Dallas Morning News - 2011 Top Courses in Texas

[Trey Kemp]

The 2011 List came out Sunday, here is the top 50.  The rest can be seen at sportsdaydfw.com.

1. Whispering Pines Golf Club - Chet William/Nicklaus Design Group
2. Dallas National Golf Club - Tom Fazio
3. Colonial Country Club - Perry Maxwell, Ralpy Plummer & John Bredemus
4. Preston Trail Golf Club - Byron Nelson & Ralph Plummer
5. Carlton Woods, Nicklaus Course - Jack Nicklaus

6. Cordillera Ranch - Jack Nicklaus
7. Vaquero - Tom Fazio
8. Brook Hollow Golf Club - A.W. Tillinghast
9. Escondido - Tom Fazio
10. Boot Ranch - Hal Sutton

11. Miramont Country Club - Robert Trent Jones Jr.
12. Carlton Woods, Fazio Course - Tom Fazio
13. Champions Golf Club, Cypress Course - Ralph Plummer
14. Austin Golf Club - Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw
15. Austin Country Club - Pete Dye

16. Shady Oaks Country Club - Robert Trent Jones Sr.
17. Lochinvar Golf Club - Jack Nicklaus
18. Houston Country Club - Robert Trent Jones Sr.
19. Shadow Hawk Golf Club - Rees Jones
20. Barton Creek Resort, Fazio Foothills - Tom Fazio

21. Briggs Ranch Golf Club - Tom Fazio
22. TPC Craig Ranch - Tom Weiskopf
23. Pine Dunes Resort - Jay Morrish
24. Champions Golf Club, Jackrabbit Course - George Fazio
25. Redstone Golf Club, Members Course - Peter Jacobsen & Jim Hardy

26. Northwood Club - William Diddel
27. Redstone Golf Club, Tournament Course - Rees Jones
28. River Oaks Country Club - Donald Ross
29. Crown Colony Country Club - Robert von Hagge & Bruce Devlin
30. Walden on Lake Conroe - Robert von Hagge & Bruce Devlin

31. Royal Oaks Country Club - Houston - Brian Curley & Fred Couples
32. Lakeside Country Club - Ralph Plummer
33. The Woodlands CC, Tournament Course - Robert von Hagge & Bruce Devlin
34. TPC San Antonio, AT&T Oaks Course - Greg Norman
35. Royal Oaks Country Club - Dallas - Billy Martindale & Don January

36. Barton Creek Resort, Fazio Canyons - Tom Fazio
37. Dallas Athletic Club, Blue Course - Ralph Plummer
38. Honors Club of Dallas - Ralph Plummer
39. Stonebridge Ranch CC, Dye Course - Pete Dye
40. Horseshoe Bay Resort, Ram Rock - Robert Trent Jones Sr.

41. Oak Hills Country Club - A.W. Tillinghast
42. Cimarron Hills Golf & Country Club - Jack Nicklaus
43. The Hills CC, Hills Course - Jack Nicklaus
44. TPC San Antonio, AT&T Canyons - Pete Dye
45. Comanche Trace - Tome Kite, Roy Bechtol & Randy Russell

46. Gentle Creek Golf Club - D.A. Weibring & Steve Wolfard
47. Lakewood Country Club - Tom Bendelow
48. BraeBurn Country Club - John Bredemus
49. Midland Country Club - Ralph Plummer
50. TPC Four Seasons Resort - Las Colinas - Jay Morrish & Byron Nelson

FYI - The Rawls Course made the list at #54.

Out of the Top 50 theses Architects had the most courses (original design):

Ralph Plummer - 7
Tom Fazio - 7
Jack Nicklaus/Nicklaus Design - 6
Pete Dye - 3
Robert Trent Jones Sr. - 3
Robert von Hagge - 3
Bruce Devlin - 3
A.W. Tillinghast - 2
Jay Morrish - 2
John Bredemus - 2

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Also a nice feature on Whispering Pines in Golf Magazine this month.
Aved number one ranking again..it is avery special place....anybody know if it is on Golf Digest's list at all?
Of course their raters would have to bother going there first, without multiple enticements.....
A  better course than a newcomer to its top twenty

[K. Krahenbuhl]

Also a nice feature on Whispering Pines in Golf Magazine this month.
Aved number one ranking again..it is avery special place....anybody know if it is on Golf Digest's list at all?
Of course their raters would have to bother going there first, without multiple enticements.....
A  better course than a newcomer to its top twenty

It's not on the Golf Digest list.  Probably not enough visits as you say.

[Andy Hodson]

Congrats to Michael Dieckhoff, the super at Whispering Pines. Best I've ever seen in the business. That's now, what, six in a row for WP?

[mike_beene]

what happened to the course by Austin Golf Club,Spanish Oaks or something like that?

[K. Krahenbuhl]

what happened to the course by Austin Golf Club,Spanish Oaks or something like that?

Mike,
Unfortunately I don't think they're open for play at this point.

[Andy Hodson]

Kyle,
What has happened at Spanish Oaks??

[Trey Kemp]

The club has been closed since last March, not sure if they will reopen.

[Randy Thompson]

Wasn´t boot ranch number two last year...now number ten?? They seem to change a lot from year to year...anybody got any ideas why? Jeff, any insight???

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Where is Mike's Wolf Wolf?

[McCloskey]

Randy,  I don't know why it isn't ranked higher.   I personally thought it should be higher ranked than 10.   Did Hal Sutton really design the course?

[Sam Morrow]

Boot Ranch probably won't be open next year either.

[Bill_McBride]

Where is Mike's Wolf Wolf?

Wolf Point is terrific but not a lot of visitors.

