maintained.
The New Course makes for a memorable round - quiet and peaceful, a great pace of play, fun holes, excellent conditions, and demanding but fair plus reasonable rates.
White Bluff has some fantastic stay and play options and it's well worth a weekend trip. Read our review of our Stay and Play at White Bluff. Make sure you play both courses.
Tee Box | Yardage | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|
Black | 6,985 | 75.5 | 144 |
Blue | 6,177 | 72.1 | 130 |
White | 5,718 | 68.9 | 118 |
Gold | 6,548 | 73.4 | 139 |
Red | 5,241 | 38.0 | 116 |
Approximate Weekend
Rates: $35.00 to $55.00
Service is very good and very friendly, the pro shop is well stocked. The grill has some very good food but was closed due to COVID-19 when we last played. The practice facilities are good.
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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