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Review:
When playing The Cliffs at Possum Kingdom Lake, bring your “A” game or lots of spare balls as you will find this to be one of the hardest courses you will ever play. The Par 71 course measures 6808 yards but seems to play more like 7100 in my opinion, with half of your long tee shots landing blind or demanding a shorter lay-up. Designed by Robert von Hagge along with Bruce Delvin and opened in 1986, The Cliffs at Possum Kingdom has an eighteen year history as the most scenic course in North Texas.
Cut through a hill range on 1100 acres, this course has several signature holes: par 3 number three has a 196 yard carry over a 200 foot cedar tree filled ravine and the par 3 number fifteen has a 90 foot drop to a very small green. With tight, sloped fairways, grass and sand bunkers, 200 foot cliffs, and numerous water holes, most players will get gun shy on the tee box; many players say they wont play there again.
I found the blind shots took away my tendency to be overly aggressive and the overall course difficulty kept my attention high, so I had a good overall round with my best ever nine hole score on the front. The Cliffs at Possum Kingdom is a unique experience with captivating views and beautiful elevation changes and trees. The 419 Bermuda fairways were in great shape and the bent grass green were in good condition although with almost every course in the world, players need to be much better at fixing ball marks. We had a large group with various skill levels but everyone had a great time. The playing conditions were great with a medium wind and a temperature in the low eighties.
The Chaparral grille is closed on Mondays, so we can not say personally what it is like, but I have been told the food and service is good. The driving range, chipping/putting area was well designed to avoid crowding that might happen on weekends since 80% of this course's play comes on Saturday and Sunday. The people in the pro shop were helpful and friendly, offering any of the normal necessities that you might have forgotten before your round.
Go West about two hours and you will find a wonderful change of scenery and a unique, challenging golfing experience.
Hit them straight and enjoy.
--Patrick Grissom
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Golf Course Review: The Cliffs at Possum Kingdom Lake
