Garden Valley Golf Resort - Dogwood

Detailed description of Garden Valley Golf Resort - Dogwood

Garden Valley Golf Resort -Dogwood, is a Resort, 18 hole golf course located in Lindale, Texas.

Garden Valley first opened as a golf resort facility in 1962 with the 9 hole par 35 Hummingbird course. In 1992 the 18-hole par 72 Dogwood course first opened for play. The Dogwood course was designed by John Sanford. New owners bought the facility in 1999. They closed the Hummingbird course and have concentrated on maintaing the Dogwood course in top form.

The Dogwood course cuts through the rolling hills and 100 foot pine trees of East Texas and around Lake Jackson (which was a National Water Skiing tournament lake) and Lake Butler. In addition to elevation changes and small roller coaster ups and downs, you'll find several ponds, plenty of dog legs, a few blind shots, and natural beauty with blossoming azaleas and dogwoods throughout the course. It's easy to forget about your score and just remember the scenic beauty and how much fun you had playing this course.

Garden Valley has three sets of tee boxes with ranges from 5532 yards to 6540 yards. Although the course is short from the tips, it is still challenging with a rating of 72.4 and a slope of 132. This course demands that you play smart in on a number of holes, you'll want to leave the driver in the bag. Course management and iron accuracy are also keys to scoring well - trees, water, hills, bunkers, and narrow approaches to the green all require you to think your way around this course.

The front nine is a little more forgiving and not quite as scenic or fun as the back. On the front, you'll find water on five holes, lots of mounds, a couple well protected greens, and one of the toughest holes on the course - the par 5 ninth hole.

The front nine is very good but you are in for a real treat on the back nine. The scenic beauty is unlike most other courses in Texas - lots of color from blossoming azaleas and dogwoods, the blue sparkling waters of the lake along a number of the holes, and the natural beauty of the lush rolling fairways lined with towering pines. And this nine offers lots of variety and some challenging and very fun holes. For example, the downhill eleventh hole which has trees and rough lining both sides of a fairly narrow fairway and if your drive is off, then you'll find bunker, rough, trees, and the lake waiting to add a stroke to your score. Plus the 11th is a dog left and if your drive is short, you can't make the turn and will have to lay up - and then you have a short iron to the green protected by a bunker on the right and the lake on the left.

Blue tees: 6,840 yards, course rating 72.4, course rating 132.

White tees: 6,269 yards, course rating 70.1, course rating 126.

Red tees: 5,532 yards, course rating 72.5, course rating 130.