Fort Worth TX Golf Weekend

T&L Golf, 11/03

You could easily spend a week in Fort Worth TX (known locally as Cowtown) ambling from blues bar to improv nightclub to modern-art opening, and never see a Stetson or a pickup with a full gun rack. But folks looking for that Lone-Star feel can hit the Stockyards District or the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame [Fat Guy Note:  Not withstanding my buddy Pat's infamous story of witnessing a surreal Eastern Indian wedding there, where the groom rode in on a white steed amongst turbans mingling with the tourist rednecks and belt-buckled mullets].

Friday: Fly into DFW airport and head 20 minutes to suburban Flower Mound for Tour 18 Dallas (www.tour18golf.com, $65-$95). Strong, fun golf which stops short of theme park, featuring Amen Corner and 17th @ TPC Sawgrass replicas. 36 hole option at one of two nearby subdivision tracks: Bridlewood GC (www.bridlewoodgolf.com , $69-$79), an enjoyable D.A. Weibring with smooth bentgrass greens; or Latana GC (www.latanatx.com, $59-$79), "a demanding Jay and Carter Morrish design whose natural beauty is so marred by McMansions, you may liken playing it to listening to Brahms on a kazoo."

Grub at Christina's (south of Latana on Hwy 1171) for Mexican food; order the superb, enormous flaming parrillada.

Stay at The Ashton (in the heart of Ft Worth), a 39-room boutique hotel located near Sundance Square, a 20-block bar-theater-shopping-restaurant district. Hit Angeluna for live jazz and fusion cuisine, or Reata has saddles and leather couches, and the adjoining improv comedy troupe Four Day Weekend. OR, stay at the restored Stockyards Hotel, surrounded by Western-themed saloons and stores. Here, hit H3 Ranch for fine steaks and rainbow trout, with a real live TX longhorn at the corner saloon.

Saturday: This is why you came. Two of America's finest muni's are: Texas Star (www.texasstargolf.com, $40-$60, Euless), Keith Foster's best design, a walkable natural treasure with ample bunkering, hidden from the surrounding sprawl by gnarly old oaks, rusty bulrushes, and a meandering creek; and Tierra Verde (www.arlingtongolf.com , $47-$60, Arlington), an Audubon Signature track designed for walkers, where you may spy bobcats, coyotes, and a working cattle ranch.

Where To Grub: Savor Best of TX BBQ at Angelo's. OR, try the zuppa di pesce at Sardine's, a Ft Worth institution.

Further Diversions: Check the home schedule for the minor league Ft Worth Wildcats, hit the Texas Wild exhibit at Ft Worth Zoo, or check out the huge new $60 milion Ft Worth Modern Art Museum.

Sunday: Staying close to Ft Worth for an easier departure, hit the GC @ Fossil Creek (www.fossil-creek.com, $39-$59), an Arnie design featuring limestone cliffs, demanding approaches, and Bermuda greens. 36 hole option at Links @ Waterchase (www.waterchasegolf.com, $49-$59, east side of Ft Worth), which sits on the banks of the Trinity River, and whose hearty oaks, elms, and pecans create a serenity you'll need to stay calm on this 145 slope.

Zane Lamprey's Drinking Made Easy Guide To Dallas/Forth Worth (2010):

They say that everything’s bigger in Texas so it’s only fitting that Dallas’ slogan is “Live Large. Think Big.” The ninth-largest city in the US, this metropolis is home to the world’s largest video screen and parking lot, the biggest Ferris wheel in the US and an airport that is larger than the island of Manhattan. It’s also home to major sports teams like the Cowboys, the Mavericks and the Stars. It has been the site of the State Fair of Texas since 1866, and hosted the annual “Red River Rivalry” football game between the University of Texas Longhorns and the University of Oklahoma Sooners, since 1900. But with over 7,000 restaurants and its claim as the birthplace of the frozen margarita machine, Dallas has a nightlife that is just as big as its Texas-sized reputation and drinking has never been so easy.

