Texarkana Golf Ranch, Texarkana, TX

My new favorite course! Beautiful layout, and a tough challenge for hackers of all levels. Everything was perfect when I played, the greens were slick, but true, the fairways were immaculate and the pin placements were in tough but fair positions. Bring your "A" game, AND plenty of balls - I only lost 2, but the potential for more certainly exists. Bring your camera as the scenery is definitely worthy of a few snapshots. Just make sure the golfing nomad isn't in the group behind you!

Echoing Golf-Nomad - a real gem of a course, I would have expected to find this course at a high end resort. But as a high handicapper let me add that this can be a frustrating course. Some holes are so striking they should be paintings, but unless you can consistently hit 240+ yards straight from the tee, you should just suck it up and play the red. Even then, bring extra golf balls, the woods are punishing and the pace of play is such that you can't look for mis-hit balls. Speaking of balls, where the heck are the ball washers? I've seem more available at $20 muni courses.

I also agree with what one of the yahoo reviewers said about the staff. Everyone was polite but not a lot of smiles from the 3 different folks I dealt with. Not sure why, just didn't seem like an 'up' group. Oh, and get local directions, road work in the area messes up both google maps and GPS and they've renamed some of the streets.

I've played this course a number of times and although for most city-dwellers, this is outside most "drop the yard work and go play golf" distance ranges, it is by far one of the best values in Texas (and Arkansas).

If you are lucky enough to live in the Texarkana area - you should count your golf blessings. If not my recommendation is to use this as your weekend golf destination and use your time wisely by playing other great courses along the way whether your coming from DFW, Little Rock, Shreveport or Houston.

However, regardless of how long it took you and what other great courses you played along the way - you will not be disappointed.

This course starts out with a very lazy par 4 that from the moment you step onto the first tee box, you are immediately at ease as the entire course has a very challenging layout but an equally inviting flow. Golfing novices and scratch golfers alike with be equally challenged by the layout, the subtle (and sometimes dramatic) changes in elevation and the always inviting views.

As much as I am absolutely against people bringing other devices onto a golf course (cell phones, cameras, etc) you would be wise to bring a camera (DO NOT SLOW DOWN THE GROUP BEHIND YOU - IT COULD BE ME AND I'VE BEEN KNOWN TO LOB A WARNING SHOT ACROSS THE BOW) to get at least 1 scenic view as the views are truly spectacular. The course winds around Bringle Lake and every vista is one to remember.

The course itself is meticulously maintained and staff is always very helpful.

One of the best advantages of playing this course, being so far away from a major city, it really never gets overplayed so the tees, fairways and greens are always perfect as the tee times are never a problem.

Be advised however, you may run up the back of many a money game from time to time as this is Texas and a good golf game is simply a backdrop for a great time had by all.

If my review does not inspire, take solace in the fact that Golf Magazine rated this course one of the top 50 course in the country to play for under $ 50.

I guarantee, you will never be disappointed and you will want to find a reason to venture to Texarkana just to play this course.

Hank - my hats off you - what a course!!!