shonkdd

The course is well designed around a number of ponds and lakes inside a burgeoning community. You will have to manage your club selection and golf your ball. My 12 year old son played the Gold Tees (Tips) with me, and he had an even 100 - I shot 76. Scenery - Check, Course Design - Check, Elevation changes - Check, Staff and Amenities - Check...so what is incorrect? First, the course (like many courses in TX with Bermuda) still has residual Burn from the Freeze. Second, I would have loved to play out of a bunker today - but as there were more rocks than sand in every bunker we saw - we played them as ground under repair. Third, the course does seem to have a bit of an irrigation issue, where many areas were saturated for no reason.
If the course would add another foot or two on the Stimp...this course would be very difficult. The wind today was BRUTAL - 40 mph gusts at times. The layout never seemed to produce many downwind holes - I dont know if that was by design, but it was rather annoying.
I actually enjoyed it - my son did as well. Playing 7200 yards for a 12 year old I realize is a bit much - however he outdrove me into the wind on a hole and the smile on his face...priceless. I may be 53, however I can still carry it 290 yards with a driver...that should tell you how strong the kid is.
If I could have made a putt - I had 8 or 9 birdie chances inside 20 feet - I just could not get the line/speed to match up. Maybe next time.

This is a fine course. Do not let the card fool you as it plays ~7000 yards from the tips. That isnt long today. If the wind blows incorrectly, hitting the fairway will be a premium. A few holes are long 4pars, but the 5pars are gettable. I shot 70, but the greens have a lot of elevation, so club chouce is tricky. Love the course, and would play again. Play it if you can.

Mountain Valley is under new Mgmt. The Good - its a nice short course layout. It has interesting holes nestled netween homes and trees. It would play difficult from the back tees. The staff is friendly and courteous. The Bad - it needs players to play the course in less than optimal conditions. The Ugly - the greens and fairways need a lot of work. It isnt possible to putt these greens in their current condition. The fairways have...some...grass.
Play the course as it lies. From the back it will be a challenge. Plus, the course needs to generate dollars for updated maintenance.

Surpised. Last time I played here the course was in horrible shape. Today, was very playable. There are still a few weird holes, drivable par 4s, odd par 5s, and a 600 yard par 5 where you can not miss the green. Still, it wasnt intolerable. Course was in good shape, so all good.

Jim McLean Golf Center is supposed to be a PGA Tour Player Facility, with instruction and club fitting. There is a Junior player component also on the premises. That's the brochure stuff anyway.
The staff at the desk didn't know information they should have known that I needed - Where the pull carts are, range balls, etc. I had to make three trips and scrounge my own information to get my son a pull cart, and to get range balls.
The range - if you aren't a professional expect to hit from an area with no grass, and no one will be helping you. Figure out everything you need at the desk prior to leaving for the range. Its kind of a hike from the range to the desk.
The golf - starts out wonderful, the first three holes are in tip top shape and what you would expect from a PGA Tour Player facility. That is where the good ends.
There are four holes where the greens are severely burnt - don't even try to play 8 or 9 - they didn't have the tee markers out and there were no flags and no holes cut as the greens were in a sad state. We walked the cart path from 7 to the club house - we couldn't even play 8 or 9 (only a 9 hole course).
Bunkers really need work - most are basically mud/dirt with sand sprinkled in.
The morning crew was out, but they left on many sprinklers in front of us - I attempted to wave them down and ask them to turn them off to no avail. We just avoided those teeing areas/greens and dropped outside of sprinkler range (we teed off at 8:15 AM, sprinklers should have been off).
As far as the layout - its a good little 3-par golf course. It would have been nice if the course was better operated and maintained.
Overall I was shocked as I see this course from the highway all the time. Its also sad as it could be a gem 3 par really. I would like to play there again, but I doubt I will this year.
Its not a complete waste of time, but I expected so much more.

Respectable layout from the back tees. There will be several 280 yard carries over well placed fairway bunkers. Some of which are deep, so take care in their avoidance. Greens were spongy and receptive, not quick, and somewhat inconsistent in speed. You can make putts here. Spongy spots cause chips to grab early, so be prepared. Course is fun to play; bunkers need a lot of work however. Some are basically mud, others have some sand, and even others will have a foot of sand.

