The Rawls Course, Lubbock, Texas - A University Golf Course Ranked Among the Very Best

The Rawls "Red Raider'' Course is a Tom Doak design, located at the edge of the Texas Tech University campus. Starting with a flat piece of land, Doak moved 1.3 million cubic yards of topsoil to sculpt a parkland course with vast, rolling fairways, elevation changes of up to 30 feet, and large, undulating greens.

Doak's goal was to create a course that emulates the eroded features and canyons of the South Plains Caprock region, and the fairway contours, the bunkers and rough are all reminiscent of those gouged-out landforms as well as his fondness for Scottish links-style golf.

The course, which opened in 2003, features fairways that cater to big hitters off the tee, with Tif-sport Bermuda grass that allows the ball to roll for long distances. The fairways are also wide, but the course also features 96 sand bunkers that are rather unusual for a Texas layout. Many are deep and nasty, as well as long and narrow, which means they require maintenance by hand, making them somewhat unusual for the area.

The course also features a good deal of mounding, landscaped with Jackpot Bermuda and other native grasses, which provides a sharp contrast to the course. Large berms, ranging from 12-15 feet tall, encircle the entire course, and tropical grasses await shots that find the low-lying runoff areas. There's also a 4.5-acre, man-made lake at the heart of the course that comes into play on several holes, including No. 18, which is said to be one of the best finishing holes to be found.

The course also features large California-style greens, which are extremely smooth, lively, and unusual for West Texas golf. The greens are also typically guarded by small but very deep bunkers. The fringe is also mowed very tightly, which makes bump-and-run shots a good play on many holes, but also allows chip shots or putts struck too aggressively to roll off the putting surface.

The 18-hole, par-72 course plays to 7,207 yards from the tips, and Doak even took the legendary West Texas winds into consideration when laying out the course, with some of the harder holes playing into the prevailing southerly wind. Those winds can change in a heartbeat, however, adding to the test of golfing skills the Rawls Course provides.

Since its opening, the Rawls Course has received a good deal of notoriety and acclaim. Golfweek magazine ranked it #3 among all university-owned golf courses in the country, placing it ahead of even the Ohio State University Golf Club, which hosted the 2002 NCAA Men's Golf Championship.

Practice facilities at the course include a 60-acre driving range, as well as a short-game practice area. The course also boasts a resort-style clubhouse which is home to Jerry's restaurant.