City leaders like to boast that Mansfield's “Got Game” when it comes to having fun. It’s hard to argue that point when you consider the town has over 900 acres of parkland, 100-plus athletic fields and a special events division that each year hosts multiple, major city-wide events, races and festivals.
In the blink of an eye, or so it seemed, Mansfield transformed from a rural, farming community into a bustling suburban city of nearly 70,000 people. Yet despite the explosive growth, the city has not lost its friendly atmosphere or its small-town feel. With a quality of life considered one of the best in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, Mansfield is a popular place to do business, and a wonderful place to live and raise a family.
The area’s topography, made up of a mix of prairie, savanna and woodland, is also an ideal setting for golf. As any member can readily attest, Walnut Creek Country Club has “Got Game” too, when it comes to offering up a diverse range of fun activities.
Walnut Creek opened in 1974 with an 18-hole course designed by PGA Professionals Don January and Billy Martindale. The duo took full advantage of the unspoiled area and expertly routed the Pecan Course, as it’s now known, in and around groves of beautiful trees and abundant natural water features.
To keep pace and satisfy the growing number of golf enthusiasts who were moving to Mansfield, Walnut Creek added other amenities over the years including a nine-hole course, tennis, swimming, diving and a host of dining options.
In 1995, the club hired Fort Worth native and PGA Tour player Mark Brooks to turn the existing 9-hole layout into a championship 18-hole course. Brooks created nine new holes and completely redesigned the other nine. The result is the Oak Course, which has been very popular with the members and nicely complements the original Pecan Course.
More recently, Walnut Creek Country Club underwent a major facilities expansion and renovation project to better serve its membership. Unveiled as “The New Walnut Creek Experience,” the club now offers a new outdoor grill and patio dining area, new resort-style pool complex with waterslide and cabanas, resurfaced tennis courts, and a new miniature golf course and outdoor games center.
The friendly folks at Walnut Creek have always been accommodating when it comes to hosting amateur tournaments. This year the club will welcome the 2018 Women’s Texas Pinehurst from Nov. 5-6.
The Texas Pinehurst is one of the newest and most popular championships on the women’s annual schedule. The tournament format is two-person teams playing 36-holes of Chapman System Stroke Play (also known as Pinehurst format), with five flights competing for separate titles. Because the format combines elements of a scramble and alternate shot, the season-ending event is fun and inclusive for golfers of all skill levels.