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I've heard there were a decent amount of defections from Bent Tree when they did the rebuild. But, the people that stayed are excited about the new clubhouse. It's going to be nice. Have also heard they want to jack the membership price to compete with Northwood and DCC, but I think that will be tough. I think it's a great club that will compete for members in the Royal Oaks price point. Bent Tree has a really good membership imo and most people seem pretty happy there.

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A few observations:

• Many of those that left were older, didn't use the club as much and didn't want to fork over the assessment dollars. This includes many original or early members of the club which was founded in the early 70's.
• Junior resident category is essentially full and have gained a lot of new resident members. Will likely never have the same initiation of Northwood and DCC.
• New clubhouse will be delivered over the summer and will be nice and much more efficient than the one that was demolished.
• Course doesn't need much work and that which is needed is unseen or off in the future. Bent grass greens will need replacing in 5-7 years.

Overall a very relaxed vibe with a very friendly, social membership.

Good info. Seems like a good place to be.

Bentgrass Greens will need to be replaced much sooner than 5-7 years. Bunkers will need to be replaced in next 1-2 years. Overall, a lot of positive momentum happening at Bent Tree. Expect to see this club redefine its identity while maintaining the great tight knit membership and camaraderie.

-BT Supt

How often do Bent greens in north Texas need to be replaced/significantly renovated? What does something like that cost and how long does it take for all 18 greens to be replaced and become playable again?

The GCSAA and USGA recommend bentgrass greens be replaced/renovated every 8-12 years in the southern US. Typically a newly built green will last 10-15 years if managed correctly and need a regrassing for $1.5-2 million depending on acreage. To rebuild greens (new gravel, drainage, sand, etc.) you're looking at $3-4 million. Timing is tricky. Regrassing can be a 3-5 month long process from start to finish. Rebuilding greens is more like a 6-9 month long process.

tur***gie24 said:

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The GCSAA and USGA recommend bentgrass greens be replaced/renovated every 8-12 years in the southern US. Typically a newly built green will last 10-15 years if managed correctly and need a regrassing for $1.5-2 million depending on acreage. To rebuild greens (new gravel, drainage, sand, etc.) you're looking at $3-4 million. Timing is tricky. Regrassing can be a 3-5 month long process from start to finish. Rebuilding greens is more like a 6-9 month long process.

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Who has the best greens in Dallas?

The answer to this question changes daily. A lot of strong grass growers in Dallas, and some prefer bent>bermuda or vice versa. However, in my opinion any green with Pure Distinction Bentgrass which is a new super bent that is ultra fine, a slow grower, and fast as lightning! However, it does have its limits to heat tolerance and can be disease prone. Southern Hills recently switched to this during their recent renovation. It is the purest/smoothest/fastest putting surface I've ever walked on.

Does anyone have Pure Distinction in Dallas?

To my knowledge nobody has on course greens in Dallas with Pure Distinction. It's very new, just a few years old. Bent Tree and 1 or 2 others have practice greens with it. It's common for clubs to have areas with multiple types of seed to get a better idea on grass performance for future decision making.

I love Bent Tree I say it's underrated in Dallas. 19th hole is great! I always have a great time when I go there.

Does hydronics increase the life of Bentgrass greens in this region? Or is there not yet a large enough/ long enough sample size to know?

Good question. To my knowledge ANGC, LACC, Southern Hills, and Brook Hollow are the only courses with hydronics under their greens. ANGC is constantly rebuilding greens/complexes due to design not necessity. The other 3 courses have had hydronics for 1-5 years. It's too small of a sample size to have a definite answer. Theoretically I could see a longer lifespan being a possibility but also know there are aerification limitations due to the depth of climate controlled piping. It's more of a weather/disease protection insurance from brutal summer temperatures, downpours, and high humidity.

My country club came in just out of the top 25. #26

Thanks for posting!

Royal Oaks

Rubble said:

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Royal Oaks

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Negative. ROCC switched to bermuda ... not sure of the variety ... 007 or mini verde I think. Really been a good swap. The summers were brutal on the bent. Surprised how much i like putting on the dormant bermuda in the winter ... smooth and very fast. Hard to leave a pitch mark year round.

Maybe it's too early in the morning, but I'm not following your post. You say "negative" but then seem to agree Royal Oaks' greens are great. Are you saying you like the switch, but they are not the best?

What are the dues price points in Dallas these days? Our club in GA is going to $650/mo after a redo

He's saying they do not have bentgrass greens anymore ("negative" was to Rubble posting that they have pure distinction bentgrass)

Not sure if accurate, but here is a list of fees and dues on page 46 of 80.

https://en.calameo.com/myavidgolfer/read/00475679293cd640a1867

1990AG said:

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What are the dues price points in Dallas these days? Our club in GA is going to $650/mo after a redo

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Check out the table on page 51. Your $650 a month would be below average for anything but the very low end of clubs in DFW

https://en.calameo.com/myavidgolfer/read/00475679293cd640a1867

Legend said:

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Not sure if accurate, but here is a list of fees and dues on page 46 of 80.

https://en.calameo.com/myavidgolfer/read/00475679293cd640a1867

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Great intel. Thanks.

I haven't played Trophy Club in a long time but it used to be pretty nice, albeit crowded. Only $50 off DAC...again, havent played it in a while but used to be a really nice club. Not any more?

That Avid Golfer magazine is great.

Mr. Frodo said:

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Rubble said:

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Royal Oaks

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Negative. ROCC switched to bermuda ... not sure of the variety ... 007 or mini verde I think. Really been a good swap. The summers were brutal on the bent. Surprised how much i like putting on the dormant bermuda in the winter ... smooth and very fast. Hard to leave a pitch mark year round.

