Pine Dunes Resort and Golf Club

Annual golf trip. Pine Dunes was recommended by a friend....some friend.

I realize we played in the spring before everything greened up, but...lots of large bare spots throughout, including tee boxes. Very little attention to detail....no hole layout markers on tee boxes. Greens were good, but also hard....few shots keft a mark. Absolutely not a $100 a round golf course....weekends I believe are $139. At that rate should be super nice.

We stayed in on-site condos....they suck but price is high. Walls repaired but not painted. Space for full size refrig, but only a mini. No kitchenware whatsoever. Go somewhere else, worst golf trip I've done in 30 yrs!

It appears course may have been nice 15-20 yrs ago and they stopped putting money into it. Definitely the case with the condos.

I had heard great things about the course (and so had many others as the course was very crowded), and was very excited to finally make a trip out there. I will start by saying that the layout is great. Fun layout and you feel very secluded. The problem was the condition of the course. Most tee boxes you will be hard pressed to find any grass to tee up on and the fairways had seemingly not been mowed in days. Not to mention dead patched all through out the fairway. It's not worth any where near the price they are charging for it. very disappointing.

Here is where I give credit. Greens and sand traps are very well taken care of. Outside of that you do not have cart paths more than half the course. The driving range had old balls nor is the grass taken care of. You're hitting off of dirt. This course should be charging at most $60. I've played TPC courses for far less. For the amount you spend I recommend driving and looking elsewhere.

Got there and was charged 74 instead of 59 dollars, thought OK summer rates, then went out and found the course in not the best shape I have seen it. Greens had quite a bit of poa annua on them and the traps were so bad you couldn't even rake and place in many of them, some had sand others a dirt sand mixture. Bought a candy bar and it had melted at one time and hardened back into a mushy brick. Came over because I had heard they were going private and wanted to play before, but was disappointed and apologized to the guys I had brought with me.

Woods pretty much lines all fairways, but almost holes give a medium to large landing area off the tee. But even with those large landing areas, sometimes you have to keep the ball on the correct side of the fairway to get an good approach to the hole. A high number of well manicured bunkers are placed throughout the holes giving almost every hole a high quality aesthetic look -- it does make you feel like you are playing a very special course. The green are generous-- most are quite wavy, but gently so.

If you've done your research on Pine Dunes, you'll know that the golf is spectacular. The course itself is in great shape, the pace of play was solid, and the difficulty rewards shot shape and accuracy.

But what you probably don't know is what the amenities look like. If you're like me, you're puzzled why there are no pictures of the few condos and rooms PD offers. Here's the lowdown:

- The few condos/rooms are all motel style (think the front of a Motel 6). Each room walks directly out to a small cement courtyard with a charcoal grill in the middle, a firepit, and a few chairs. Was a fun place to congregate each night, and would be even nicer as the weather cools off.

- Our group brought steaks to grill out our first night, and didn't have any issues sharing space with another group. It's large enough to fit 8ish burgers, for the record. Make sure to bring your own charcoal and grilling utensils.

- The rooms got the job done. The main areas were much bigger than I expected. Could easily have fit 8 guys between the 2 bedrooms (2 doubles and 1 double), the futon in the main living room, and floor space with a couple air mattresses.

- Bathrooms are very small. No real issues there, but worth noting.

- There are no full size fridges, only the mini-fridges you'd see in a college dorm room, although each condo has a cutout where a full size fridge should be. Be sure to bring coolers (they have an ice machine on-site that we used often). They do have a microwave and coffee maker, as well.

- Each condo has A/C, so no worries there, although in hindsight I would've brought a fan, as the bedrooms can get a little stuffy.

- Food at the grill was fine. Exactly what you would expect for a small clubhouse.

The course easily makes up for the amenities. The practice facilities are immaculate, and the course is so secluded and quiet. For the price, as well as the distance from DFW/Austin/Houston, it's absolutely worth your time to check it out and stay a night or two.

Today was my first time playing Pine Dunes, and let me tell you, it really is a hidden gem. The course was in immaculate shape and the greens were perfect! I’m a weekend mid to high 70’s player but was able to score well and get my 1st Hole In 1 on #16! August first in Texas and it didn’t break 90! I say today was a huge win! I’ll be back many times.

In researching the Texas public golf scene, Pine Dunes in Frankston kept popping up. Decided to see for myself.

The first thing you notice is that this place is TIGHT off the tee. You must either hit very precise straight tee shots or be able to work your ball here. It is truly a ball-strikers playground and shotmakers will excel.

Pine Dunes reminded me an awful lot of World Woods Pine Barrens course. The bunkering is threatening and large sandy waste areas confuse your eye. Not overly long. The greens were very good and the complexes weren’t tricked up. Relied on slope more than contouring.

I really liked some of the short par 4s that are sprinkled in, particularly the 15th. Great use of the cross bunker on the left side.

