A Risky Course on the Outskirts of Waco.

    Located in Mart, Texas just outside of Waco, is Battle Lake Golf Course. Battle Lake is a cheap neighborhood 18 hole course designed by Chuck Higgins.
    
    Higgins must be a risky guy, as this golf course allows for numerous risky shots on and off the tee box that could result in fantastic or horrible outcomes. Most of these involve going over a large lake or through thick trees. Although dangerous, clearing these obstacles allows the golfer to cut huge corners and greatly improve their score. 
    
    On the second hole the golfer has the option to drive over a lake or take the longer route that is dry. To carry the lake a drive must carry 250 yards. To put this in perspective, professionals on the PGA tour average about 299 yards a drive. If the golfer successfully caries the lake, they have a short shot up onto the green, where they could be putting for an eagle. 

    The following hole urges the player to gamble even more. This whole is an island green with water surrounding it on every side but the right. The player has to decide if they want to go for the green or go to the right and lay up. If one successfully goes for the green, they will likely make a birdie, but if missed into the water they will surely make at least a bogey. 

    The lay out of this course is not even close to the most risky thing about this course. The carts and cart path are extremely dangerous, as they are easy to flip and the cart path is not well maintained. It isn't uncommon to see a cart in the lake or maybe in 20 different pieces. 

    Like every risk, this one also comes with a reward. This reward being one of the best views central Texas has to offer. 
(Photographed by Lane Kubitza)
    
    Although the course, especially it's carts and cart path, are in poor condition, it still has many redeeming qualities. The views are stunning, the layout is fun, and it's about 40% cheaper than any other golf course in Waco. Factoring all these in, the course deserves a 7/10, and is a great place for Waco residents to get away for a bit. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Tight Course in D.F.W.

Image
     Located on the edge of the two hours from Waco, is Plantation Golf Course, in Frisco, Texas. This course is a great location to test your skills and have a great time. The fee is about 40$ which makes it a pretty cheap course, something that the courses I play usually have in common.      The carts are in good shape and some of them even have speakers and coolers on them. The workers are super kind and they even give the golfer a discount sometimes. The range is in great shape but for a golfer like me with an occasional snap hook, it can be dangerous as to the left on the range is a major road.     Getting into the actual course, the golfer is first met with a very tight par four. it's not very long but it is very narrow. The tee boxes are in great shape and most of them have a ball cleaner and some water. The fairways are generally also in great shape and the rough isn't too bad. This course features many bunkers, requiring the golfer to hit...
Read more

An Old Course In South Dallas.

Image
      Located in Ferris, Texas, about an hour and a half up the highway, lies a golf course filled with hills an and trees. Old Brick Yard is a awesome course that has been around for a very long time. It features a top 10 hardest hole in Texas that curves around a lake.        Along with this being an old and scenic course, the community is always great too. Every time I have gone, the guy at the clubhouse is always super nice and will even give you a suspicious discount based on how much you tip. The people I have played with at this course are always friendly as well.      The course design is the definition of what a fun course layout is. The course starts with an uphill par four that rewards the golfer for taking a risky shot. Following that hole, there is a short par three where the golfer takes a shot from the top of a hill on to a small green. The views from this hole are awesome, as this part of DFW is hilly and sparsely populat...
Read more

A Three In One in North Dallas

Image
      Located just short of two hours outside of Waco, is Fire Wheel golf course. This course is actually three courses, as it is more of a golf complex than a golf course. Each course is different in layout and terrain, but are all fairly similar in terms quality and difficulty. The most popular one and the one I will focus most on today is the Old Course.      This course runs through many neighborhoods of North Dallas and can get a little dangerous for the golfer that can't hit a straight ball. The ninth hole is a short par three with houses on either side. I have personally seen and allegedly been a part of a broken window on this hole. Leading up to this hole is a long underground tunnel, going beneath two properties which is something very rare at a golf course.          The picture shown above is on a par five on the back nine. It is clear that the greens are in good shape, as well as the surrounding fairways and roughs....
Read more