Maridoe Golf Club

6,830 yards, 148 slope from the Yellows

On the rooftop of the Frisco Omni admiring the view. It was later at night and we decided on a nightcap the final night of the trip. The pool was calm and calming and the darkness beyond only interrupted by the lights of the Dance Floor about a quarter mile away. It had been a great trip thus far and as happens on these things, we’re all able to talk all things golf with people who actually find it interesting. At some point I realized I didn’t know much about the last course we were playing the next day, so I asked. An unusual quiet came over everyone and stayed that way for what seemed like way too long. Finally, someone answered. “It’s really hard.” More quiet as a few others nodded solemnly along. Finally someone broke the silence, “so, how about those Ryder Cup picks?” And that’s all I knew about Maridoe as I made my way to the First tee the next day.

Maridoe is on a site that has housed prior golf clubs since the early 1950’s, starting with the Columbian Country Club and then the Honors Golf Club, which closed in 2008. Alan Huddleston purchased the land and retained Steve Smyers for a complete re-design. Over 200 acres of Blackland prairie rise and fall around a large lake that the club calls the most extensive private lake in Dallas County. Huddleston wanted a players course with aspirations of hosting the PGA and possibly majors at some point. Smyers, an excellent golfer in his own right, certainly designed with challenge in mind. The site was completely reconfigured and earth was moved as needed. One of the more impressive characteristics of the club is the use of various grass strains that are highly sustainable and require less water. Native strains such as Topgun Buffalograss (yes really), Blue Grama and Purple Threeawn comprise the off fairway areas in this regard, adding to a more natural feeling setting, while Champion Ultradwarf comprises the fairways for firm and fast. Smyers has said, “[W]ith its minimal amount of high-maintenance turf and maximum amount of natural habitat, Maridoe will be the poster child for future design. Brown is beautiful.” Indeed, the club has a unique presentation that focuses on the tenets of sustainability we have seen prevail in course design the last couple decades, yet makes no bones that it’s intended to test the bounds of the golfer’s skill set. This may be one of the reasons why Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth are members.

The course opened in 2017. Trinity Forest across town was recently reviewed as the other course designed in the 2010’s and the comparisons are telling on the focus of golf course design at the time. Every course reviewed in this series thus far from 2000 on has emphasized firm and fast conditions yet they all have done it in much different playing structures. Here, Maridoe focuses on a natural presentation even if the setting has been manufactured. While the minimalism of Trinity shows how that style began to branch out to sites that are less than naturally endowed while still staying true to its core principles, Maridoe created the setting it wanted then reverse engineered the natural presentation. What’s notable is its commitment to sustainability and shift away from lushness and target golf. It embraces the challenge of firm and fast yet focuses more on difficulty than options and strategic flexibility. To be sure, there are various ways to play the holes and use the quick movement of the terrain but the emphasis is much more on whether the golfer can execute than it is whether the golfer can think his way through the round. In other words, there is no refuge for those who can’t find their swing.

The firm and fast here must be thought of differently than it is at other courses. It is more of a hazard and must be handled in that way. It must be controlled, meaning the golfer must know exactly how his ball will respond to it. There are simply so many run offs into water or unsavory bunkers that even the slightest miscalculation is the difference between a shot at par or plus bogey. Then comes the repugnance this course has for wayward shots. They must stay on line and carry whatever water or high above plateau. Yet it all comes back to the quick slopes and how they treat shots that are even on line. I was able to get around the front nine well enough but then my first real miscue was at the Twelfth, where an overambitious 3 wood sailed into that lake. I scrapped back at the Thirteenth but then the Fourteenth came to pass. A soft high recovery lob came off just as intended and I watched in comic disbelief as the ball sauntered all the way across the green and into a cavernous bunker. The rest of the round became a battle. Me desperately trying to finish a nice scoring round while the course smelled blood. The caddie could see it unfolding and said he had seen members walk off the course before, crying in frustration. I saw his mentioning this story as an invitation. I was able to keep things together with duct tape and the score was one of my best of the season, especially considering the locale.

Difficulty comes in many styles. Some bowl you over the head with a blunt instrument, some kill you with a thousand small cuts. Here, you must walk a high thin path falling deeply off both sides. That path is also icy. And sometimes you have to sprint and jump down it. Also if you fall off the path for whatever reason, you lose a limb for a while. This may sound horrid but it’s not. It’s a gauntlet and some times, man should ready for battle.

The First is a 421 yard par 4 (from the Yellows). We start on the east side of the property and head uphill to the green. The native grass is between the tee and fairway while most of the trees run along the right side. There aren’t any hazards to speak of but the narrowness leading up to the green is noticeable and a harbinger of things to come. The green is quite nicely wide with all kinds of interior undulations that instill a good amount of complexity of movement.