A yardage guide would be very helpful in navigating this course for the first time. And the pro shop sells one. Unfortunately, they cost $40! That is absurd, and and a trend I am seeing more frequently. Instead of the spiral bound artist-rendering course guides that I love, more places are going to the GolfLogix or Straka guides that are akin to the green-reading books tour pros use each week. I saw the same thing the day before at Mystic Creek in El Dorado, AR. They were selling the guides used by the Symetra Tour players for $29. No thanks.

If I have any criticism, it is that the bunkers were needing attention. They were washed out in many places and had not been conditioned. This should not be the case at a course with such a lofty reputation.

All in all, while I enjoyed the course and the shots it demanded, I have to say that I am a little surprised that Pine Dunes is at the top of some public Texas lists, and among the top 3 in others. I only have played one other public course in Texas, but it is hard for me to believe that a state of that size doesn’t have something to challenge PD. At the end of the day, rankings are highly subjective, and PD was a joyful loop. At $59, certainly the value is there.

We had a guys trip planned for a Ryder Cup style weekend and we picked Pine Dunes as the location for our first rendition of the guys trip, with the intention of picking a new place every year. We quickly changed our minds and have decided this will be where we come every year. We played 5 rounds over the weekend and never ran into any pace of play issues, the greens and fairways were in terrific shape, and the course is just downright fun to play. We had 8 people, next year we booked for 12 people and can't wait to continue growing the weekend. The staff and the layout are amazing, not too hard but it even gave our best golfers fits. Driving Range and putting green are spectacular. Choice between cabins and townhome type lodging. For a course that charges upwards of $100 a round, we played 5 rounds and stayed 2 nights for around $400, an absolute steal. The only issue that I can think of is that the sitting area outside of the clubhouse isn't lit up at night, it is very dark and makes it hard to hangout as a group after the golf is over. We are all so stoked to head back in August!

Nice course, greens in great shape. Fairways too. Traps ok. A little pricey on weekends ($96). Staff limited. Love the sound of hitting driver through these towering pines.

First time playing this course that has been on my list for a few years. The course was in fantastic shape except for the bunkers, which were quite inconsistent. Some bunkers were very hard with minimal groomed sand, which kept me from giving an overall excellent rating. The greens were in superb condition. Well worth the drive for anyone willing to drive a few hours to play a great course.

Possibly my favorite course to play in Texas. I would play here every week if I could. Course is currently in fantastic shape! From tee to green it was hard to find things wrong with the course. Massive pine trees and natural waste areas make this course seem like you are not playing in Texas. The rough is long and will punish wayward shots. There is not much around this course so I would recommend eating at the course.

Got a tip from a buddy to play this on my way down to houston from chicago. I have played tpc deere run, cog hill, medinah, erin hills, whistling straits. This course is better than two of those names and can hang with the others, but for $39 dollars it takes the cake.. Tipped it out, and it was very challenging. Saw herds of deer on 6 of the 18 holes. Well kept, and i am sure its not easy with all of the nature. If you have a natural draw you will play well. Will be back and would recommend to anyone.

This is a great course, out in the middle of "nowhere East Texas". Great course, but greens fees are way to high for the effort it takes to get there.

We stayed in a condo on the course for 3 days; over priced, but there is nothing else within 45 minutes.

Just finished a 3 day stay and play at Pine Dunes. This is the nicest course you will find at this time of the year. I've never seen a course so green in mid July in Texas. From tee to green this course is in absolutely perfect shape. There is not a single flaw I could pick out. The cabins are perfect for guests that are looking for a clean place to sleep and play the next day. I could not say enough nice things about the course, the condos or the staff. Everything was absolutely perfect. Greens are 10/10 minus a few divots people didn't fill in. Absolutely perfect weekend. I'm looking forward to staying again next year.

My overview experience with the course was great. The course was in almost perfect condition. It had rained the night before but you could tell it had because the course drain very well. Challenging course. Only complaint I had was that the club attendant gave our tee time away to someone that rescheduled from an hour earlier. He acted like I didn't have a tee time and when I showed him my email confirmation he acted oh well. He told us that the was an opening 45 minutes later he could have. Funny thing was that we were the first ones on the course at almost 9 due to others being afraid of the rain, but we could have our schedule tee time. Anyways we got to play and it was a great course, a little overpriced for a 3 hour drive from dallas area.

This is a very nice course and very much worth the effort! Be prepared it will test you in every area of your game. The proshop and sandwich shop are small but a very nice place.

Pine Dunes has received a lot of praise and for the most part it is well deserved. The layout is beautiful and the course itself is isolated, peaceful and surrounded by raw wilderness. The greens are firm and fast and roll true. It is not a luxury facility and there are few paved cart paths. That lends to part of the mystique. However, the conditions are spotty in many areas and you can see that the maintenance has been suffering, maybe to a lack of funds. The stay and play facilities are very plain and not really on the same level as the course would indicate. Overall, it is a great place to get away and enjoy pure golf. When you start to rate a course as "one of the best in Texas" the quality of the conditioning will need to be factored in and Pine Dunes does not feature some of the great tour quality conditions of hundreds of Texas tracts.

Course easier to those players who draw their tee shot. Greens are very large so practice your long lag putts before teeing off. Back nine a little easier then front.