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Hardest Golf Courses in Texas

The 25 most challenging golf courses in Texas, ranked by maximum slope rating.

The hardest golf course in Texas on Stymie is Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton. It carries a maximum slope rating of 155, stretching 7,854 yards from the back tees, placing it well above the USGA's neutral 113 and into the territory where bogey golfers should expect to lose 8-12 strokes versus their handicap. These 25 courses below are ranked by maximum slope rating, the single best proxy for "how punishing this course is" for the average golfer.

Across the full Stymie directory, the average maximum slope in Texas is 135 — above the typical US state benchmark around 125. 149 courses in Texas carry a slope of 140 or higher; a slope of 140+ is considered very difficult and demands accurate driving, distance control on iron shots, and patience around the greens.

If you're testing yourself or planning a buddy trip built around difficulty, start at the top of this list and play from a tee one set forward of your normal handicap range. Course difficulty is not the same as course quality — many of the hardest courses below also rank among the most enjoyable in the state, but the slope rating tells you to bring your A-game.

Ranked

Peak slope

155

Avg max slope

135

Slope 140+

149

Hardest Easiest Longest Oldest Newest

#	Course	City	Par	Slope
1	Maridoe Golf Club Plates tees · 7,854 yds · Rating 87.8 · Par 72 · PrivateCarrollton	Carrollton	72	155
2	University of Texas Golf Club Texas tees · 7,412 yds · Rating 84.0 · Par 72Austin	Austin	72	155
3	Dallas National Golf Club#96 GD Texas tees · 7,278 yds · Rating 83.8 · Par 72 · Tom Bendelow · 1912 · PrivateDallas	Dallas	72	155
4	The Hills Country Club Black tees · 7,255 yds · Rating 82.9 · Par 72 · Jack Nicklaus · 1981Austin	Austin	72	155
5	Flintrock Falls Country Club Black tees · 7,051 yds · Rating 83.1 · Par 72 · Jack Nicklaus · 2002Austin	Austin	72	155
6	Gleneagles Country Club Black tees · 7,021 yds · Rating 81.4 · Par 72 · Bruce DevlinPlano	Plano	72	155
7	Summit Rock Bear tees · 7,246 yds · Rating 82.9 · Par 72Horseshoe Bay	Horseshoe Bay	72	153
8	Royal Oaks Country Club Oaks tees · 7,125 yds · Rating 83.4 · Par 73 · Billy Martindale · 1969 · PrivateDallas	Dallas	73	153
9	TPC Craig Ranch Tournament tees · 6,964 yds · Rating 81.7 · Par 72McKinney	McKinney	72	153
10	Castle Hills Turret tees · 7,320 yds · Rating 82.7 · Par 72 · Jay Morrish · 1999Lewisville	Lewisville	72	152
11	Gentle Creek Country Club Black tees · 7,317 yds · Rating 82.9 · Par 72Prosper	Prosper	72	152
12	BraeBurn Country Club Black tees · 6,923 yds · Rating 80.5 · Par 72Houston	Houston	72	152
13	Greatwood Golf Club Black tees · 6,700 yds · Rating 74.0 · Par 72 · Carlton Gipson · 1989Sugar Land	Sugar Land	72	152
14	Stonebridge Ranch Black tees · 7,356 yds · Rating 77.5 · Par 72 · Pete Dye · 1988McKinney	McKinney	72	151
15	Lakeside Country Club Black tees · 7,263 yds · Rating 83.3 · Par 72 · Ron Prichard · 1952 · PrivateHouston	Houston	72	151
16	Comanche Trace Black tees · 7,253 yds · Rating 83.0 · Par 72 · Tom Kite · 2000Kerrville	Kerrville	72	151
17	Deerwood Club Black tees · 7,196 yds · Rating 82.6 · Par 72 · Joe Finger · 1981 · PrivateKingwood	Kingwood	72	151
18	Austin Country Club Harvey tees · 7,062 yds · Rating 81.6 · Par 72 · Bill Coore · 2000Austin	Austin	72	151
19	Cowboys Golf Club Black tees · 7,017 yds · Rating 81.6 · Par 72 · Jeff Brauer · 2001Grapevine	Grapevine	72	151
20	Hollytree Country Club Gold tees · 6,728 yds · Rating 80.1 · Par 72 · Bruce Devlin · 1983Tyler	Tyler	72	151
21	Old American Golf Club Blue tees · 6,710 yds · Rating 79.8 · Par 71The Colony	The Colony	71	151
22	Bluejack National Golf Club Tiger tees · 7,552 yds · Rating 82.9 · Par 72Montgomery	Montgomery	72	150
23	Texarkana Golf Ranch Black tees · 7,359 yds · Rating 83.7 · Par 72Texarkana	Texarkana	72	150
24	Spanish Oaks Golf Club Black tees · 7,155 yds · Rating 75.5 · Par 71Austin	Austin	71	150
25	Lantana Golf Club Black tees · 7,147 yds · Rating 80.4 · Par 72 · Jay · 2002 · PrivateLantana	Lantana	72	150

Frequently asked questions

What is the hardest golf course in Texas?

Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas is the hardest ranked course with a maximum slope rating of 155. Slope rating measures the difficulty of a course for a bogey golfer relative to a scratch player — 113 is average, 140+ is very difficult, and 155 is the maximum.

How many golf courses in Texas have a slope rating of 140 or higher?

149 golf courses have a max slope rating of 140 or higher in Texas based on the scorecards in the Stymie directory. A slope of 140 or above is considered very challenging for bogey golfers.

How does Texas's average difficulty compare to the rest of the US?

The average maximum slope rating across golf courses in Texas is 135, versus a US average around 125. A higher state average indicates courses that are, on the whole, tougher for mid-to-high handicap golfers.

What makes a golf course hard?

Course difficulty is driven primarily by slope rating (how much harder it plays for a bogey golfer than a scratch golfer), course rating (how a scratch golfer would score), total yardage, hazards (water, bunkers, forced carries), green speed, and rough length. Slope rating is the single best proxy for "how tough this course is."