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La - Tex Golf Course

The golf : Hidden in the remote sticks of northeast Texas, the “latex” golf course was built about 30-35 years ago by employees of United Gas. Now the 9-hole course is owned by Gulf South Pipeline and known for its outstanding condition and its difficult, small greens.
There’s a friendly debate in Carthage as to which is the better course. The thing the traveling golfer should remember is that this far more than non-maintained pasture golf course, yet it only costs $5 to play on the weekend. There is no pro shop and the green fees are dealt with via the honor system, with visitors dropping their payment in a drop box.
The short design is wide open and plays to a par 36. The two sets of tees allow for a second go-around, with the full 18 holes playing around 5,600 yards. The trick is in holding the small Bermuda greens, since approach shots must be perfect. Your short game will definitely get a workout here. There are no bunkers, and water comes into play only once (No. 8 with a carry over a pond).
The most difficult hole is No. 2, a dogleg left that requires a perfect tee shot to avoid the huge sycamore tree in the fairway. Perfect drives will leave you with a 50-60 yard approach, but again the small greens are sometimes impossible to hold on any type of approach.

The details : 903-766-3595. P.O. Box 261, Carthage, TX 75685.

• Circa 1965. 9 holes. Par 36. 2,800 yards. Price - $.

Getting there : Take Hwy 79 towards Shreveport for about 20 miles and look for the course on the right hand side. If you reach the Wascomb turn-off, you’ve gone too far.