Mesquite Golf Club To Look Like a Million

MESQUITE, TX - Now that they are through, the Mesquite Golf Club will look like a million bucks. Make that a million and a half.

That's the amount that American Golf Corporation has poured into rejuvenating the long time municipal course that has served the public so well through the years.

Located right off the Northwest Highway exit on I-30, the Mesquite Golf Club has just finished its renovation makeover, adding new course challenges, a contemporary clubhouse look, and of course, the same reasonable muni prices its regular players have come to expect.

"I have no complaints about the course other than the necessary inconvenience during the remodeling work," said club regular Billy Medlock. "Other than that, I like the course. I like coming out here because it's convenient for me."

Club director of operations, Jennifer Johnson, above all, has been anxious to work out all the kinks as soon as possible. Irrigation concerns are one of them.

"In the past," Johnson said, "some areas didn't have adequate irrigation. That's been corrected. Those areas were resodded. We have a new teaching area which has been resodded with 419 grass, which is top of the line and we've redone almost every tee box out here - especially the ones for the ladies, which should draw more of them out here."

Despite its bunkerless look and relatively short length at 6,280 yards on the blue tees, the course is still a challenge. Many track layouts, especially municipal clubs, lack a number of doglegs, but at Mesquite there is five tricky ones, to be exact.

During the summer, you'll find the driving range open until 10 p.m.

Hole No. 1, a par 4 (all will be described from the blue tee) at 374-yards, is a bit of an uphill battle requiring you to take note of the fairway markers at about 150-yards for accuracy. Typical of the course's bent grass greens, you'll need to develop a rhythm on how to attack the pin once you're in striking distance.

Holes No. 2 and 7, par 5's at 488 and 490-yards, present problems only in that 7 has some difficult water to negotiate about thirty yards from in front of the pin and to the left. Not much of a slope to the green, but a deft touch is needed to hole out on both 2 and 7.

The par 4's at holes No. 4 and 5, may be the toughest on the front nine. No. 4 is 418-yards, with a dogleg right to maneuver around and an imposing water hazard stretching across the fairway, about 175-yards from the tee box.

Make sure you have enough muscle to clear it to give yourself a good look at the flag with your second attempt. No. 5 is one of the shortest par 4's at 348-yards with a sharp turn to the left just before the green. A solid first shot is needed for any chance of a birdie here.

Hole No. 9 is a short combination par 4/5 at 431-yards, depending on your handicap. It's a dogleg right with a number of trees to wrangle with on the strong side. A well-placed first shot will put you in great position for a birdie look at the flag.

The par 3's at No.'s 3 and 6 are only difficult in that the latter is crowded with trees around the green and doesn't give you a complete look at the pin from the tee box. Both are relatively long at 180 and 170-yards respectively.

No.6 is the shortest par 3 on the course at 125-yards with some rough to the left and back right of the pin to deal with. Knock it dead ahead for an easy birdie attempt.

Mesquite's back nine may be easier to maneuver in some ways than the front holes, but it does offer more rough to be wary of.

No's 12 and 16 are long par 5's that can wear you down if you're not careful. At 547-yards, No.12 turns sharply to the left at 250-yards, requiring upper level skill for positioning of a second shot that will point you in the direction of a birdie attempt. Watch out for trees at the turn.

Not much to say about No. 16, which is much shorter at 517-yards, a dead ahead hole that requires you to avoid any and all trees running the length of the hole on the left.

The most difficult par 4 on the back nine is most certainly No. 14. It's one of the shorter ones at 343-yards, but it winds to the right and calls for an extremely accurate first shot to steer clear of the rough on both sides. If it can be managed, a good score can possibly be had.

No doubt, you will find a bothersome par 3 at 15, a 189-yarder, which teases you with a long and wide water hazard at the front of the green. This one is straight ahead, as well as with very little slope.

When you're through, the course will give you the feeling of having a brisk workout, while beckoning you back for another shot at the "perfect round."

The second biggest expense in remodeling MGC, said Johnson, has been the addition of a tournament pavillion, which will enable the club to host bigger tournaments and the resulting banquets to be held. Johnson also added that American Golf is not targeting any special groups in their marketing strategy.

"This course is available to everybody," Johnson said. "The price range is a good one, but it's going to go up about $4 on average because of the improvements and the better quality product we will provide. But that won't happen until next year."

During the summer, you'll find the driving range open until 10 p.m. If you need lessons at their Nike Golf Learning Center, Director of Instruction, Robert Vogt, can show you a swing or two.

Mesquite Golf Club
825 N. Highway 67
Mesquite, TX 75150
Telephone: (972) 270-7457

Ratings/Slope: Championship tees, 69.1/116.

Directions: From Dallas, take I-30 East to Northwest Highway exit. Mesquite Golf Club is located on north side of freeway.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.