The Second is a 619 yard par 5. And that narrowness appears in strong form already. Trees on both sides of the first section of fairway with an elevated tee. It’s a long hole yet my caddie handed me my 3 wood off the tee. That’s because the first section of fairway moves downhill towards a creek. The creek must be handled on the second shot and that was another 3 wood as the fairway starts uphill towards the green. Bunkers line this second section of fairway, reducing the width even more yet the golfer must set up a manageable approach to the elevated green. It is large enough and the course in general does well to make sure the greens are a refuge of sorts from the ball striking exam we encounter from tee to green. There’s just not a whole lot of preferable room off the green, making the approach kind of a zero sum game.

The Third is a 195 yard par 3. A longer par 3 that must carry some of the native grass while there’s a dominant right to left movement as the hillside moves in the direction of the lake, which is the Columbian Club Lake. There is room short of the green to work with while bunkers are on the lower left. The green has that nice generous size with stronger movement than we saw in the first two greens.

The Fourth is a 405 yard par 4. The hole is tough to decipher from the tee at first blush but it’s essentially a dog leg left where the fairway narrows down the right side before downhill to the green. A pit of bunkers are within the direct line to the green and must be carried on the approach, yet the golfer always has the hill on the right to use as a bail out. Lots of right to left movement at the green and around it as well. The visuals here certainly play on the golfer and the approach can be an intimidating one but just know that right side is there.

Front of the green looking back at fairway

The Fifth is a 333 yard par 4. Moving back in the direction we came but closer to the lake, which comes into play on both tee and approach shots. The prevalent movement is now left to right, towards the water. The green sits at the edge of the water and the fairway careens towards it. The golfer must take care that the approach doesn’t move off into the water as there is nothing stopping it on three sides of it. A tricky shorter par 4 where the margin of error evaporates into thin air.

The Sixth is a 282 yard par 4. A short par 4 with a smaller landing area, ensuring those that decide on driver will need to keep it straight or go on a little safari searching for their ball in the long grass. A grove of trees rests on the right side, confounding any misses there. The green is among the smaller we’ve seen thus far, narrow yet just the slightest bit deep. Deep bunkers are below on either side leading up to it that extend to its sides, ensuring the approach hits and stays on the green or else.

The Seventh is a 550 yard par 5. Running parallel to the Second yet moving in the opposite direction, the fairway off the tee is set on a hillside that runs left to right aggressively. There’s more room than it looks but the ball has to get out there. The second shot must clear the creek we saw at the Second yet the golfer must decide if he wants to go directly towards the green on the left or stay to the right and set up a shorter approach. This shorter approach will be downhill to a green moving away from the shot, however. I opted for short left but then watched in horror as my ball started moving towards the creek. It stopped just in time but that movement is certainly something to account for, which shifts from right to left on the other side of the creek. It’s an interesting yet challenging par 5.

The Eighth is a 115 yard par 3. The course provides a brief respite with this short blind uphill par 3. The green is deep so the miss is far if anything while bunkers are scattered about the green and the slopes off the left and rear will move the ball a good ways off.

The Ninth is a 401 yard par 4. A much wider fairway awaits us as the hole arcs to the right and uphill to the green. The wind seemed to find us on this hole, which complicated things a little but otherwise the extra room is welcome. There are bunkers at the inside right side where the hole starts to turn and the right side drops off altogether so the left side should be favored on both shots to the larger green that has a few subtle pockets of movement.

The front nine is sinewy yet remains varied, with an emphasis on ball control with some strategic components throughout. Accuracy resigns supreme. I would rank them 7, 4, 5, 6, 8, 3 2, 9, 1.

The back nine starts with the 388 yard par 4 Tenth. Going down to lake side, the tee shot must carry the shore line to the fairway that tilts toward it yet at some point, starts to move to the far shore side long right. The approach must carry the lake altogether to reach the green, which is narrow at the front and widens towards the rear. This start will shake you awake if you aren’t already and if the wind is up, that approach becomes even more intense.

The Eleventh is a 555 yard par 5. The tee shot goes back over the lake to a fairway that dog legs left uphill. There’s some modest width and not too much in the way of hazards until closer to the green. This allows the golfer to set up his approach as he sees fit, which he will need based on the green complex. Three healthy bunkers are on the left short of it while a lot of contours and and slopes comprise the front and right side. There’s a lot of freedom in deciding how to attack the green, which moves left to right at a good clip. The green is a whole lot of fun with some nice challenge, making the hole stand out.

