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Sky Creek Ranch Golf Club
Rating Snapshot
About
One of the better public access courses in the state, Sky Creek Ranch boasts an immaculate Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design that is kept in immaculate condition by former Barton Creek Resort superintendent Steven Best. The clubhouse is perched atop the highest point in Tarrant County, and from this vantage point you’ll have a great view of the fine 419 Bermuda fairways and the bent-grass greens that are framed by a forest of oak trees and carved by the frustrating Big Bear Creek.
The key to Sky Creek is playing from the correct set of tees. Water comes into play on 16 of 18 holes, and most of the greens are elevated and surrounded by trouble that will make your score skyrocket. From the tips, high handicappers will struggle with their inconsistency, since there is virtually no room for error at any point on this course. Rounds from the more forward tees are amazingly different, with hackers being able to hit 4 irons off the tee and mid-short irons in–a huge advantage on this course.
Jones, Jr.’s design features five par 5s that offer some intriguing risk-reward opportunities. Three of them have water fronting the green, forcing hacks to think about going for home in two. No. 5 might be the best of the bunch: a snaking 534-yard hole that requires a precise fade around the dogleg right, followed by a perfect layup to be in position for the regulation approach. The creek circles around the elevated green, and trees loom left of the fairway for layups that stray too far left. This hole requires some strategy.
Sky Creek also offers five par 3s–some very difficult, and others nice respites from the other challenging holes. No. 14 is probably the scariest hole on the course, a 212-yard par 3 that is lined by trees on the left and a huge lake along the right and beside the green. This hole, which has ruined many a round, does have a small bail-out area left, but otherwise you’ll need a perfect shot to keep the score reasonable.
A bit pricey for some North Texas golfers, Sky Creek is worth it for the die-hards. In addition to the layout and condition, the practice facility is phenomenal–it features a driving range that plays downhill into an open valley with numerous target flags, as well as a large putting green that gives you a great feel for the round ahead. Chipping and pitching areas are available too.
Getting there : From Ft. Worth, take I-35W north to Exit 64. Turn right on Golden Triangle Rd. and drive 7 miles. Turn right on Bear Creek Pkwy. and drive to the Hidden Lakes subdivision (west side of road). Turn right on Promontory Dr. to the course.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional | 72 | 6953 yards | 73.4 | 136 |
| Championship | 72 | 6367 yards | 70.8 | 127 |
| Club | 72 | 5940 yards | 69.4 | 120 |
| Club (W) | 72 | 5940 yards | 76.0 | 140 |
| Forward (W) | 72 | 5390 yards | 72.8 | 132 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional M: 74.8/138 | 416 | 442 | 409 | 168 | 551 | 374 | 566 | 171 | 430 | 3527 | 401 | 196 | 526 | 430 | 211 | 537 | 442 | 228 | 531 | 3502 | 7029 |
| Championship M: 72.6/133 | 384 | 420 | 364 | 148 | 496 | 349 | 515 | 134 | 390 | 3200 | 383 | 171 | 505 | 381 | 191 | 482 | 394 | 183 | 477 | 3167 | 6367 |
| Club M: 70.7/128 W: 76.5/144 | 362 | 398 | 340 | 136 | 470 | 317 | 489 | 116 | 370 | 2998 | 335 | 160 | 483 | 344 | 174 | 463 | 371 | 162 | 450 | 2942 | 5940 |
| Forward M: 68.6/117 W: 73.4/135 | 321 | 373 | 321 | 120 | 449 | 260 | 474 | 88 | 342 | 2748 | 295 | 113 | 437 | 318 | 130 | 442 | 348 | 139 | 420 | 2642 | 5390 |
| Handicap | 9 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 13 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 18 | |||
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 9 | 3 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 8 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
RestaurantAvailable Facilities
Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
Good course that needs help with pace of play
I enjoyed Sky Creek but they need to spread out their tee times more as pace of play was slow. Also, first 6 holes are some of the most challenging in DFW.
Highly recommend
This course is a great layout with plenty of opportunities for a shot maker type player. The elevated greens make it a challenge but well worth it.
Sorry Sky Creek
Range was supposed to open at 10am, still wasn’t open at 11.
Our tee time was 1058. We didn’t tee off until 1115 due to slow play to start.
Marshall told us we were supposed to hit our tee shots into the group in front of us while they were hitting their second shots. Maybe if he was managing pace of play in front of us we would not have been waiting on every tee box for 10 minutes (at least).
We quit after 9 as we had already been there for more than 3 hours.
My compliment is the course was in great shape.
Slower than a snail
First time playing here.. good conditions but incredibly slow. Tee times 5 minutes apart.. ranger told every group to “mark” their balls on par 3s so the group behind could tee off before you could finish the hole…. Will never play here again.
Slowest round of golf I’ve ever played. 2 hours to play 5 holes. 8 minutes between tee times at a tough course like Sky Creek should be a crime. Would not recommend.
Great Course
In FTW for wife’s conference, so played a course I was familiar with from when I lived in the area. It was a difficult course then, and nothing has changed. The course is in great shape for fairways and greens, the tee boxes have some wear. The range is worn, looks like it gets a ton of usage. I would recommend this course for value and overall play, but would suggest moving up a tee box due to difficulty especially if you are a double digit handicap. It’s fair, but penal if you stray off the fairway, or don’t hit a high flighted ball with your lower lofted irons. Most of the greens are elevated and if you miss or roll through, the severe slope will leak you into difficult areas. All in all, a great course.
muddy and unkept
Course has not been cleaned up. The rain has saturated it, and it needs a lot of care. Cart path only, and course is difficult. Front 9 holes took 2:45 to play. No Marshall. asked for a rain check to complete the back 9, and Management said tough luck.
Perfect course conditions
From tee box to green the course was in great shape. The greens are fast but roll true. Food was amazing and the staff were friendly.
Unique and challenging
This course is unique in that every hole is a little different. Elevation is evident and the river seems to go on forever. It's the most challenging course in DFW but will continue to play here for a very long time. Very enjoyable.
Delays
I have never had a 2 hour delay, but we were informed when we got at the golf course that there is a 2 hour delay and our tee time was at 150pm. Seeing how we were in December that would mean that we would tee off at 356pm which we would only get to play maybe 4-6 holes. The staff told me to take it up with Golfnow and wouldn't adjust any fees. They also said they sent an email to everyone early in the morning, but we were never notified. We drove 1 hour to play this course, so you can only imagine that there is some serious frustration built here. As to the $40 fee I paid online, they told me to deal with Golf now and there is no 1800 for golf now. This is an aweful experience, what happened to customer experience and service?
Good
The course was nice not my favorite. Layout was alright. Lots of layup holes. Longer hits will definitely want to play tips or come ready to hit mostly irons off the tee.
Good Round
I had only played here once ~14 years ago. We enjoyed the round. Course was in good shape, I did lose a few balls as I expected from other reviews. Pace of play was good. I was a little disappointed in the club house / bar area. Not overly, just not as good as I expected.
I would recommend the course to anyone.
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