INDULGE

Located in Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth, the Cowtown Diner serves up hearty down home culinary feasts in a comfortable and casual environment. Cowtown holds special significance for proprietor and Forth Worth native Scott Jones, as its menu is strongly influenced by the flavor profile of his mom’s recipes and is located in his hometown. One of their famous dishes is the “Full o Bull,” a 4 lb chicken fried steak, consequently the world’s largest. It comes smothered in cream gravy with a 5 lb side of mashed potatoes and Texas toast and contains more than 10,000 calories. If you can eat the whole thing, you don’t have to pay. But don’t be fooled, no one has ever completed this Texas-sized challenge.

Cowtown Diner | 350 Main Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102 | (817) 332-9555

If you’re up for another type of meat eating challenge, visit Chubby’s Burger Shack in east Forth Worth and take the Chubby Challenge. It’s a 6 patty burger (3 lbs), with 6 pieces of cheese, grilled onions and 2 lbs of fries. If you eat it all, they’ll name it after you.

Or if you prefer mini-burgers, head out of Dallas about 40 miles to Denton and check out the Texas Slider Challenge at Rooster’s Roadhouse. It consists of 18 sliders and an order of bacon cheese fries. If you finish it in under 30 minutes, it’s free.

IMBIBE

With a giant silver tornado protruding from it’s trailer shaped frame, The Double Wide, located just outside of downtown Dallas in Deep Ellem, is hard to miss. Serving up live music and stiff drinks, it’s a trailer that you won’t mind parking yourself in. Kitschy drinks, also known as Mama’s Mixes, include ingredients like YooHoo and Tang. They also offer PBR and other domestic beer in cans.

The Dang (shot)
Combine Southern Comfort, lime and Tang

Twisted Tang
Combine ice, tequila, triple sec and Tang
Mix and serve over ice

HurriTang
Combine Rum, Tang, pineapple juice and grenadine
Mix and serve over ice

YooHoo YeeHaw
Combine vanilla vodka, coffee liquer and YooHoo
Mix and serve over ice

Boone’s Farm Martini
Rim a glass with lime juice and pixi stix sugar
Shake together orange vodka and ice
Add Boone’s Strawberry Hill and gently stir
Strain and serve

Double Wide | 3510 Commerce St. Dallas, TX 75226-1701 | (214) 887-6510

If you’re looking for a more sophisticated beer drinking experience, the selection can’t be beat at The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium. Don’t be fooled by the name though –you won’t find any over the top alien-themed décor at this bar. What you will find is beer. A lot of it. With over 80 beers on tap and more than 150 in bottles, this is a beer lover’s paradise.

Some local beers include the Dunkel and Maibock from Franconia Brewing Company, located just north of Dallas in McKinney, TX. With a rich German heritage, Franconia also brews a Bavarian style wheat beer and an Original German style lager. With limited distribution, these brews can only be found in Texas and only on draft.

Anyone frequenting the Flying Saucer on a regular basis can become a “BeerKnurd” and join the U.F.O. Club where once you sample 200 different beers, you’ll receive a “saucer” with your name on it and $100 towards a party for you and your friends. After you sign up, you’ll receive a t-shirt and a personal magnetic card. Beer tracking is done electronically, so each time you try a new beer your card will keep track of it. Of course after you hit 200, there are many other milestones to aim for. With hundreds of thousands of beers available in the world, your goal can be limitless. And if that wasn’t enough you can continue your beer binge at home by purchasing their bottled beer to go.

Flying Saucer | 14999 Monfort Dr. Dallas, TX 75254 | (972) 991-7093

DON’T MISS

Serving up delicious upscale Tex-Mex fare, Mi Cocina can be found in 15 different locations in and around the Dallas area. Their signature drink is the “Mambo Taxi,” a mix of sangria (secret recipe), lime and frozen margarita. Legend has it that it’s name comes from the fact that after consuming three of them, you’ll need a taxi to get home. If you visit the restaurant in West Village, ask for Walter and he’ll share a drink with you.

