As the place kicker for the Dallas Cowboys, Brandon Aubrey has enough leg for field goals of nearly 70 yards. In practice, however, it has been known to aim vertically from more than twice as far. It is not on the grid. It’s in the driving range on a property unlike any other – Cowboys Golf Clubthe only NFL themed golf course in the world.
Like the famous franchise it celebrates, the club has ties to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who opened it in 2001, cutting the ribbon on a clubhouse full of team memorabilia and a championship layout with white sand bunkers and a giant blue star on one of its fairways.
Past and present Cowboys players have enjoyed it from the start, as have golfers of all stripes. The facility, nestled in the Dallas suburb of Grapevine, is open to the public, and has only gained in its crossover appeal.
Since purchasing the club in 2015, Arcis Golf, which owns and operates nearly 90 courses in the United States, has refreshed the playbook with a series of improvements. But its latest project—a recently completed multimillion-dollar makeover—represents the most dramatic upgrade yet, transforming a distinctive course of everyday fare into a place of varied, family-friendly entertainment.
The course itself was redesigned by architect Beau Welling, who refined the playing corridors, repositioned the bunkers and rebuilt every tee and green. The giant blue star has been relocated as well, moved from the center of the 4th fairway to a hill behind the par-3 3rd, looking back at the green and the pond that overlooks it.
But the course is only part of the package now. Another star of the remake is the Huddle, an 18-hole course carpeted in Cowboysblue synthetic turf that winds past a silver Airstream serving frozen margaritas, barbacoa tacos, hot dogs and other Texas-inspired fare.
Inside, the clubhouse remains a well-lit sanctuary, with glass cases displaying photos of Cowboys greats, the team’s five Super Bowl trophies, Tom Landry’s trademark fedora and other artifacts of franchise history. From the Ring of Honor Bar & Kitchen, meanwhile, the view extends into a completely re-imagined driving range, where 14 Toptracer bays overlook a 60-yard football field lined with turf from AT&T Stadium, complete with yard lines, hash marks and a regulation fairway set 175 yards from the tee.
It’s beyond even Brandon Aubrey’s range with a football. With a golf ball, it’s little more than a well-drilled iron.
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