- Infrastructure is pretty good here, nice tee signs, concrete pads, classic DISCatcher baskets, etc.
- Because it's in the DFW area all courses are legally obligated (lol) to have a creek in play for several holes
- Good amount of variety in terms of left to right and right to left fairways
- For the most part navigation seems fairly intuitive
- The course challenges pretty much everyone depending on which tee pad you choose

- Tons of standing water in the grass section for the front nine
- Lots of thick, nasty mud when I played it
- The creek is slowly eating away at the bank and at some point these baskets close by will have to be moved or will be lost
- Lots of other park users on the walking trails, so errant drives may be dangerous for others
- Some holes are way too close together

It's a another really nice option in the area. I feel like my opinion of the course could be lower than it should be. I played it in December and it was not great conditions although one of our local guides says parts of it stay wet all year round. By the time we played a few in the back nine it got too dark to play anymore so full disclosure, I did not play every hole as well.

-- Great piece of land with water, trees and hills.
-- Two tee pads per hole (except No. 9), allowing players to choose the level of challenge they want. That part of the design is excellent so that you don't simply have short and long tees. The alternate tee pads require a different line rather than just adding or subtracting distance.
-- DISCatcher baskets.
-- Excellent tee signs, although a few are off on line/distance apparently related to some adjusting that had to be done because of apartments being built that border the park.
-- Map on site.
-- Creek comes into play on the majority of holes from the long tees. The short tees take some, but not all, of the water out of play. However, a lot of baskets are within 25 feet of the creek. No. 10 is the best example: The basket sits on a peninsula with water on three sides.
-- Despite the serious danger of going into the water frequently, losing a disc is unlikely as retrieval is generally easy. However, I did lose two discs in one round from the long tees because of poor throws.
-- Navigation was good except for No. 9 (see Cons).

-- Short layout is VERY short, with seven holes less than 170 feet and four less than 140 feet.
-- Map and tee signs do not match course reality in a few instances. Most are distances that are off by less than 20 feet. However, No. 4 short is listed on the map/sign as 544 feet. The hole info on this site, posted by the course designer, says 373. No. 9 is worse. There is no second tee pad, and the distances listed on the map/sign say 393 and 525. The hole is actually 237 feet. The map/sign also indicate a gentle RHBH hyzer line when you are throwing straight at the basket. On my first visit, this caused me to look for quite a while for a basket at that distance and on that line.
-- Course does not loop back near parking lot at any point, and No. 18 finishes at least 100 yards from the parking lot.
-- Nos. 4 and 5 overlap, especially from the long tees. This is a safety issue and serious design flaw.

-- Parking is in the gravel lot past the apartments. It makes for a somewhat long walk to No. 1.
-- Course appears to be part of a flood plain, so it retains water for a while after a rain.

John Houck Design
Good mix of shots
Risk/Reward
Multiple tees
Well maintained

Poor drainage

So I really liked the layout of this course. Long and short tees are cool but I opted for the shorts since this was my first time. The course is in a flood plain and doesn't really drain well. A couple holes were swampy but still didn't manage to make me dislike the course. Some baskets are right by the creek so you can get a good pucker every now and then. Adds to the challenge for sure. Go play it you'll like it but do be prepared to deal with mud and water hazards. It's a real golf course you may lose a disc. As always your mileage may vary but I really liked the course.

-Nice tee signs and concrete pads (long and short) on each hole.
- Course map printed on a sign at the beginning of the course.
- Multiple lines to play on each hole, so choose safe or risky.
- Baskets in relatively good condition, even after the flooding they had a few summers ago.
- River plays into a lot of the holes, which makes for a fun challenge.
- Easy navigation. We got turned around for a second between 6-8, but it was pretty easy to sort out.
- Even with the multi-use nature of the park, it didn't ever feel crowded. The path comes close to the course in some places, it never felt like it was risky playing around anyone in the park.

This was the first Houck designed course that I've played and I really enjoyed myself. I probably should have encourage the beginner players to use the short pads, since they lost 4 discs on the first two holes. After that, they mostly figured out that there's a safe way to play. Wide open holes are very few here, and the way the course sets up gives a variety of tee shots to keep things interesting. The last few holes give you some fun longer wooded shots, too. I wish I could play this one more often!

