Story and photos by Scott Kendall
The Tanglewood Golf Resort
My family and I recently spent a fun-filled weekend at Tanglewood Golf Resort. We played golf, pickleball, and lounged by the pools. We enjoyed breakfast buffets and delicious dinners at the Lakeside Restaurant with a wonderful view of Lake Texoma. On the 8th floor of the Whiskey Tower Lounge, we listened to live music, soaked in the view, and oohed and ahhed at a spectacular fireworks show Saturday night. Tanglewood Golf Resort is located on Lake Texoma in north Texas – just an hour from the north suburbs of Dallas and less than three hours south of Oklahoma City. Tanglewood offers family fun for the whole family and has a wide range of lodging options to accommodate every need.
Our Room at Tanglewood Golf Resort
We had a beautiful two room villa. Our room came with a king-sized bed, a jacuzzi bathtub, full kitchen, and living and eating area. My son and his wife had a large bedroom with two queens with an adjoining door to the joint living area. This very comfortable space was perfect for our short visit. All units include a microwave, lounge chair, mini-fridge, desk and flat screen TV. They also include coffee maker, iron and hair dryer. We were in Villa 2, centrally located in the main resort complex. Our villa was easy walking distance to the Tanglewood Bar & Grill, Lakeside Restaurant, Game Room, workout facility, iconic Lakeside Lounge, and the spectacular Tower Whiskey Bar.
Championship Golf Course at Tanglewood Golf Resort
Jacob and Kiersten joined me for 18 holes on the Arnold Palmer designed championship course. Palmer and acclaimed architect Ralph Plummer created a beautiful 7,000 yard course consisting of green Bermuda fairways and smooth Zoysia greens. Our 8:30 tee time was perfect on this sunny July morning, with temperatures in the mid 70s. After collecting our clubs and loading our golf carts, we headed to the first hole. From the middle tee, this 351-yard par 4 hole had a slight dogleg to the right. Hole #12 at 133 yards (white tees), although the shortest hole, was not the easiest. A water hazard in front and to the right of the green makes it a bit tricky to get on without hitting the water. We all managed to get on the green safely. The longest hole was the 16th, a whopping 478 yards from the white tees (and 555 yards from the black tees).
The three of us has a typical round for us, with good shots mixed in with a variety of slices, mishits, and missed putts. The course was challenging but not overly so, and we enjoyed our four hours on the course. The final hole at 18 was one of the longest, with a large water hazard in front and to the right leading up to the clubhouse. We finished our round sinking our final putts, ending a delightful morning on the course.
19th Hole Bar & Grill
After our final hole on the 18th we headed for lunch at the 19th Hole Bar & Grill. The intimate bar and grill is a great place to grab lunch, dinner, or a drink. Our group sampled the outstanding cheeseburger and fries, the club sandwich, chicken tenders with fries, and a turkey sandwich – something for everybody. The foot was freshly made, and was hot and tasty, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. My cheeseburger was so good with fresh lettuce, tomato, pickles, and juicy patty on a toasted bun.
Lakeside View Restaurant
We enjoyed the bountiful breakfast buffet and dinner at the Lakeside Restaurant, with panoramic views of Lake Texoma from our table. For the breakfast buffet the main table offered scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage patties, and, of course, biscuits and gravy (we are in Texas, after all!). An assortment of baked goods, juices, yogurts, and cereals completed the buffet. I seldom eat biscuits and gravy any more, but I couldn’t resist trying a bit with my bacon and eggs. For dinner, we sampled the ribeye steak and the baked salmon, and topped it off with a delicious chocolate cake. It was so relaxing to dine with a cool view of Lake Texoma.
Pickleball and Pools at Tanglewood
Arriving back at the main building, we decided to attack one of the eight pickleball courts. All four of us are pickleball beginners, but we had a fun time, with each team winning one match. As a former tennis coach, I quickly learned the racket and ball in pickleball are different in many ways from tennis, but we all slowly caught on. Pickleball proved to be a fun family activity for all of us.
After 18 holes of golf and an hour of pickleball, the three pools looked extra inviting. Two of the recently renovated pools are outdoors with a third pool being indoors. We grabbed cold drinks at the Tiki Bar at a table overlooking the pool to relax and cool off. It was so nice and refreshing doing nothing for a while. We then headed to our villa for showers and to prepare for an evening at The Tower Whiskey Bar Lounge with a buffet, live music, cold drinks, and a fireworks extravaganza after dark.
The Tower Whiskey Bar
We spent time at the fun Tower Whiskey Bar on two consecutive nights. The first night we enjoyed the live music of Casandra Hashert. Her bluesy, folksy voice, combined with the brilliant orange sunset, made for a very memorable experience. We enjoyed wine, cold beer, conversation, and the gorgeous views of Lake Texoma and the vivid sunset.
Saturday night was the 6th of July celebration of the 4th with a Stars & Stripes Buffet, Patriotic Grazing Table, Antipasto Skewers, Caprese Bites, Ceviche Shooters, and Assorted Cheesecake Cups. Live entertainment was provided by Terry Wayne Conder. Another gorgeous sunset was followed by the spectacular Fireworks Display over Lake Texoma. The fantastic fireworks spectacle was a fitting way to end our final night at Tanglewood Golf Resort.
Something for Everyone at Tanglewood Golf Resort
Tanglewood Golf Resort really does have something for everyone. With the championship golf course, pickleball courts, swimming pools, and fun water activities on Lake Texoma there’s never a dull moment. Pack up the family, or come with that special someone, for a special time at Tanglewood Golf Resort.
We were hosted by Tanglewood Golf Resort. All opinions are my own.
