Dawg, there are a couple of good training places shaping up in the Fort Worth/Dallas area. They aren't Thunder Ranch but they do provide two important things: good information for less money and the ability to schedule classes over the weekend.
I have personally attended two classes at Texas Pistol Academy (
http://www.texaspistol.com/)
They are a good range and the owner (Robert Duhon) is ex-Army SF. If you get a class that is taught by him, you will definitely get your money's worth. Some of the other instructors leave a little to be desired in my book - good guys and good shooters but not very good at teaching or organizing. The other two instructors that are reliable are an ex-Marine (can't remember his name - a blond headed guy) and a sniper for Garland Police (TJ I think).
If you can get a class with one of those three, I think you'll have a good experience.
There is also Pro-Tac:
http://www.pro-tac.net/
This is run by a former Marine Recon and bodyguard for Perot. I haven't attended the classes but he put on a demonstration during a recent benefit match for us and seems to have an excellent knowledge base and be a good instructor as well.
The downside is the range he currently uses will be shut down by a new city ordinance in the first week of October.
There is also a former SBS guy who runs a class out of a range between Fort Worth and Abilene that has a good reputation - unfortunately I don't have a URL for him since I lost the contact info.
Finally, there is Bradshaw Pistol Academy in Abilene. They may even use the same range as the SBS guy. I don't know anything about them or their experience but they do have instructors like Chuck Taylor come and teach there.