Old American Golf Club

Old American Golf Club opened in 2010 to immediate recognition. Golfweek named it the Best New Course in the country that year, and subsequent rankings have consistently placed it at or near the top of the DFW metroplex. The course sits on the shores of Lake Lewisville in The Colony, north of Dallas, and the collaboration between architect Tripp Davis and PGA Tour professional Justin Leonard produced a links-style design that stands apart from every other course in the region.

The links identity is not cosmetic. Davis and Leonard studied the principles of early American golf course design, the era when courses like the National Golf Links and Shinnecock Hills drew directly from Scottish and Irish models, and applied those principles to a North Texas lakeside site. The result is a course with firm turf, minimal rough in the traditional sense, fescue-lined fairways, and green complexes that accept and reward the running approach shot. Crushed rock cart paths replace asphalt, reinforcing the rustic aesthetic. The visual impression is of a course that has been on its site for decades rather than one built in the 21st century.

At 7,175 yards from the tips with a course rating of 75.8 and a slope of 145, Old American presents a genuine challenge. The par of 71 reflects a routing that includes five par 3s, a design choice that creates variety and places a premium on iron play. The par 3s range from short and tactical to long and demanding, and collectively they form the backbone of the scoring challenge. The par 4s offer width off the tee but demand precision on approach, with green complexes that feature false fronts, internal contours, and collection areas inspired by the Golden Age courses that Davis and Leonard studied.

The Lake Lewisville setting provides more than scenery. Wind off the lake is a constant factor, and on breezy days, club selection on approach shots can vary by two or three clubs depending on direction. The exposed lakeside holes play very differently in calm conditions compared to a 20-knot north wind, which gives the course a day-to-day variability that most inland courses lack. Return visits yield different experiences, which is one of the qualities that separates a well-designed course from a merely well-maintained one.

Green fees of $85 to $150 represent strong value relative to the design quality and conditioning. Old American operates as a semi-private facility alongside its sister course, The Tribute, and tee times are available through the shared booking platform. The combination of architectural ambition, firm playing conditions, and a price point below the PGA Frisco courses makes Old American the most compelling design-per-dollar proposition in the DFW area.

For the travelling golfer, Old American is not a complementary round added to fill a day. It is a course that belongs at the centre of any serious DFW itinerary, alongside Fields Ranch East. The two courses represent different architectural philosophies and different eras of design thinking, and playing both in the same trip provides a richer understanding of what North Texas golf has become.