I went out of the way recently to check out the two courses at Squaw Valley. The facility has 36 holes and is anything but convenient to Dallas! It took about an hour and 45 minutes from where I live ... Continue »

I went out of the way recently to check out the two courses at Squaw Valley. The facility has 36 holes and is anything but convenient to Dallas! It took about an hour and 45 minutes from where I live to get here, although from Fort Worth it will be a more manageable drive.

The remote location aside I was very impressed with Squaw Valley! The courses looked great and I found them interesting and playable. Plus, for $45 they were in super shape and an excellent value. Squaw Valley represented the things I appreciate most in a golf course!

I started out on the Apache Links course which ultimately turned out to be my favorite course at Squaw Valley. I ended up doing a replay on the Comanche Lakes course late in the afternoon, which I’ll review in my next post.

The Links is the original course at Squaw Valley and was designed by Jeff Brauer, who seems to be a common designer around these parts. The course is defined by an open, links-style front nine and has a clever back nine with a Texas Hill Country vibe to it.

The back nine is where the Links hits you with tons of character! The back plays along and across Squaw Creek, which meanders through the property. The 11th kicks off the parade of shots you’ll hit over the creek. All in all, you play across the creek on six holes of the nine holes.

While I don’t think there is a bad hole on the back nine, the par-3 14th is the signature hole. The 14th is a 165 yard par-3 that is an outstanding hole. It plays across the creek which can come into play if you miss short or left, as everything feeds towards the creek.

The conditions were excellent for the price. The fairways were recently aerated but full and the ball mostly sat up for me. The fairways had some spring to them, which I haven’t adjusted to yet in Texas! The greens were smooth and rolled at a medium pace. I wasn’t in any bunkers but they looked acceptable, just without lots of sand.

I'd put this one on your North Texas list and think it meets that "hidden gem" status.