The Twelfth is a 457 yard par 4. The tee shot heads straight out with native grass on both sides and bunkers sitting below grade on the left just before the turn. Even the best of tee shots will be faced with a daunting approach. The left turn is hard near the green so it is likely that some of it will need to carried, then the green is uphill, lengthening the approach. I don’t have any photos after the approach since this is where my first real mistake put me in the water on the right. The series of bunkers near the green then took care of me after the drop and I left the hole in tatters. It may be wise to simply treat this as a par 5 and set up a shorter approach. There is some room to play with in terms of a longer approach, there is plenty to trip up even well hit shots if not played with the utmost accuracy.

The Thirteenth is a 412 yard par 4. The mini loop near the lake returns us to the clubhouse and now we go back on the opposite side of the clubhouse from the First. A hop over some native grass to the fairway, which widens the further out it moves. It eventually ends at an irrigation pond and must be carried to the green, which sits on a small hill. There is room on the left before it to miss on the approach but anything on the right that’s short will go into the bunkers sitting well below. The green is much wider that it is deep, so distance must be spot on more or less.

The Fourteenth is a 165 yard par 3. There’s an array of tee boxes here with all kinds of angles in and distances. They all need to carry the water and reach the deceptively shallow green than falls off on both sides. Yes there is some bail out room short right but there’s a possibility the ball will catch just right and roll into the water. As I mentioned above, I missed off the green pin high to the right and hit the recovery I wanted; a little soft lob that I figured would rest close to the hole. Instead, the ball gained speed and moved into the bunkers on the front left. It was maddening but another example of the challenge here and needing to harness that speed in a particular way.

The Fifteenth is a 429 yard par 4. I was left with that whole experience coming into the number 1 handicapped hole. Water is on both sides of the fairway but the trees before may help keep the ball out. The fairway ultimately ends at water and we see the green uphill to the left. Set on a hillside with a lot of bunkers on the left, there’s a lot of movement to the right. Two extremely precise shots are needed here while the recoveries are going to be on the tough side for the most part.

The Sixteenth is a 561 yard par 5. The entire hole moves along a ridge that banks to the left towards the water that runs along the length of the hole. Trees are along the left. The fairway moves up and then careens over the bunkers nd green that are on the right below. This hole was the breaking point for me. At the time, it was tough to realize why but it was because of just how prevalent the left to right movement is. I failed to account for it and ended up paying the price. Regardless, it’s a good, stiff hole relying on the terrain for a good bit of its challenge.

From the left, showing width of the green

The Seventeenth is a 142 yard par 3. Like the penultimate hole on the front nine, we encounter a short par 3. This one is a tough longer and the green much smaller. A forced carry over water, the green is draped just above the water, its sides rolling freely into it. This means shots with too much gusto will end up in the water on the far side. There is a little room to miss on the left but the green is then running away from you towards the water. Accuracy reigns supreme.

The Eighteenth is a 400 yard par 4. We are back to the lake and follow it around to the left. One must ponder how much of the water to take off on the tee shot, very much a risk reward proposition. The fairway cants right to left and there are bunkers close to the water near the green. There’s actually a good amount of room to work with just before the green for those out of position off the tee and the green sits at the lake’s edge with contours gently rolling up to it. It’s a nice final green complex and sets the stage for a nice send off as one is able to look across the water.

The back nine seems to be more spread out than the front and there’s a bit more demand on the approaches, which mostly require length and accuracy. The land is used creatively though and the challenge around the greens was always engaging. I would rank them 11, 16, 12, 10, 14, 15, 18, 13, 17.

Generally, Maridoe is a tremendous example of post modern exploration of challenge. Outright difficulty is rather easy to come by but seeking difficulty that includes layers of complexity so that the golfer is tested in wide range of ways is another matter altogether. Here, it is not enough to hit the ball far or straight. Yes accuracy reigns supreme but that accuracy must account for how the ball will respond to the terrain and wind. The recovery shots require thought and creativity with a touch of quiet desperation. The configuration of green to fairway is always a bit off kilter, which creates some interesting approach angles. The golfer never throws his hands up and grouses the course is impossible; he will always feel he has a chance at the score and will then rue bad fortune when he sees where his ball ends up, shot after shot. Yet most importantly, he will want to play another round. And then another, wondering when his luck might turn around.

Clubhouse/Pro Shop: Blending into the terrain and even hidden among trees on one side, the structure is full of floor to ceiling windows that stays with that theme of the clubhouse being an extension of the land. The facilities are quite nice and the pro shop top shelf.