Preston Trail Golf Club

What makes this one of the best golf courses in the state? Let’s list the reasons: Location: Far north Dallas, with White Rock Creek meandering through. Layout: Stunning and traditional, with tree-lined fairways, the right amount of water and bunkering, and huge, lightning-fast bent-grass greens. Feel: Cart paths run the way they should--from greens to tees, not the other way around. And caddies are always available to promote playing the game on foot. Mystique: Memorabilia of professional tour players who are also members is tastefully distributed throughout the clubhouse, and the shrine to Mickey Mantle (a longtime member) is awe-inspiring. You’ll need serious connections to play this course, but here are some highlights.

The third hole is a 591-yard par 5 with a narrow tee shot that opens to a wide landing area. The homes lining the right side of the fairway no doubt shelter some of the most jealous people in the world. The second shot begins to run down the dramatic slope that ends in a huge green in front of the creek.

The next par 5, the 498 yard 6th, has a similar slope which begins in the landing area of your drive. If you really pop it and have the wind, you’ll be at the base of the hill with about 175 yards left to the large, two-tiered green. Be careful, though–it’s protected by dense woods on the left and back, and water on the front and right.

The 7th hole is the number one handicap. This 422-yard par 4 dogleg right requires a perfectly faded and long tee shot to get far enough into the throat to approach. You’ll still be hitting a long iron or wood into the severely back-to-front sloped green, and good luck making the putt from above the hole.

The back nine is maybe the best anywhere, but two holes stand out above the rest. The 16th is a 428-yard par 4 with a slight dogleg left. The tee shot is elevated at least 100 yards above where the green sits. A big, high draw will put you about 150 yards away from the two-tiered green, which is protected by the creek in front. They really like to put the pin on the lower tier right in front of the creek, which gives you about 20 square yards to work with. It’s a lay-up hole for all but the longest and bravest.

The 422-yard dogleg-right finishing hole is almost a mirror of the 16th–it’s a long dogleg right, all uphill. The tee area is extremely narrow from the tips, and the fairway slopes to the left to make shaving the corner as hard as possible. This ends up being a 5 par for most, and the outcome of many Nassaus is changed on this hole.

It’s hard to describe this course without gushing, not to mention that hearing about it just frustrates most people because they won’t have a chance to see it for themselves. But keep your eyes and ears open for friends who may be members and schmooze them as much as possible–it will surely be worth the effort.

The details : 972-380-0669. 17201 Preston Trail Dr., Dallas, TX 75248

1965. Ralph Plummer. 18 holes. Par 72. Back – 7,091 (73.8/133). Forward – 6,623 (72.1/129). Price - $$$$.

Getting there : From Downtown Dallas, take the Tollway north to Westgrove. Turn right and head down to Preston Trail Dr. Turn left and the course is straight ahead