Golf Digest Best New

[Adam G]

In a shocker, The Covey at Big Easy Ranch by Chet Williams beat Old Barnwell and the Tree Farm for best new private.


I had never heard of this course. It's not on top100golfcourses.com. I can't find any references to it in this forum. Does anyone know if it's that good? Or how on earth it could beat Old Barnwell, which has been met with near-universal acclaim?

[Michael Chadwick]

Edited: inaccurate photo referenced from club's par 3 course

[Sam Morrow]

As someone whose played The Covey and is a fan I've gotten a kick out of the architecture world today. There's been comical outrage from some about it. I haven't played Tree Farm or Old Barnwell so I can't compare them but I'll say that The Covey is one of the best things I've ever played. It's hard and had it's way with me but it's a fantastic golf course that should be seen before people make douchy jokes

[Derek_Duncan]

Michael,


I don't post here any longer for obvious reasons, but the photo you clipped is not from The Covey. If you'd been there you'd know that.


Just trying to get ahead of the shit show. Everyone should go back to the much more interesting and important Hal Hicks post.

[Sam Morrow]

Michael,


I don't post here any longer for obvious reasons, but the photo you clipped is not from The Covey. If you'd been there you'd know that.


Just trying to get ahead of the shit show. Everyone should go back to the much more interesting and important Hal Hicks post.

Derek,


I'm guessing that's #1 on the par 3 course.

[Derek_Duncan]

Michael,


I don't post here any longer for obvious reasons, but the photo you clipped is not from The Covey. If you'd been there you'd know that.


Just trying to get ahead of the shit show. Everyone should go back to the much more interesting and important Hal Hicks post.

Derek,


I'm guessing that's #1 on the par 3 course.

Correct. The par 3 course was built years before by the owner.

[Sam Morrow]

Michael,


I don't post here any longer for obvious reasons, but the photo you clipped is not from The Covey. If you'd been there you'd know that.


Just trying to get ahead of the shit show. Everyone should go back to the much more interesting and important Hal Hicks post.

Derek,


I'm guessing that's #1 on the par 3 course.

Correct. The par 3 course was built years before by the owner.

It's very cool also, entire place is really neat.

[Tom_Doak]

Well, I remember when Ballyneal was their sixth-best new private course of 2005 (or maybe it was 2006).  They might get it right half the time.  But what do you expect?  They are comparing 30 panelists’ votes for one course against 30 DIFFERENT panelists’ votes on another course.  It’s all you can do in Year 1, but it is what it is.


I guess the Best New Public results are less controversial? 

[Michael Chadwick]

Michael,


I don't post here any longer for obvious reasons, but the photo you clipped is not from The Covey. If you'd been there you'd know that.


Just trying to get ahead of the shit show. Everyone should go back to the much more interesting and important Hal Hicks post.

Derek,
Thanks for noting that my referenced photo was not from the Covey course; I've removed it. I'm always happy to be corrected, and want my participation to be commensurate with a discussion group and not an echo chamber. Although I do imagine my quip about Covey having more ornamental boulders in its creek system than Old Barnwell or Tree Farm still stands.


I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with the different golf publications having varied stances on what makes courses, particularly new ones, better than its peers. It's more rewarding for a wide-ranging golf audience to know not just about Wild Spring Dunes but Miakka or Trout National. I'd certainly prefer more traffic get directed to Big Cedar Lodge, as an example, if it resulted in alleviating demand at Sand Valley.


The photos from Brian Oar give much more flavor than the club's website. I'd like to learn more about the course. I don't think you've posted about it on Instagram? Perhaps Sam Morrow can elaborate more about the design.


You are right, I have not been, and like any course I haven't yet played, I earnestly try to keep my initial impressions elastic enough for being changed. The course looks like a very nice Doak 6.   






   

[Sam Morrow]

A little background, Big Easy is a hunting club, it's about 90 minutes or so from both downtown Houston and Austin, a little further from San Antonio. I live in West Houston and it took me right about an hour with construction on 10, it's about 10 or so miles outside the town of Columbus (same town Hal Sutton's new course Darmor is). That area is kinda the very southeast edge of The Hill Country. The property has some elevation change and one of my playing partners who lived in Northern California said the property reminded him of Poppy or Spyglass.


The course itself it's very big! The fairways are generous but definitely have preferred angles into the greens. The greens to me are where the course really stands out. Fall fronts, sharp drop offs just off the green, bold contouring in the greens, place really has it all. Chet Williams most famous work is Whispering Pines and I think it compares very favorably. Both are large, tough golf courses with really impressive green complexes.