- Hole 14's basket was completely "gone". I suspect its buried in sawgrass, but we weren't about to venture into that area.

Parking lot is past the housing and in the gravel area. It's still fairly close, but just something to keep in mind, to avoid upsetting the private parking situation!

Amazing design
two pads on every hole
awesome signage
pro pads are actually pro level
tee pads offer very different course

So muddy that just walking to the fairway will weigh down your shoes with mud and the mud doesnt come off easily
Still not finished, trees marked for removal are still there
muddy river will eat your disc

If this course was in good condition and finished it would be a 4.5 or 5 star course it truly is championship caliber design.

- Challenging mix of holes
- Two concrete teepads on most holes
- Good signs on most holes
- Some subtle elevation changes on the last few holes
- Good use of trees for obstacles and shade

- Terrible drainage - mud everywhere, even weeks after any significant rain
- Trees marked for removal still exist, making some holes undriveable
- Easy to lose discs in creek - in play on most holes
- Some inaccurate signage

This course has a ton of potential, but as it stands, it's a disaster. The whole thing was a muddy mess. It looked like work was being done, but it's been open for a year now, and not much has changed. A corner of one of the apartments had washed out, and a retaining wall was being erected.

- great use of land and natural resources
- every hole but one made be think before grabbing a disc
- course sign with map, distances, pars
- hole signs
- teepads (10' long, 6' at back, 5' at front)
- easy to find your way around

- took a hit from flooding (temporary)
- need to mark mandos on course, not just sign
- hole 9 appeared to have some new trees planted and there was no clear path to basket
- There are a couple of holes with baskets near sidewalks. I overthrew basket 3 making sure I stayed out of the creek and ended up crossing the sidewalk. Be aware because there were quite a number of people out walking their dog and exercising.

The course took a hit from flooding earlier in the year. Tees 4, 6 and 9 were most affected. Even with the damage, I really like this course. It was a serious challenge for me and sometimes there were just too many trees! The short holes weren't simple and the long holes were attainable. Being from Kansas, I don't get many chances to play down here, but I'd love to play this one again!

-fantastic piece of land; has water, trees and slight rolling hills
-a blue and a red layout, each well-suited for its intended level
-dual concrete tees, discatchers, great Houck signs
-good variety of distances and lines
-creek comes into play on 12 holes
-a couple of great signature holes from the long boxes
-playground at the park entrance
-RaceTrack right next door to grab a beverage or snack

-swampy areas, particularly around holes 4 & 5 and 13-16
-trees still need more trimming, the lines on the long boxes are still very tight
-the short layout is very short
-for a red layout, there are some very difficult placement shots near the creek; not exactly beginner friendly

McCord Park is home to John Houck's latest creation and, as usual, he does not disappoint. The piece of land is full of potential and the design makes use of many of its very cool features, particularly the creek that winds throughout and comes into play on 12 holes.

The park has many open areas, scattered trees, and thicker groups of trees around the creek. Tees and baskets are strategically placed around obstacles so that many holes feature early and late trouble. While both sets of tees put the water in play, the danger is usually much more pronounced on the Blue tees, where there are often low ceilings over the water and a shot may have to cross the water twice to get to the landing zone.

A par of 60 is warranted on the Blue tees where distance, accuracy, and placement are all tested. 60 is perhaps appropriate for the rec level player but the Red tees play more like a par 54 for the intermediate player. Distance is only a factor on a few holes from the shorts but accuracy and placement are still essential. Some part of the creek is inside the circle on half of the baskets.

Overall, McCord Park offers a very fun round of golf and caters to a variety of skill levels. The course is finished with all the usual Houck amenities: textured concrete tees, Discatchers, and great Houck signs. There is a playground at the entrance if you have a family in tow, gas station next door for a beverage, and lots of food nearby the park.

The current cons for the course are mainly temporary and should be cleared up as time goes on and things settle into place. It seems a few tees may not be finalized yet since construction affected several of the originally intended tee locations. I'll be back to update my review as things improve and as I get to know the course better!


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