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3.4
58 Reviews (58)
5 Stars
7
4 Stars
23
3 Stars
17
2 Stars
6
1 Stars
5
Conditions
3.0
Value
3.7
Layout
4.0
Friendliness
4.4
Pace
4.2
Amenities
3.7
77.6%
Recommend this course
45 out of 58 reviews
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About

Holes 18
Type Semi-Private
Par 72
Length 7032 yards
Slope 124
Rating 73.1

Formerly known as Runaway Bay Golf Club.

Course Details

Year Built 1969
Greens Champion Bermuda
Golf Season Year round
Architect Leon Howard

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes
Pull-carts Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Caddies No
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Discover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Collared shirts required

Food & Beverage

Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities, Spa

Reviews

3.4
58 Reviews (58)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 14
Brunch 7
Dinner 7
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 16
Elevation Changes 16
Water Hazards 10
This course/club is great for:
Locals 18
Advanced Golfers 7
Junior Golfers 7
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 11

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played

Needs work

The course is better than it has been the past couple years. I used to play for the golf team near by that used this course as practice. The greens are better but every single green has a bare patch that will ruin your putt for sure. The new management seems to be focusing on the amenities more than the actual course. They put in a new covered range with matts, but also regular grass so it fits anyone’s practice style. It’s very expensive for the quality of the course right now. 40$ with cart included during the week and 50$ on weekends. I’ve played at multiple courses that are much better in argyle/denton/Irving for 40$ on the weekends. The course is not bad and has some challenging holes. Par 4s and 5s are always some kind of dog leg. And par 3s are a straight shot to the hole. (Everyone of them) if you are a scratch golfer, you can easily shoot low 60s on this course. But for the locals in Wise County this is the only 18 hole course. And definitely in better shape than the Bridgeport and Decatur 9 hole courses. Overall it’s not a bad course and is fun to play. But I wouldn’t drive a long distance to come play this course.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played

It’s ok

I’ve been on this course many times. The greens do look better than they used to but there are allot of bare areas on the greens. Many tee boxes (from blue tees) are impossible to get teed up on. It’s expensive for the quality as well. But cart fee is included. They added a lot of new things like a shaded driving range with Matt’s. And a new 19th hole which is really nice. If you live nearby than it’s a pretty good course overall. But I wouldn’t drive more than 45 minutes to play at this course. It still needs a lot of work. But it’s getting there.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

New ownership and looking great

Played here multiple times over the last few months and this course is making a HUGE come back. It's under new ownership and the new owner is doing a great job. New greens are in and the fairways are looking great. A huge list of other upgrades like a brand new gym. The staff is super friendly and the food at the cafe was phenomenal. Can't beat some cold beer and good food after a long day of golfing. Definitely give this course another shot if you're in the area. And from what I heard they added stay and play combos with a house and round of golf included if you needed a place to crash near the lake and wanted to golf.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 21
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Not in good shape at all.

I would not waste your time and money. I played on a pass for two for $26. Not worth it. They are not keeping the course up. They had the pump for water system go out. With all of the heat they were in a bind. Great course to play and have fun but they are not taking care of it. Pass on playing.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 31
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
First Time Playing
Average weather
Used cart

The course is in TERRIBLE shape

The folks out here are very nice, and you can tell that at one time this was probably a beautiful course, but the condition I played in on Masters Sunday was terrible. Fairways are rough with a lot of dirt patches, rocks, and weeds. Many of the Greens have bare patches, holes, and weeds growing in them.. I don't want to pile on and bash a place thats fallen on hard times, but driving an hour to play this course for $20 felt like a wasted day..

THE CARTS ARE GREAT!

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 24
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing
Fair weather
Used cart

Good Course Could Be Great

This course has all the infrastructure necessary to be great. The original design is still fairly well intact, and a few vestiges of the original vision, such as bent grass greens and excellent bunker placement are still there. That's part of the good news. The staff is supremely friendly, and the restaurant is well worth dining at.
The greens though recently punched, and heavily sanded rolled very true. There are plateaus and dips and turns that make these greens the quality one would expect on a PGA Qualifier Course. Sadly, bent grass doesn't hold up too well to heavy traffic, but the maintenance on these appears to have done the trick, and I imagine by May and June they will be superb.
The bad news is that the fairways are lacking in a full lush coat of grass. Believe me there is plenty of covering to the majority of turf, and hard pan is not the name of the game out here, but the grass is growing thin and sparse in many places, and the rough is where you will find more barren spots. A few holes had weeds that grew quite tall. I'm not saying the fairways on these three were all weeds, but I am saying that there is more than a few places where your ball will snuggle up next to a 12" plus dandelion plant or two. It's nothing a good mowing and a lot of annual Rye Seed couldn't take care of, but the upkeep has definitely been lacking here and in the bunkers as well.
A good 50% of the bunkers were as much dirt and or grass as they were sand. The good news is that a few of the bunkers were unplayable because the sand was piled into them in massive quantities, but it hadn't been raked. SO it was roughly 50% playable bunkers, 25% covered in grass need to be dug out and re-sanded, and 25% sand dunes needing a good rake down.
My one and only real complaint would be the replay fee. I realize this varies at most courses, but in my experience, replays are usually CART FEE ONLY, as the course considers your green fee a one time charge. I'm not saying $21 is outrageous, because its not. But iut was the difference between my Brother and I playing only 36 holes rather than 54. Had it been $15-19---we'd have been all over it. It's amazing what a different impression just a couple of bucks can make.
The restaurant served the best burger I've ever eaten at a golf course. It was so good that I almost wished we'd have ponied up for 54 holes and stayed to eat the Irish Corned Beef Dinner. The service at the restaurant was also stellar, polite and respectful. With a little work, this place could really be something.
I plan on returning later this year, and hope to increase this course's overall score. The potential is definitely there.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Default User Avatar
Commented on 08/30/2018

Just because you wrote a lengthy detailed review... The club is under new ownership and they've already started working on it. New greens are in and the fairways are looking awesome, I spend some time out at lake bridgeport and have been going there quite a few times and it keeps getting better honestly. The new owner is really putting some work in.

Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

This is a well laid out course

This is a great course and i enjoy playing each time I have an opportunity. The staff are great and the value presented by Golf now is very good.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Good Value

Good value for a hot deal tee time. Would not have felt as good paying the rack rate. I drove an hour to play this course, just because I had never played here before. Course was in OK shape, but that is to be expected in February in North Texas. If it was closer to home, I wouldn't hesitate to go back, but because of the distance, this was probably a one and done for me. Also, tee time was at 7:59. Course doesn't open until 8am (did not know that ahead of time), so no staff present when I arrived. I was the first one to go out and played solo, so I was done in less than 2 hours, but was constantly running into the greenskeepers changing hole locations and sprinklers running.

Conditions Fair
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 21
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
2.0
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Greens are bad

This is a great course most of the time. The greens have a lot of dead spots that cover most of the greens. With all of the warm weather they may be in transition but some greens were really bad. Before playing call and check the greens. It may be worth skipping until the greens get better.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Beginner
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Average weather
Used cart

Very friendly

Very friendly staff. Excellent food in the grill.
Course in typical winter conditions compares to some others. Greens could use some improvement and some tee boxes need mowing. I will play again
it was a good value and a fun course to play.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Beginner
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Decent

All DFW courses were booked for Christmas Eve day. This was an hour drive from home. The first green was not good and there was other that was not good as well. All the other greens were decent. For the price a decent course but I wouldnot drive an hour to play there again.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Apears to be a dying golf course

Several years ago I lived in Decatur area and Runaway Bay was my "home" course. At that time the course was above average in all aspects. Had not played there in 6 years. Greens on front nine were very poor - back nine were average - course has not been watered since rains quit in June. Bunkers were washed out and there was not any sand in them - only weeds - would not recommend this course to anyone

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Runaway Bay

This course needs water and work on the greens. The layout is good and has some blind spots that create an extra challenge. The carts has a good GPS in them.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Poor green conditions

I love this course and have been playing it for 15 years however I was extremely disappointed at the conditions of the greens. While they were soft and responsive they were covered in pitch marks and dead spots not to mention the abundance of crab grass spreading through the greens making it near impossible to get a true role outside of 5 feet from the pin.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

could be better

Some greens were ate up with crab grass bunkers had weeds in them. Not to excited about going back

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 53
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played

Worst conditioned golf course I've ever played

I have played the golf course at Runaway Bay on several occasions however I must say that this was the worst conditioned golf course that I have ever played. The first green was in a horrible condition and the course got worse from there. The grass around the third green was so long that I lost 3 balls within 10 yards of the green. The fairways were so hard and so rocky that they wouldn't even hold a shot most of the time. And I hit a ball in the middle of the fairway on the 8th hole and had to look seriously for my ball in the fairway, absolutely ridiculous. The back 9 was in much better shape however it was nothing to brag about or nothing to even compliment the course concerning. On the 18th tee box the grass was at least 4 to 5 inches long. It was so long in fact, that I had to find a spot 3 full clubs from the tee markers just to be able to T up my ball. I recommend that they close down the entire front nine for at least 6 months of dedicated and total maintenance and repair of the golf course. The course has a nice layout but I would not recommend this golf course to anyone. And if you have to drive more than 5 minutes to get there I would not waste my time nor my money and I drove over an hour to play this course.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 1
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Course condition

The grass on the tee boxed was too tall which made it difficult to tee up the ball. The grass on the fairways also was too tall.
The greens were over water and was very soggy.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 18
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Ever hear of a mower?

I played this course about 18 months ago when I was just learning the game again. At that time my complaint was they had not mowed the fairways. So I give it another hot deal shot and I get there and they say they have a tournament on the back nine in a bit so I can do the front 9 twice. Its not too busy so I take off, cant ever find my ball because the fairways are not mowed. You could be standing on it and not know it. A local pair of guys start in front of me on the 3d hole and I am waiting for then when not looking for my lost ball.

One nice thing, that far out and near the bay, it was cooler than in DFW area. The greens were ok on most holes and soft to hold a shot. Too bad the locals decide they dont need to wait or fix ball marks. They were very pockmarked.

Conditions Poor
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Corse maintenance going down hill

I okay here because it's close but the grass was tall enough to loose balls in fairway and the greens were horible may as well put on tiny peebles way it is.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 11
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Nice Track = worth playing

Greens in great shape, allows you to fire at the pins! Fairways in average shape. Entire Club house staff and pro shop with friendly and accommodating. Good lay out, but could use some additional attention to course details. ie, sandtrap conditions, defined fairway cuts. overall a pleasant experience with nice views of the lake.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
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