So yesterday I decided to hunt down some underrated golf spots around Temple, Texas. You know how it is – tired of crowded courses with expensive tee times. Grabbed my clubs, tossed my GPS in the truck, and just started driving.
The Warm-Up Disaster
First stop was this tiny 9-hole joint called Piney Woods Fairways. Looked sketchy from the road – gravel parking lot, faded sign. Paid $12 cash at a dented metal kiosk. Pro tip: bring your own balls because theirs look like they survived World War II. Hole 3 almost broke me when my drive landed in a gopher hole. Still, can’t beat the price for practicing chip shots.
Unexpected Paradise Find
Got directions from a gas station clerk to “that ranch place with flags”. Took thirty minutes down dirt roads thinking I’d get murdered. Then boom – Rolling Meadows Ranch Course appears! Wildflowers lining fairways, zero golfers, just cows judging my swing. Highlight: the “green” on hole 7 was literally just mowed pasture grass. Shot my worst score ever and had the time of my life.
- What worked: Bringing snacks (nowhere sells food)
- What sucked: Ant hills in the “sand” traps
- Gem factor: Owner gave me cold sweet tea mid-round
Dusk Putting Madness
Tried to squeeze in Twin Oaks before dark. Place looked abandoned but a dude named Earl materialized saying “eight bucks till sunset”. Played three holes before losing two balls in tall grass. Finished putting with truck headlights. Couldn’t tell if holes had cups or just random pipes sticking up.
Final verdict? These crappy little courses beat fancy country clubs any day. Found more character in Temple’s grass stains than in perfect greens elsewhere. Might go back next weekend if Earl remembers where he left the flagsticks.
