So, David, care to flesh out your "ha ha"?
The BH reopening is highly anticipated. I've heard from a couple members that it looks fantastic.
A number of years ago we were hosted at a Rangers game by someone who turned out to be a member of one of those clubs rarted ahead of BH. We were having small talk- I didn't know him at all- but his logoed golf shirt suggested a common interest. I made a casual comment about how much I enjoyed Dallas National and that set off an unintended, impassioned response.
His club is highly private with a small membership. The pro and any some of the members I've known over the years will tell you that they don't care about the ratings or, for that matter, what other people think about the club.
The objectives for BH bring to mind the gentleman's response, and I paraphrase: "Sure, DN is the new course in town and it has all the bells and whistles. But we're going to spend $XX Million to update ours and then we'll see which one is better". I was expecting an invitation to see the finished work, but it never came (from him).
Might we see a new arms race if indeed BH moves to the head of the class? All of the top courses in Dallas and Fort Worth have been updated and improved, some more than once in the last decade.
I am a believer in the laws of diminishing returns, but since Keynesian economics on steroids seems to be in the zeitgeist, designers, construction firms and vendors could become reasonable conduits for pumping money into the system. Other than the members losing the use of their course for up to a year, what is not to like?