Golfing Where Dinosaurs Roamed

Golfing Where Dinosaurs Roamed





Golfing where dinosaurs once roamed? Not many golf courses can boast a claim like

that, at least not many championship courses.

Squaw Valley Golf Course is built upon ground inhabited by dinosaurs millions of years

ago and is located in Glen Rose, Texas (www.glenrosearea.com), which is

affectionately known as the Gateway to the Hill Country, but Squaw Valley Golf Course

is best known for its two challenging and acclaimed courses.

Squaw Valley Golf Course is a 36-hole municipal golf course owned by Somervell

County. The club is known as one of the top facilities in the state and as One of the Top 5

Municipal Courses in Texas by the Dallas Morning News and is managed by golf pro

Duff Cunningham. Additionally, Squaw Valley Golf Course has been given a 4-star

rating by the golfing industry authority, Golf Digest. The course is comprised of two

challenging, yet different, 18-hole courses- Apache Links and Comanche Lakes.

Apache Links, opened in 1992, is the older of the two courses. It was designed by

Jeffrey Bauer and GolfScapes, Inc and, per its name, is a links-style course. It's front

nine has open fairways, while its back nine is characterized by narrow fairways that are

tree lined and undulating. There is also a variety of water hazards that come into play on

many of the 18 holes. Apache Links is a par 72 course with a total of 7063 yards.

Comanche Lakes is a new course, opened for play in 2001, and was designed by John

Colligan. It is an 18-hole par 72 courses that is described as target style, which is an

excellent complement to the open fairways of Apache Links. This course will challenge

any golfers accuracy with over 100 bunkers and many water hazards throughout the 7000

total yards.

The differences in the courses are also reflected in the types of grass used on each.

Apache links is composed of 419 Bermuda for the fairways and Bent on the greens,

which makes it a more popular course in the winter. Comanche Lakes has TifSport

Bermuda for its fairways and TifEagle for the greens and is the course of choice in the

summer months; however, both courses can be played year-round.

Along with attracting avid golfers, Squaw Valley Golf Course has also attributed to the

number of retirees that are moving to the Glen Rose area. Both Marilyn Phillips of

Sunrise Properties and Hank Jones of Century 21 Quad J Realty have noticed an increase

in retirees moving to Glen Rose and cite the increased recognition and acclaim the

course has received in the past few years as a big reason why. The fact that the

Comanche Lakes course is ranked in the top 10 in the Dallas Morning News list of Top

25 Mid-Priced Courses also supports the claim that the Squaw Valley appeals to

retirees, since often times they are on fixed budgets.

Squaw Valley Golf Course is a full service golf club. Included at the club is a full

practice facility with putting greens, short game practice areas and a driving range.

Private and group lessons are also available as well as tournament arrangements.

Weekday fees are $38 and weekend and holiday rack rates are $48, which includes

green fee and cart rental. Discounts are given to Senior Citizens, Juniors and tee times

after 3:00 PM. Squaw Valley Golf Course has also negotiated a Stay and Play package

with Dinosaur Valley Inn and Suites in Glen Rose that includes a one-night stay at the

Award Winning hotel and a round of golf on either course. The hotel has a 3-Diamond

rating from AAA and has received 2 Best of The Best Awards from Best Western

International, most recently in October 2005.

For reservations and more information on Squaw Valley Golf Course, visit

www.squawvalleygolfclub.com or call 1-800-831-8259.

For information on the Stay and Play package, visit Dinosaur Valley Inn and Suites at

www.dinosaurvalleyinn.com or call 1-800-280-2055.

About The author

Casey Coke is the principal writer for Glenrosearea.com, a travel resource website vor

visitors to Glen Rose, TX.