I played with my son this time - he's 9 yrs old. If you haven't played here, the course, though a public municipal city course - is lovely. Scenery is spectacular with the lake and wildlife. A gem. The course is usually in above average shape, and was today as well. The course does have silver tees designed for youth players, though my son says they are too close and wouldn't play them - he played the red tees and shot 98. I played black and shot 71 - but I only birdied the 5 pars. Tough to putt these greens. I like the course a lot, playable for many talent levels - the clubhouse is on the newer side and the food is OK. If you spray the ball here - youll need several balls.

Tricksy course layout with many blind shots. Luckily I played with seasoned members who told me whats what. There are a number of "we had to fit this hole here in this location so its weird" holes that focus your attention and entice you with massive risk/reward scenarios. The course plays shorter than its indicated 7129 yards.18 plays driver 8 iron, and its a par 5. 7 is 341 on the card, but plays 261 straight over the water as a par 4. 9 reads 556 on the card, but plays driver 7 iron. Most difficult hole is the 14th, a 251 yard par 3 (3 Hybrid). Youll hit a lot of irons off the box, but still need the driver for the scoring holes. The greens were just punched/top-dressed 2 weeks ago; I would say in three to four weeks they will roll true. Shot 73 with 2 birdies and an eagle, only because making a putt was nearly impossible as they are still quite bumpy. Any decent player should play from the tips.

Fossil Creek can be extremely challenging, even at 6800 yards. However, all 3-Pars are under construction, and many fairways have brown grass or even no grass (i.e., "dirt"). Leave the driver at home - most tee shots I used a 3,4,5,6, or 7 iron (yes, I hit a 7 iron off of a 4-Par tee box). Course navigation is a must, and I found the GPS in the cart to be quite accurate and useful. Hate the "Pace of Play" ads on the Eagle golf courses - they take longer to watch than to get up and just hit your ball (wouldn't a simple sign at hole #1 function just fine?). Greens are the gold standard of Fort Worth though, and felt to be ~10 or 11 on the stimpmeter. They were excellent. Pace was terribly slow. The course staff was very friendly, and I utilized MULTIPLE cart girls during the round - and there is a separate "watering hole" after the 7th green that is up and running - hotdogs and burgers are available. I would play again, but probably only because the staff was great and the greens were beautiful to roll putts on. The course is...just OK... Typical of the "In Community" style courses there are a number of layup and blind shots. Lee the starter was helpful and gave me a number of problems to look out for - 77 with 2 doubles, a hole out from the fairway, and a chip in birdie. The wind was BRUTAL...

The course really is in good shape. I enjoyed playing it. However, half the holes have blind second (or third) shots. The greens are tiny, most are long and thin. Par-5s are not long, however the layout requires lay-up navigation or risk to playing over OB to get to the tiny par-5 greens.
A few of the holes are wonky with 90 degree turns, but were enjoyable. I wish the course sold yardage books, however none was available. Pace was SLOW, and with only 1 birdie I shot 74 from the back tees. Card states ~6700 yards from the back; you don't need a driver. You do need position, excellent lay-up skill, and recover ability. Fairways are tight, and most every hole has trouble or OB. Carts do not have GPS, and on this course I think that is a must. I did see sky caddie reflectors on the flagsticks, so that may be an option. Laser range finder a must, but be prepared to scout around corners first as line of sight was typically not available. Greens were average - maybe 7 or 8 on the stimp, but were recently cross-cut, and healed over. In the morning when I played the greens were spongy, and later in the day they were still receptive. I was surprised by the maintenance of the course, not having seen 1 single maintenance worker during the morning. Some of the cups were not cut properly, so a few of the holes were at odd angles (not flat).
Over all I did like the course, and would play again.

I played this course in 2001, and discovered that Mark Brooks ruined the property Southern Oaks was built on. It was a wonky, freakish layout, with odd bunker placements, advertised as a "Links" style golf course. 90% of that has changed with a Bruce Lietzke ownership group taking over. There is still the odd fairway bunker, and the course has an unusual amount of dead grass. The greens are not perfect, however the layout of the course is fair, providing cautionary as well as rip-it holes during play. Probably my favorite hole was the 245 yard 17th, where I ripped a 3-iron to about 1.5 feet. Overall I shot 75 from the back tees - 7111 yards, but it seems longer with the wind direction we had.