Old American Golf Club

Old American Golf Club is the Tripp Davis and Justin Leonard links-style design on the shores of Lake Lewisville, named Golfweek's Best New Course in 2010 and consistently ranked at or near the top of the DFW metroplex. The course sits in The Colony, north of Dallas, and the collaboration between architect and PGA Tour professional produced a layout 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. You get firm turf, minimal traditional rough, fescue-lined fairways, and green complexes that accept and reward the running approach. 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 this century.

At 7,175 yards from the tips with a 75.8 rating and 145 slope, Old American is a genuine challenge. The par of 71 reflects a routing with 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 featuring false fronts, internal contours, and collection areas drawn from the Golden Age courses 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 can vary by two or three clubs depending on direction. The exposed lakeside holes play very differently in calm conditions versus a 20-knot north wind, which gives the course a day-to-day variability most inland courses lack. Return visits yield different rounds, which is what separates a well-designed course from a merely well-maintained one.