Pros:
Trey Texas Ranch is a special place, located off the beaten path on an enormous East Texas farm. Trey deserves special mention, as he was very hospitable and was happy to have us playing the courses. He seemed to love hosting these courses. The saloon is an interesting place with a lot of character. Definitely seems like a cool place to hang out before and after playing; though, other than Trey and the cows, it didn't seem like anyone was within 100 miles when we were there. This type of atmosphere - combined with two John Houck-designed courses - is sure to offer a tremendous day of golf.
Tee signs, tees, and baskets are all in great shape. The tees do a great job of displaying the different lines offered, while the tees are very large and comfortable. Two tee positions are present on most holes, often significantly changing the length of a hole and offering a different look.
Texas Twist is a long, grueling course that is masterfully designed. Like other Houck courses, it is full of long, multi-stage holes that emphasize hitting the necessary landing zones. However, there are also a few short but challenging par 3's, giving the course a nice variety. This course offers a complete round, with holes ranging from 240-954 feet and with 7 par 3's, 8 par 4's, and 3 par 5's.
Shots and holes of all types are presented here, as well as some pretty unique holes that give the course great character. Holes 1-6 play with some surprisingly nice elevation, generally heading downhill and take you around a pond. Holes 7-15 offer a tighter, more technical challenge in a section of woods. Finally, holes 16-18 bring you more into the open, heading back uphill toward the road. While the course is only listed as moderately wooded, it only has 3 or 4 holes that I would call open.
The stretch in the woods from 7-15 is one of the best designed and most enjoyable stretch of holes that I have ever played. I was amazed at the quality of holes found in this seemingly small section of woods. While they all played around the same area, this section of the course offered an incredible distribution of shots and hole types. A few played out of and back into the woods, some offering birdie runs, with others forcing you to hit the landing zones. A few interesting greens were thrown in here as well, with holes 9 and 15 having to me what resembled island-greens.
The course only lists hole 3 as being a water hole, but a creek runs near or through a majority of the holes in the woods. The creek offers some fun risk/reward play, whether it's snaking through holes 7 and 8 from tee to basket or sitting behind your putt on 9, 15, 17, and 18.
The course flows very well in terms of navigation and design. There are no long walks between holes and the next tees are easy to spot. The course flows in design as it offers a constantly changing blend of par, distance, and shot selection. I also never felt that I played two holes that were remotely similar.
Cons:
- This course definitely has the feel of "adventure golf" which has its positives and negatives. No amenities near the course as far as water, bathrooms, benches, or trash cans. Once you start the course, you will be pretty far off from where you parked. Make sure you come here prepared.
-Holes 6 and 16 are pretty open and plain, so not every hole here is amazing. However, it looks like they have already started planting trees on these holes.
-It's great to read that the course is starting to be regularly mowed. When I played in the spring, the grass was high throughout. However, I did not count that against its rating and we still had a blast playing this course despite its poor condition. That's saying something.
Other Thoughts:
This is my favorite of the two courses on site. It is a little hard to find, look for a white sign on the right as the saloon comes into your view up toward the left. You can park on the side of the road. Walk through the gate, past the sheep and the cows, and down the hill toward the tree line. The first tee is on the right of the tree line.
There are very nice scorecards and course maps provided at the saloon. You have to sign a waiver and pay before starting your round, but I must add that the $10 is well worth it.
I am not just a Houck-fanboy or biased toward Texas courses. I say that because it seems that some people are looking at these courses with a critical eye and maybe that is because of disagreements about how high the Selah courses should be rated. My brother and I simply came into Trey Texas as city slickers not knowing we were in for, but we found our version of Curly's gold!
What a gem of a course Texas Twist is and it's certainly a unique, memorable experience. Go, give Trey Ranch a chance and see for yourself.