Twin Rivers Golf Club

Part of the new generation of marathon-long championship layouts, Twin Rivers opened as Bear Ridge opened in November 2001. At the time it was the longest course in the state at 7,478 yards from the “Big Jake” tees. The moniker comes from one of the architects, PGA Tour funny-guy Peter Jacobsen, who partnered with Jim Hardy to build this track southwest of Waco. The course is now the new home of Baylor University’s men’s and women’s golf teams.

The duo’s design weaves in and out of both forested Hill Country terrain and meadow-like open fields, offering a great variety of holes. Part of the variety lies in the potentially lengthy north-south holes that have the added flexibility of moving the tees based on the magnitude of the winds.

Much of the length lies in the par 5s. In fact Nos. 4, 8, 10, and 16 make up about 30% of the course’s overall length. Both 4 and 10 play around the 600-yard range.

The signature hole is the par 3 No. 14, a spectacular 216-yard hole that drops almost 100 feet in elevation and involves a huge oak tree that can easily knock down less-than-perfect tee shots. No. 14 starts an impressive stretch of holes that takes you through the finish.

No. 15 is scary off the tee, lined by trees and the Bosque River on the left, and featuring a creek that crosses the fairway in front of the green. Next comes the shortest par 5, but is ironically the most difficult rated hole. This 16th plays from an elevated tee and features a creek that crosses the fairway at 100 yards out. The 17th is a manageable par 3 and the easiest of the final stretch, but the 18th is a man’s hole, playing uphill with massive fairway bunkers and the creek again impacting the approach. If you’re not on your game, these final holes will destroy your round.

The best part about this course, in addition to the affordability, is that it’s relatively unknown and doesn’t receive much traffic. We played on a warm spring day and had the entire course to ourselves, easily working in 36 holes and generally having a ball.

Getting there : Near the intersection of Hwy. 84 and Speegleville Rd. in southwest Waco.