Frankston's Pine Dunes Golf Club ranks among the best

Jul. 14—FRANKSTON — Frankston, Texas may be the epitome of 'Small Town U.S.A.' With an official 2020 census population of 1126, a beautiful downtown square and a community filled to the brim with very friendly East Texans, Frankston's charm is undeniable.

Hidden from view, however, is the fact that Frankston is home to one of the best golf courses in the country: Pine Dunes Golf Club.

The idea for Pine Dunes was conceived at the end of the 1990's by owner Jodi Lutz who wanted to transform the old 9-hole layout into one of the best 18-hole courses in Texas. Nationally recognized golf course architect, Jay Morrish and his son Carter were enlisted to develop a championship-caliber course, many consider their best work to date.

Carved from a beautiful piece of land which includes an 88-acre lake, the course has an exceptional layout. All totaled, Pine Dunes boasts 89 bunkers, a very large number that both increases the beauty and difficulty of the course. By utilizing the natural landscape of areas with overgrown grasses and natural sand dunes, as well as the rolling East Texas hills, Morrish designed the course without adding much beyond the right grasses.

Simply relying on word of mouth advertising, Pine Dunes soon became a popular stop for national golf writers, and has since been nationally ranked on many lists. Pine Dunes has captured the eye of the nation's most notable golf publications, such as Golf Digest, Golf Magazine and Golfweek. Its humble reputation has been that of a peaceful getaway with a championship-caliber design and layout, similar to topography found in the coastal Carolinas. In its twenty-one year history, Pine Dunes has been recognized in receiving some of the golf industry's most prestigious national awards.

Accolades received by Pine Dunes include Golf Digest's coveted and prestigious four-and-a-half Star Rating, GolfWeek's "number 1 Golf Course to Play in Texas, 2018" and "number 1 course in Texas" from 2010-2012 and 2014-2018.

"To be No. 1, especially here in East Texas where we don't get the traffic like Houston or Dallas, it's pretty special," said General Manager Chris Edmonson. "And I don't know of any courses that have five stars, so four-and-a-half is almost your max."

TexasOutside.com reviewed the course and gave Pine Dunes very high marks in all categories. The main aspect they captured, however, is the serenity of the East Texas gem.

"It's peaceful, quiet and scenic with no homes, barking dogs, sirens, airplanes or other distractions. All you'll hear is the wind whistling through the trees, birds singing and, when we played, my golf balls ricocheting off the trees"

To add to the natural appearance, there is minimal signage on the course and cart paths are only utilized around the tee boxes and greens.

Late sports broadcasting legend Pat Summerall played Pine Dunes after it opened in 2001. On the course's website he is quoted as saying "Pine Dunes is a perfect home. The course is a beautiful, fair test of anyone's golf game. What a great place to golf and relax. I know I'll be there as often as possible."

Future development is far from complete, with enhancements scheduled for the clubhouse and additional amenities in the works. Pine Dunes is already considered one of the top golf destinations in Texas, and their goal is to ensure it's considered a 'must play' on the bucket list of golfers everywhere.

Pine Dunes Golf Club is located at 159 Private Road 7019 in Frankston.

For more information call 903-876-4336 or visit their website at www.pinedunes.com.