Cowboys GC
Grapevine, TX (near DFW Airport)
Yeah, you wish. Seriously, if the company of Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders came with every round at Cowboys GC, do you think I'd be sitting here typing this and not on sitting on a bar stool in the grill room waiting for my 2nd tee time of the day here? This pic was taken at the Cowboys annual team golf outing at Cowboys GC.
Designed by Jeff Brauer
'09 Fees: $180
Golf Magazine Review: The world's first NFL-themed golf experience is surprisingly subtle in it's Dallas Cowboys connection, confined to a 'Boys Hall of Fame in the clubhouse, spiffy blue & silver carts, and "famous Cowboy moment" plaques on each tee. The greens fees look a little steep until you consider they include all day play, cart, range balls, all your food and soft drinks, and service worthy of a fat-cat oil man. The course is reminiscent of the best TX Hill Country tracks, featuring dramatic elevation changes as it winds through dense woods and wetlands. The best holes are the par-4, 366 yard 4th, with a 100-foot vertical drop from the tee; and the 594-yard par-4 13th, with a sneaky creek crossing the fairway 100 yards in front of the green. (1600 Fairway Drive, Grapevine; 817-481-7277; 10 minutes, five miles; $140)
The fairway on #4 looks a little like midfield at the new Cowboys Stadium (and why does my biggest memory of this painted star involve T.O. getting knocked off it?)
Best Bar Nearby: GolfChannel.com recommends downtown Grapevine's Big Fish Grille for fish tacos washed down with a pint of Shiner Bock.
Best Bars, Dallas: Maxim's Great American Bar Search recommends the following Dallas bar tour itinerary:
1 p.m. Pregame
Bolsa
This former auto shop serves food so fresh they don’t even have a freezer. Heaters will toast your ass on the outdoor patio while you wash down burgers and pulled-pork sammies with anything from a martini to a Michelada. It’s a grown-up start to a day that will soon devolve into a series of booze-fueled head butts.
3 p.m. Warm-Up
Desperados
Monday through Friday, this classic Mexican joint runs a marathon happy hour from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., featuring dirt-cheap $3.50 margos. On Sunday you’ll have to cough up a hefty…$5.50.
5 p.m. Kickoff
TimeOut Tavern
Commandeer a couple of picnic-style tables for your crew at this sports-fan mecca, decked wall to wall with team gear and TVs. If the game’s as boring as SB XL (Seattle, really?), occupy yourself with shuffleboard, Big Buck Hunter, or pool.
7 p.m. Half Time
The Loon
It’s time to get serious. Known for serving the stiffest drinks in Dallas, this dark-and-grimy dive is the kind of place that can make you forget you offered your wife and kids as collateral on the coin toss. Whoops!
9 p.m. Final Down
Louie’s
Athletes refuel with Gatorade, mortals with pizza. Get a late-game boost from Louie’s famous thin-crust pies. Our fave toppings: homemade sausage smothered with a mother lode of green peppers and onions.
12 a.m. Post-game
The Slip Inn
Win or lose, it’s time to throw your hands in the air. This hole-in-the-wall sweatbox is known for cheap drinks and DJs who spin a near-constant hip-hop soundtrack. Shake what yo mama gave you.
Best Bar, Fort Worth: The CBS golf crew likes Billy Bob's Texas, known as "The World's Biggest Honky Tonk", with a rodeo ring, mechanical bull riding, and enough space to host big country music acts.
Where To Grub: The included "free" meal at Cowboys GC is a fine chicken-fried steak at the Sports Bar or Dining Room, plus 'dogs & 'burgers at the turn.
In and around Dallas, Golf Magazine recommends the BBQ at hole-in-the-wall Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse (open 10-3, get there early before they run out of brisket), the state's best Tex-Mex green chile enchiladas at Chuy's, or local upscale favorite Bob's Steak & Chop, with multiple locations in Dallas and Plano. At Bob's, expect crowds of beautiful people standing 4-deep at the bar for big drinks, big steaks, and a big bill to match. It may take your whole foursome to polish off an order of Bob's wicked onion rings, a fantastic bleu cheese salad, and a prime 20-ounce bone-in ribeye. For BBQ around Fort Worth, Southern Living magazine likes Angelo's, or Railhead Smokehouse BBQ, both BBQ legends. MSN.com named Chip's Old Fashioned Hamburgers as one of the Top 10 burger joints in the country. Order a Texas-sized juicy burger, excellent fried shoestring onions, skin-on fries, and a thick banana shake.
Where To Stay: Golf Magazine says immerse yourself in the lap of TX luxury at several top-notch Dallas area golf resorts. Try the Westin Stonebriar in Frisco, or the Westin Creeks @ Beechwood, north of Fort Worth. Both hotels feature Westin's "Heavenly Bed"--the premeir choice for those who have trouble sleeping in hotels--and high speed modem connections. The Westin Stonebriar Hotel is built of TX limestone and features large, comfy rooms. Furniture is made of native oak and pecanwood. The lagoon-style pool and fitness center are big plusses, as is the proximity to high-end shopping at the glitzy new Stonebriar Mall. OR, the finest lodgings in the Metroplex are still found at 4 Seasons R&C @ Las Colinas, in Irving. Impeccable 4 Seasons service & comfort at cushy villas with TPC 18th green views, at a relatively bargain rate. Byron Nelson himself is a regular presence at the 4 Seasons, lunching with most of the classes at his namesake golf academy. Soak up the sun at the giant free-form pool, wind down with a hot rocks massage at the spa, or hit the 3-story sports club, with indoor hoops hosting surprisingly good pick-up games. Strap on the feedbag at the 4 Season's new Cafe' on the Green, with a sleek and elegant desiqn befitting the New American cuisine of Chef Christof Syre', wooed from the Regent Hotel in Hong Kong. Order the braised lobster at dinner, but the Must-Eat is the sumptuous breakfast buffet.
Couldn't resist one more.
Other Tracks To Play, from Golf Magazine Apr 05:
Near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
REALLY CLOSE BY: Bear Creek G.C. (3500 Bear Creek Court; 972-456-3200; nine minutes, six miles; $50-$65) has 36 holes practically on the runway. If you can handle the noise of jet engines, it's definitely worth your time.
BEST VALUE: Grapevine G. Cse. (3800 Fairway Drive, Grapevine; 817-410-3377; 19 minutes, 13 miles; $23-$27) is a low-cost alternative to Cowboys that's right up the street. Another good value is Riverchase G.C. (700 Riverchase Drive, Coppell; 972-462-8281; 19 minutes, 10 miles; $39-$49). This course might not be as well-conditioned as Cowboys, but its wide fairways will help keep your drives in play and put a smile on your face for the flight home.
AIRPORT CONFIDENTIAL: Find out which terminal you're departing from. There are several, and they are a long way apart. Don't worry about finding a gas station to refill before you return to the airport; there are big ones on-site, three minutes from the rental-car return spots. There are PGA Tour golf shops in terminals A and E.