Apache Links at Squaw Valley
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley
One of two wonderful 18-hole courses at Squaw Valley, the Apache Links Course is ranked among the top 50 nationally on Golf Advisor. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Apache Links at Squaw Valley
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley
There's lots of mounding on the Apache Links Course at Squaw Valley in Glen Rose, Texas. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Apache Links at Squaw Valley
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley
There are lots of formidable bunkers, like these greenside on the 576-yard par-5 fifth on the Apache Links Course at Squaw Valley. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 6
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 6
The sixth hole at Apache Links is a risk-reward par 4 where big hitters can challenge the water on the tee shot. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 8
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 8
The par-4 eighth hole at the Apache Links at Squaw Valley plays over a creek. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 10
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 10
The par-3 10th at Apache Links at Squaw Valley is especially tough when playing into the prevailing wind. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 11
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 11
The par-4 11th, like many holes at Squaw Valley, plays over Squaw Creek. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 13
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 13
The par-4 13th is another example of beautiful mounding and bunkering on the Apache Links at Squaw Valley. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 14
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 14
A candidate for the Apache Links' signature hole is the par-3 14th. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 15
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 15
Again, Squaw Creek must be negotiated on the 462-yard par-4 15th on the Apache Links at Squaw Valley. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 16
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 16
Another picturesque hole on the Apache Links at Squaw Valley: the par-4 16th. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 17
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 17
The tee shot on the par-4 17th at Apache Links at Squaw Valley. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 18
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley - no. 18
The finishing hole at Apache Links at Squaw Valley is a reachable par 5 with a green guarded by a large oak and bunkers. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
Apache Links at Squaw Valley - clubhouse
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Apache Links at Squaw Valley - clubhouse
The clubhouse at Squaw Valley is an old converted ranch house. Mike Bailey/Golf Advisor
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A look around the highly regarded Apache Links Course at Squaw Valley in Texas

Perhaps one of the best kept secrets statewide is the affordable Squaw Valley Golf Course, a 36-hole municipal facility in Glen Rose, Texas, about 60 miles southwest of Dallas and about the same distance northwest of Waco.

The original course there, Apache Links, opened in 1992 and is ranked no. 36 on Golf Advisor's national best golf courses list in 2016. Back when tax money was flowing in from the nearby Comanche Peak Nuclear power plant, the city hired Jeff Brauer to design this wonderful layout, which (like the newer Comanche Lakes Course), meanders over and around Squaw Creek to set up several picturesque holes. The course would later be renovated by John Colligan of Arlington, Texas-based Colligan Design, who was on the original project with Brauer and also designed Comanche Lakes (also highly ranked on Golf Advisor).

Built on an old ranch property, Brauer and Colligan moved a lot of dirt on what was once a flat piece of property, to create mounding and some elevated tees. The 14th, a short par 3 that crosses Squaw Creek, is a good example of all of the design elements.

Mike Bailey is a former Golf Advisor senior staff writer based in Houston. Focusing primarily on golf in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America with an occasional trip to Europe and beyond, he contributes course reviews, travel stories and features as well as the occasional equipment review. An award-winning writer and past president of Texas Golf Writers Association, he has more than 25 years in the golf industry. He has also been on staff at PGA Magazine, The Golfweek Group and AvidGolfer Magazine. Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBaileyGA and Instagram at @MikeStefanBailey.
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A look around the highly regarded Apache Links Course at Squaw Valley in Texas