Good:
- well conditioned, great shape
- very pretty
- fun course to play
- nothing tricked up about it
- green structures were all approachable. provided multiple approach options
- club house was neat, interesting

Bad:
- not as difficult as expected
- not as much 'character' as expected on for a US Top 100 course
- at least 2 greens had false fronts, very steeped with water in front
- right side of the green structure on #12 needs work. wet, damp, minimal grass
cart path routing was awkward on a few hotes

overall: must play. good course, but not sure its top 100 worthy...

my 2 cents. probably more than you wanted to know... just giving you my overview I have to send in

Played it a few years ago and I agree. Memorable because of the Top 100 label and immaculate condition but not much to write home about.

Glad I'm not the only one.

Played it in 2005 and while I was grateful for the opportunity and the experience, nothing Top 100 jumped out at me. Very nice but no wow factor. I figured I was just an idiot at evaluating golf courses. And maybe I still am.

The false front on 18 is pretty ridiculous. 2 approach shots from our group thought they hit great shots, only to watch them trickle a slow death 25 feet backwards directly in the water.

count me in there as well....good to great course but Top 100.....nah

Besides going from 10 green to 11 tee, which cart paths were weird? 12 green is a nightmare to keep turf on. Too many trees too close to the right side. I can assure you water isn't the issue. 18 is the only false front where the ball can roll back in the water. 7 looks like it can, but i have never seen a ball hit on the green and go back in. And if 13-18 dont make an impression on you, I need to play where you are playing. Also which tees did you play?

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Also which tees did you play?

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Why does that matter?

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Also which tees did you play?

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Why does that matter?

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He said it wasn't as difficult as he expected. Its a much different course from the tips

agree with cevans. It's a great course and 13-18 is a phenomenal stretch of golf holes. Best way to play is walking with a caddy. That way you can truly appreciate the design around the natural terrain. I've never turned down an invite and don't think I ever will.

nice holes and make an impression....but 1-12 don't count???

not a Top100 but no one here is saying its bad

Honest question, for those that don't think WP is Top 100 worthy, what other Top 100 courses have you played?

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Besides going from 10 green to 11 tee, which cart paths were weird? 12 green is a nightmare to keep turf on. Too many trees too close to the right side. I can assure you water isn't the issue. 18 is the only false front where the ball can roll back in the water. 7 looks like it can, but i have never seen a ball hit on the green and go back in. And if 13-18 dont make an impression on you, I need to play where you are playing. Also which tees did you play?

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we played one tee up from the back (spirit tees)... which I think was about 6900 yards... that's plenty for me... and the tees shouldn't matter.

#16 (par 3) is the other hole with a false front / steep slope back to water..

and the cart path / routing on #13 was the most awkward. there's a sign pointing to the 13 fairway, but we had to drive around to find the tee..

but I didn't mean to hurt any feelings... the great thing about golf course design is everyone has an opinion. I have mine....

again - its a great course. I just don't think its top 100. and i'm a golf magazine top 100 panelist. and I vote em like I see em. but no offense. just my opinion...

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Honest question, for those that don't think WP is Top 100 worthy, what other Top 100 courses have you played?

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Obviously you don't know booradley. :-) He's played more top courses than anyone here, by a mile.

top 10 in Texas. Good but not great

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top 10 in Texas.

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You think??

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we played one tee up from the back (spirit tees)... which I think was about 6900 yards... that's plenty for me... and the tees shouldn't matter.

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I 100% agree with this statement.

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we played one tee up from the back (spirit tees)... which I think was about 6900 yards... that's plenty for me... and the tees shouldn't matter.

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I 100% agree with this statement.

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No doubt. The golf course should be exactly the same from the women tee as the tips. Length should not play any role.

Part of the course is the experience and the service IMO. From a layout perspective, I get that it could be viewed as less than a "top 10" course. However, I think the overall experience is easily top 10.

Pebble Beach holes 1-4, 11-16 aren't anything home to write about either but still regarded as a great golf course.

I will say...the scented towels on some of the holes were amazing.

The service was wonderful. It had been raining the day I played so we started out walking. After a few holes, the staff brought over a caravan of carts loaded with cervezas and asked us to just stay off the fairways.

I will definitely go again, if invited.

Sorry guys...got to disagree with most of you on this one. I think Whispering Pines is awesome, the best in Texas (just ahead of Dallas National) and definitely deserving of top 100.

I could write a book...but in a nutshell:
-Located in the middle of nowhere...beautiful, peaceful, and secluded.
-Every hole is unique and interesting. No two holes are even remotely the same.
-Great green complexes that are all unique and challenging.
-Excellent conditioning featuring the best fairways and greens in Texas (in my opinion)
-Holes 13-18 may be the best six finishing holes I've ever played...and the first 12 aren't bad either.
-Fantastic service, food, and on-course goodies.

And for those of you who don't like false fronts leading to water...you probably wouldn't like 12, 13 & 15 at Augusta either. 18 at Whispering Pines is a great finishing hole (and where the Aggies brought down Jordan Spieth and Longhorns to win our final appearance in the 2012 Big 12 Championships).

I've played a lot of Top 100 courses and look for Whispering Pines not only stay there...but move up in the rankings (they just built an awesome new short course on property).

Welcome to the golf board Jeff Schmahl.


I find this thread pretty interesting as I have never played it and dont have any prospects to. But listening to other people's opinions about courses always fascinates me for some reason, especially when I know the course well.

There are only a couple of things this board universally agrees on when it comes to courses.

1. Colonial is a better course to watch the pros on than the TPC.
2. RamRock is damn hard.

Thats about it. Everything else is debatable.

Thanks for the welcome.

The history at Colonial is incredible...and while it's a great course...I still can't put it ahead of Whispering Pines and Dallas National...both of which are in a league of their own when it comes to Texas golf.

Only played Ram Rock once...and heard about how tough it was...through seven holes I was even par and couldn't figure out what the big deal was...then I met holes 8-12. Humility quickly followed...although I did think in large part because they have a number of unfair holes...especially if you haven't played there before.