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Hidden gem

A waste area on No. 11, with the 13th green in the background at Pine Dunes.

A waste area on No. 11, with the 13th green in the background at Pine Dunes.

Martin Kaufmann

FRANKSTON, Texas - It would be reasonable to assume that, upon arriving in this tiny east Texas town, you would be greeted with a billboard bursting with civic pride. The billboard might read something like this: Welcome to Frankston, home of the best golf course in Texas.

But no, there’s no billboard. The closest thing you’ll find is a sign at Pandora’s Box advertising, with no hint of irony: “Outrageously cool junk.”

Even as you drive along State Highway 155, there’s little to suggest that you’re approaching a course that’s often compared to the great Sandhills layouts. Only a couple of hand-painted signs bracket the entrance onto County Road 319, informing guests that they have arrived at Pine Dunes Resort & Golf Club.

Texas, the nation’s second-largest state, has more than 1,000 golf courses. But for the past three years, if you wanted to find the No. 1 course on Golfweek’s Best Courses ...

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