[Randy Thompson]

Randy,  I don't know why it isn't ranked higher.   I personally thought it should be higher ranked than 10.   Did Hal Sutton really design the course?

apparently from what I understand Halimony did what most did and hired somebody that likes to work and doesn´t care about credit. He must have been talented becasue look at the compitition in Texas..lots of big names and that came out #2 last year...I was impressed without even seeing it!!

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Boot Ranch..not open next year?
I knew they had finacial problems, but are they that bad?
Great layout...decerved top ten placement IMO

[Sam Morrow]

Boot Ranch..not open next year?
I knew they had finacial problems, but are they that bad?
Great layout...decerved top ten placement IMO

Lots of money problems.

[Lou_Duran]

It is my understanding that Spanish Oaks is closed pending negotiations with the original developer who made a successful bid to the bank owner.  My source, who works with the management company taking care of the course in the interim, stated that they were doing only enough maintenance to protect the asset (cutting the grass occasionally, watering as needed, I assume).  Apparently, there are back-up offers should the accepted bid not pan out.

Boot Ranch is a Jim Lipe design.

http://www.asgca.org/member-spotlight/265-asgca-member-spotlight-jim-lip

I don't recall if it was through correspondence with Jim or from talking with the club's management, but I got the impression that Hal Sutton had considerable design input, though it may have been more in setting what I call top-side goals and objectives.  If memory serves, Hal wanted an Augusta National type setting and feeling in Texas' Hill Country, only with green complexes that would allow its members to make well-executed putts.  It is an outstanding course in a great place to visit and I sincerely hope the lender can work-out the financial issues.

Finally, in my opinion, Wolf Point would be highly regarded in the DMN list if it had been seen my enough raters.  However, I'm not sure where it would place due to its reliance on heavily contoured playing areas, particularly the green complexes, and wind as its major challenges.  Its similarity to The Old Course might elicit similar responses.  

[Randy Thompson]

Thanks Lou, it all make sence now on how Hal came out so strong with what I had heard was his first. So maybe the sharp decrease from number two to number ten is due to some decline in maintenance practices??? Maybe Jim will give us his two cents.

[Mike Nuzzo]

I know of only one DMN rater that visited and he was asked not to submit any review. 
But we did have fun.

I appreciate your comment about its similarity to the Old Course
Thank you very much

I disagree with the reliance part - as it doesn't rely on anything - as it wasn't meant to have major challenges.
Def. of Rely: To be dependent for support, help, or supply.

It was meant to be interesting and fun - it had no other goals.
It is only dependent on someone playing.

Cheers

[Andy Hodson]

Nae golfers, nae golf...huh, Mike?

[Bill_McBride]

I appreciate your comment about its similarity to the Old Course
Thank you very much

Mike, I have noted the similarity in feeling to the Old Course several times, particularly for the way subtle contours around the greens can affect how the ground game works out.

My question:  how much time did you spend walking and/or playing the original Old Course to be able to capture that essence?

[Lou_Duran]

I disagree with the reliance part - as it doesn't rely on anything - as it wasn't meant to have major challenges.
Def. of Rely: To be dependent for support, help, or supply.

It was meant to be interesting and fun - it had no other goals.
It is only dependent on someone playing.

Cheers

My apologies for, perhaps, using the wrong term.  Without getting too philosophical, I am a creature of habit and consider challenge to be an integral part of "interest" and "fun".  If reliance connotes something negative to you and others, from my standpoint, the primary challenge at Wolf Point come from the all the rolls you and Don created in combination with the wind.  The creeks and the lake also have impact, but if you left the playing areas flat as you found them and without wind, these would not add much to the "interest" or the "fun".

It should be noted that I speak only for myself, and not at all for the DMN.  I have been known to make a mistake now and then, as others have not so infrequently reminded me.

Randy,

I haven't been to Boot Ranch for awhile.  It is my understanding that the course shot up in the rankings after it held an important state event and the participants really liked the course.  The routing is not very "tight"- it would be a hard course to walk- but it has great balance, lots of variety, and if one can put a good stroke on the line shown by the caddie, it will be a great day on the greens.  I think that the course works very well in line with Hal's objectives (but not so much with regards to the financial structure, apparently).  

[Mike Nuzzo]

LOU!!
No need for an apology.
You can say you rely on anything you want.
Just not the golf course. 

Bill
I visited The Old Course during construction - and I can only point to one direct impact to Wolf Point - on the 9th hole.
Don has probably spent more time there than I - although I did play it backwards... 

I was working with our non-golf shaper on the first green - it was the first green to get to that stage (before visiting TOC).
We did our stuff
Don came by
I told him I liked it
Don said - "that's it?"
I said "yea"
He said "great"
We both went on from there - mostly more sometimes less
I didn't think it was a big deal at the time

[Jeff_Brauer]

Randy,

Interesting that you think a drop from 2 to 10 is "sharp." I don't think so in a general sense.

The system is a bit different, too. We are only allowed to rank 3 courses as tens (one of the top three courses in TX) and maybe 5 each for 9.5, 9, etc. It is actually very hard to make the top 3 courses.

Also, the panel is less than 200 strong and the averages tend to lump stuff together. It seems it would only take a few of those panelists who obviously gave it a ten to reduce it to 9 or less because of conditions to drop it to 10th overall.

[erichunter]

Boot Ranch..not open next year?
I knew they had finacial problems, but are they that bad?
Great layout...decerved top ten placement IMO

Lots of money problems.

Even if the original equity washed out, a $30 MM clubhouse can't help the long term fortunes of the club.  The initiation is still $100k which blows my mind.  Dues are no bargain either at $1k/month.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/Revamped-Boot-Ranch-kicking-up-heels-1259377.php