Mambo Taxi
Squeeze fresh lime into a glass
Add Sangria and frozen margarita

Check out some other fun Sangria recipes.

Mi Cocina West Village | 3699 McKinney Ave. Dallas, TX (469) 533-5663

About 100 miles outside of Dallas, located in Waco, is the Balcones Distilling Co. One of only 10 legal distilleries in Texas, founder and head distiller Chip Tate opened up shop and began distilling whisky in 2009, subsequently becoming the producer of the first legal whisky made in Texas since Prohibition. Using stills and equipment that they built with their own hands, they have created products like the Baby Blue, a Hopi blue corn whisky said to be the only blue corn whisky in the world which recently claimed two prestigious awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Their other flagship whisky, Rumble, a 94-proof whisky, is made with local wildflower honey, mission figs and turbinado sugar. Using unique Scottish techniques, they have also created a Single Malt Whisky and a Peated Single Malt Whisky.

Find Balcones Whisky in your area.

STOCKYARDS

Fort Worth, a major suburb just to the west of Dallas, began as an army outpost in 1849. Its location on the Old Chisholm Trail, the dusty path where millions of cattle were driven North to market, helped establish Fort Worth as a trading and cattle center and earned it the nickname “Cowtown.” In 1876 the Texas & Pacific Railway arrived in Fort Worth causing a boom and transformed the Fort Worth Stockyards into a premier cattle industry. Cowboys on the move stocked up on provisions from local merchants, visited the colorful saloons for a bit of gambling and carousing, then galloped Northward with their cattle and whooped it up again on their way back. The town soon became home to “Hell’s Half Acre,” the biggest collection of bars, dance halls and bawdy houses south of Dodge City, giving Fort Worth the nickname of “The Paris of the Plains.”

Today the Historic Forth Worth Stockyards district brims with entertainment, including restaurants, shopping and Wild West performances. Twice a day, cowhands bring a herd of Texas Longhorns down East Exchange Avenue for a glimpse into the past. Annual events include the Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering and Frontier Forts Days.

Located within the Stockyards District, Hunter Brothers’ H3 Ranch, Live Hickory Wood Grill has been serving up some of the city’s best steaks since 1998. Named after William, Robert and David Hunter, three brothers who immigrated to the US from Scotland in 1844, and ran a livestock commission company at the current site of the Stockyard Hotel during the height of the Cowtown boom, this family business was founded on the rich and lively history of the historic Stockyards District. Known for one of the most popular drinks in the Stockyard, and named after William Hunter’s daughter, Anita, they make a one-of-a-kind “Anita-Rita” margarita with premium tequila, lime juice and secret ingredients like the extract from Jalapeño peppers.

Anita-Rita
Muddle fresh limes
Add Serano pepper infused triple sec and add orange liqueur
Add ice, simple syrup and lime juice
Shake and serve

H3 Ranch | 109 East Exchange Ave. Fort Worth, TX 76164 | (817) 624-1246

Just next door to H3 Ranch is Booger Red’s Saloon, a Stockyards institution since 1984. Named in honor of the legendary Texas bronc-busting champion Samuel Thomas Privett, it features horse saddle bar stools as well as Fort Worth’s most complete selection of tequilas, a vast selection of cigars, wines, beers and spirits.

One of their most unique libations is the popular 16-oz. schooner of Buffalo Butt Beer, an amber lager named for the rear end of the buffalo that’s prominently mounted in the center of the bar. Brewed locally in Fort Worth by Rahr & Sons Brewing Company, it’s said that the Buffalo Butt Beer got its name and inspiration from tales regaled by the Hunter brothers about hunting buffalo with William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody. On one occasion, William Hunter remarked that an ice-cold beer was the only thing that could make him forget his often viewed sight of a buffalo’s butt. And if you want to broaden your beer horizon, ask for the Blonde Lager, a medium full-bodied traditional Munich-Helles style pale lager, also brewed locally by Rahr & Sons.

Booger Red’s Saloon | 105 East Exchange Ave. Fort Worth, TX 76164 | (817) 642-1246