Pulse of the City

1 130,318………..Sherrill Park, Richardson • Open since 1973, this 36-hole public golf facility flaunts two courses: a championship, tree-lined course, and for amateurs, a shorter, less humbling course.

2 75,288……Indian Creek Golf Course, Carrollton • Indian Creek opened in 1984 with 26 sand traps and 12 water hazards.

3 74,855…………Municipal Golf Course, Grapevine • Tee time is scheduled three days in advance. Consider yourself warned.

4 70,838………….L.B. Houston, Dallas • This recreational park boasts a stunning golf course.

5 70,342…………Pecan Hollow, Plano • An 18-hole municipal golf course that offers lessons and clinics.

6 62,811………..Lake Arlington, Arlington • Here are 185 acres that blend open tree-lined fairways, challenging par 3s, and scenic greens to appeal to every level of player.

7 60,856…………….Stevens Park, Dallas • This 18-hole course has been in play since 1922 and is perfect for the beginner golfer.

8 60,000………………..Lake Park, Lewisville • Besides the 18-hole course, Lake Park boasts an executive course beside it of only nine holes.

9 57,636………….Prairie Lakes Golf Course, Grand Prairie • Twenty-seven holes, pick your 18. Take in the horses at Lone Star Park.

10 57,531………….Pecan Valley Hills, Fort Worth • Heavily wooded. It’s not Colonial, but it’ll do.

Beauty and The Beast
Highland Park grad Elizabeth Mitchell goes from the emergency room to the newsroom.

Elizabeth Mitchell broke her nose in 2000 on the set of Frequency, her first feature film, but that didn’t stop her from bulldozing her way to the top. You might say she takes after her parents, Joseph and Josephine Jenkins-Mitchell, real estate and tax attorneys whose practice is a stone’s throw away from their Highland Park home. But breaking out of her upper-middle-class comfort zone and pursuing her dream of acting was more important to the budding thespian than following in her parent’s footsteps. “You’ve gotta go for it,” Mitchell says, “and go for it with gusto.”

Mitchell honed her acting skills at the Dallas Theater Center for six years before graduating from Highland Park High School in 1988. She earned a BFA in acting from Stephens College in Missouri and also spent a year at the British American Drama Academy before relocating to LA in 1994. The following year saw her daytime drama debut as Dinah Lee Mayberry on Loving. That gig led to a co-starring turn with Angelina Jolie in HBO’s Gia, the vehicle that made Jolie famous. But Mitchell’s big break came recently, when she burst onto the primetime scene playing lesbian psychiatrist Dr. Kim Legaspi on ER. Her role opposite ER veteran Laura Innes caught the eye of rival network ABC, and Mitchell quickly landed her own show. She currently laments the lethargy of bureaucracy and wrestles with the ethics of journalism as hard-nosed reporter Alicia Allenby on The Beast, a reality-based news show. The concept is a tricky one for ABC to pull off; it requires a bit more active participation than Survivor. But if Beast doesn’t sit well with viewers, don’t fault Mitchell. She pulls off the smart-and-pretty combo with remarkable ease, and we’re confident we haven’t seen the last of her.