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Are you saying that they're not the best because they're Bermuda? I know they're Bermuda and they roll pure. His question was who has the best, and in my opinion they are the best of courses I have played.

Fore Left! said:

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He's saying they do not have bentgrass greens anymore ("negative" was to Rubble posting that they have pure distinction bentgrass)

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I should have quoted what I was replying to. My fault. I was replying to his question of who has the best greens

Sorry about the confusion.

Thought the question was ... which Dallas clubs have the pure distinction bent grass? ... and that's what I was responding to. Missed the earlier question of ... who has the best greens? ... I was not responding to that one.

Were we #hashtagging?

I don't get out and about enough to rank them. But, as mentioned, the move to Bermuda has been great in my opinion. The bent was great for a brief window in the fall and winter and once it got hot it was all they could do just to keep them alive ... massive pitch marks bc they had to put so much water on them and not to mention the fans.

Hope it works out for Brookhollow and Northwood but not sure the juice is worth the squeeze.

Talked to a buddy that has played Shady Oaks recently and he didn't stop raving about how great their greens are immediately after renovation. I imagine they'll only get better as they continue to grow in. I would bet those are top tier in DFW.

1990AG said:

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Legend said:

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Not sure if accurate, but here is a list of fees and dues on page 46 of 80.

https://en.calameo.com/myavidgolfer/read/00475679293cd640a1867

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Great intel. Thanks.

I haven't played Trophy Club in a long time but it used to be pretty nice, albeit crowded. Only $50 off DAC...again, havent played it in a while but used to be a really nice club. Not any more?

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I would take the monthly dues with a grain of salt. Most clubs have a variety of fees, monthly assessment charges, range fees, house fees, locker fees, etc. It's pretty difficult to compare each club to each other because some bundle it all together in their monthly fee and some itemize it so that their base monthly fee looks lower.

DAC is not far off. If I don't spend much at the club in a month, my bill is just under $900 after taxes.

1) any updates on when Bent Tree opens up its new club house?
2) heard Royal Oaks has to replace several greens and also got hammered from the rain last Sunday. Anyone know if they are going to close or how they will do the greens?

Anything else going on? Seems like Craig Ranch showed well for the Nelson.

Royal Oaks may be screwed for a while because of flooding. I walk in the park that's next to it regularly and it's a disaster right now.

Anyone a member at Brookhaven? Seems like a great place for a full family environment, but I've heard really mixed reviews on the actual golf courses.

Any insights?

Not a member but a friend recently joined and is pitching me to join as well.

- I like they have three courses.
- For the money he's paying I think he is getting a great deal.
- The course I've played with him (Masters? whatever one the "best" is) was in good shape and was nice.
- We played at a time that would've been packed and slow at a public course but seemed they did a good job of spacing people out and not overcrowding things. We played in about 3.5 hrs.
- Clubhouse is nice. Food is solid but I've never had an expensive dinner there.
- Good facilities for business meetings if that's important.
- Getting in with ClubCorp has some good benefits.
- Practice facilities were very nice but crowded.


The reasons I haven't joined are twofold:

- It's far from me. I live in East Dallas and it's a bit of a haul. Don't think I'd ever practice there or go there to hang out at the bar and such since it's a ways from the house.
- Less of a factor: the course we played was nice but didn't blow me away. I just don't care much for courses that wind through neighborhoods. This is a personal preference for me. It didn't blow me away but still think it's a good value for the dues.


If you're thinking about it I say pull the trigger. It's month-to-month, no commitment other than your initiation which is next to nothing. Not much to lose.

No word on a reopen date at ROCC. Told this weekend it will NOT be back open by Memorial Day weekend.

Apparently, the 2nd highest recorded flow from that %&*#! storm.

Silting and mud reportedly not that bad but it damaged a fair number of traps-- some will have to be rebuilt.

I was not aware of any green replacement from the winter storm. I believe the plan was to let the temps warm up and see how the damaged areas came back before making the call on replacing some any grass in damaged areas-- surgically. They had started replacing sod on the damaged surrounds and some of that was washed away.

Hopefully we will be back up soon.

tamu2009 said:

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Anyone a member at Brookhaven? Seems like a great place for a full family environment, but I've heard really mixed reviews on the actual golf courses.

Any insights?

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The actual golf course isn't bad but nothing special. It's basically on par with a mid tier public course like course 1 at sherill park, bridge course at firewheel, and pecan hollow. The membership numbers are extremely high at Brookhaven so the course gets roughed up even with the good maintence crew.

Really the only thing that stands out at Brookhaven is the practice facility is large and there tennis program is top notch. Everything else is just standard entry level clubcorp quality

560ti said:

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tamu2009 said:

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Anyone a member at Brookhaven? Seems like a great place for a full family environment, but I've heard really mixed reviews on the actual golf courses.

Any insights?

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The actual golf course isn't bad but nothing special. It's basically on par with a mid tier public course like course 1 at sherill park, bridge course at firewheel, and pecan hollow. The membership numbers are extremely high at Brookhaven so the course gets roughed up even with the good maintence crew.

Really the only thing that stands out at Brookhaven is the practice facility is large and there tennis program is top notch. Everything else is just standard entry level clubcorp quality

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We are members at Brookhaven. 3 courses so that's a positive, but as was said above the courses are average. Nothing special.

Tennis facilities are as good as it gets. Multiple pools. Good practice facilities. They have (forget the name) an area that is similar to Top Golf which is a lot of fun.

Ultimately, if I were joining only for golf I would likely not pick Brookhaven. We chose it due to our living in North Dallas (proximity) but primarily because I do think it is a great option if you have a family (we have a 5 year old and 2 year old). Hoping whatever Spieth ate there passes on to my kids.

I've never been a member at Brookhaven but will say their junior program is wonderful. You don't have to be members to enroll your kid. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to get young kids into the game.