Most golf in North Texas is played on fairly flat courses. This is, after all, the southern stretch of the Great Plains. But 20 minutes southwest of Fort Worth, 240 acres of “rugged rolling hills” offer the promise of a wilder, steeper driving and pitching experience. That’s where Fort Worth-based Escalante Golf is planning the $100 million new Kelly Ranch Golf Club.
The club will be located in the heart of a 2,400-acre master-planned community known as Kelly Ranch, currently being developed by Ryan Voorhees of Kelly Ranch Estates LLC.
Escalante Golf, a leading owner and operator of golf courses and private clubs in the U.S., unveiled plans for its new club southwest of Fort Worth at U.S. Highway 377 and Kelly Road. Designed by golf course architect Tripp Davis, Kelly Ranch Golf Club is slated for completion in spring 2025.
Aiming to be ‘the crown jewel of Texas golf’
The club will feature a playable 18-hole championship course staggered throughout rugged rolling hills with 200-foot elevation changes, reminiscent of the Texas Hill Country, Escalante says, adding that it will be “framed by unique stands of live oaks and indigenous cedar elm trees, and playing over and around creeks running through the naturalized terrain, the course will preserve the land’s existing wildlife, water, and environment.”
“Our vision for Kelly Ranch Golf Club is to redefine the golf market in North Texas and create a course that exudes excellence, thoughtful design, and unparalleled scenery,” David McDonald, partner and president of Escalante Golf, said in a statement. “There will be no other private golf club in the DFW region that can match the challenge and natural beauty of Kelly Ranch. It’s truly in a league of its own, and will not only be the crown jewel in our property portfolio, but the crown jewel of Texas golf.”
Built to course around the land’s ‘undulating topography’
Tripp Davis’ golf course layout will employ his signature scalloped-edge bunker design, “seamlessly integrating with the existing undulating topography and leveraging varying wind conditions,” Escalante said. Requiring precision and power from low-handicap players, it promises to remain “fun and approachable” for mid-to-high-handicappers.
The 7,600-yard course will feature greens averaging 6,000 square feet. TifEagle Bermuda grass will be used for the greens’ surfaces, while the balance of the course will be sand-capped and grassed wall-to-wall with Stadium Zoysia.
The club will also offer a sprawling, 26-acre “state-of-the-art” golf practice facility, featuring “best-in-class” technology, a 400-yard driving range, a short game area with practice bunkers and chipping and putting greens, and a short course.
A golf clubhouse will feature a golf shop, a restaurant, bar, and an outdoor terrace “with elevated views of the course and surrounding rolling terrain.” The clubhouse’s design will be influenced by the land’s flow and views, Escalante says—offering “a blend of modern aesthetic with refined elegance that engages both the golf course and context of this unique Texas landscape.”
For the golf purist: A promise of ‘no pickleball noise’
“Kelly Ranch Golf Club’s key differentiator is that it’s being designed for the golf purist; it will be a golf-only environment free of distractions often found at traditional country clubs,” Jeff Kindred, EVP of Clubs & Resorts at Escalante Golf, said in a statement. “When at the golf clubhouse, members will never hear noise from a pickleball court, tennis court, swimming pool, or a social event. Kelly Ranch Golf Club will truly be an oasis of sorts, offering golfers challenging play in a serene and natural awe-inspiring setting unlike any other club in the region.”
Escalante says a limited number of founder memberships for Kelly Ranch Golf Club have been released, with two other membership types soon to be available.
Master-planned Kelly Ranch community
Around the golf club, the master-planned community of Kelly Ranch is now being developed. Per Escalante, Kelly Ranch will include:
- A new elementary school, zoned within the acclaimed Aledo Independent School District
- 2,500 new custom homes priced from the mid $700,000s to $10 million+, which will be built across three distinctive luxury gated residential communities—Rio Vista, La Dorada, and Kelly Ranch
- The Shops at Kelly Ranch, a planned 65-acre high-end shopping and dining destination
- A 50-acre commercial development housing class-A office space and first-class medical and healthcare facilities
- An athletics & wellness club, which is also being developed by Escalante Golf and will feature high-performance fitness, aquatics, and court sports offerings
Escalante Golf was founded in 1991
Founded in 1991, Escalante Golf has a property portfolio of 22 golf courses and clubs throughout 13 states, including The International in Massachusetts, the Golf Club of Houston, Sonoma Golf Club in California, Kingsley Club in Michigan, Kingsmill Resort in Virginia, Pursell Farms in Alabama, The Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Arizona, and more.
The company says its “boutique approach” to property ownership and management eschews the notion of “flipping” real estate for immediate return. Instead, Escalante says it aims to stay grounded in “careful stewardship” and long-term maintenance of its assets, seeking “sustained excellence for generations to come.”
Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
R E A D N E X T
-
The clubs in Las Vegas, Scottsdale, Arizona, and Rancho Santa Margarita, California, all feature stunning views and vistas, adding to what Arcis Founder and CEO Blake Walker calls his "irreplaceable portfolio" of almost 70 golf clubs—the second-most in the U.S. after only fellow Dallas company Invited.
-
Frisco Station is getting its first-ever entertainment venues in a one-two zeitgeist punch. Pickle and Social, a pickleball destination with "world-class" indoor and outdoor courts, will be paired with Fairway Social, a "one-of-a-kind experience" with simulators that feature 130 golf courses and 10 other sports for guests of all ages.
-
Dallas-based Century Golf Partners and Japan-based HKI America have teamed up to buy the storied Four Seasons Golf & Sports Club of Las Colinas. Century Golf Partners, one of the world's leading golf and club ownership and management teams, was founded in 2005 for the purpose of acquiring and managing private clubs, public courses, and golf resorts and is the partnership’s managing partner. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
-
As part of her collaboration with Arcis Golf, Lilia Vu will wear the Arcis logo on her sleeve and make special appearances at Arcis Golf member and community events. The World #1 grew up playing at an Arcis club in Southern California—where her father still works as a golf pro.
-
The announcement means Special Olympics athletes will be able to compete in Topgolf as an individual or with a team through Special Olympics Unified Sports, which brings together people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team for training and competition.