I can see the average chop hating the course cause they'd probably shoot 130 but its a very fair test of golf.

[Mark_Fine]

Michael,
Everyone is entitled to their opinion but to give a course a rating without seeing it in person or playing it won’t help credibility.  Can you imagine the uproar if GD of GM said they rated courses just from photos  :'(

[PCCraig]

LOL

[John Mayhugh]

I had not heard of the course, and took a quick look at its website and followed the routing on Google Earth. No idea how I would rank it compared to Old Barnwell or Tree Farm (two of the contenders mentioned that I have played), but holes 3 & 8 suggest I wouldn't be as smitten as Golf Digest.

Hole 3 has a manicured island with a single tree in the middle of the fairway in front of the green.big easy ranch 3rd by john mayhugh, on Flickr

This island is shown in the 5th of the Brian Oar photos at this link.https://www.golfdigest.com/courses/tx/big-easy-ranch-the-covey

The "instant classic" (according to the GD article) 8th is a 300ish yard par 4 with two fairways. The fairways are separated by a creek. In between the two fairways is a row of trees. This is shown in the first of the Brian Oar pics at the above link.

big easy ranch 8th by john mayhugh, on Flickr

I just don't understand why someone would do this.

[Colin Sheehan]

Hard to tell if there are some instances where the walker can hop the water features. But the wall to wall wide cart paths give an indication of the soils and the cart culture.


It appears about 9,200 yards from start to finish on the Hogan line.


Those who played it, did you walk? Did you see anyone else walking it?


Derek,
Would you happen to know what percent of the raters walked versus rode the golf course?

[Sam Morrow]

We rode but it didn't strike me as being a hard walk.

[Colin Sheehan]

Sam,
Did you see anyone walking?

[Sam Morrow]

Sam,
Did you see anyone walking?

No but there were only 2 or 3 groups out that morning.

[Matt Kardash]

John, the 3rd at the ocean course at Kiawah also has an island in the middle of the fairway with a tree, and it is a great hole. Perhaps reserve judgement until you see it in person. I have not seen it so I cannot say.

[John Mayhugh]

John, the 3rd at the ocean course at Kiawah also has an island in the middle of the fairway with a tree, and it is a great hole. Perhaps reserve judgement until you see it in person. I have not seen it so I cannot say.

My judgement is that I'm not compelled to see this in person. I'm never in Houston, and if I were there I would be far more interested in figuring out a way to visit Wolf Point again.

Great green complex on the 3rd at Kiawah ocean. I don't think the tree in the fairway on that hole makes it a better hole.

[Sam Morrow]

John, the 3rd at the ocean course at Kiawah also has an island in the middle of the fairway with a tree, and it is a great hole. Perhaps reserve judgement until you see it in person. I have not seen it so I cannot say.

My judgement is that I'm not compelled to see this in person. I'm never in Houston, and if I were there I would be far more interested in figuring out a way to visit Wolf Point again.

Great green complex on the 3rd at Kiawah ocean. I don't think the tree in the fairway on that hole makes it a better hole.

In fairness if you're not even compelled to see it then your opinion is worthless. It's fine to dislike something but give it a chance.

[Tommy Williamsen]

The Covey flew under the radar, that's for sure. It shows that hype doesn't always make a difference. Who would have picked Covey as the winner?

[John Mayhugh]

John, the 3rd at the ocean course at Kiawah also has an island in the middle of the fairway with a tree, and it is a great hole. Perhaps reserve judgement until you see it in person. I have not seen it so I cannot say.

My judgement is that I'm not compelled to see this in person. I'm never in Houston, and if I were there I would be far more interested in figuring out a way to visit Wolf Point again.

Great green complex on the 3rd at Kiawah ocean. I don't think the tree in the fairway on that hole makes it a better hole.

In fairness if you're not even compelled to see it then your opinion is worthless. It's fine to dislike something but give it a chance.

Sam,
That's a pretty judgemental position to take.

I explained that I don't go to Houston. Deciding to go there to see this Covey course carries an opportunity cost. I've only seen about 65 of the Golf US top 100 courses and a similar number of the top 100 world. There were courses that opened in 2024 and quite a few more coming in 2025. It's simply not possible for a person with my amount of available time and financial resources to go and see every course that interests me. From what I've seen of the Covey course, it interests me less than at least 50 others I could name. And that's just courses I haven't seen - I could probably list another 100 that I would like to see again before I would go to Houston to see that one.

Whether you like it or Golf Digest likes it doesn't really impact what I'm interested in. I never said I disliked the course - just that I'm not compelled to see it. I'm sure the course has some high points, but does not seem like something I would enjoy nearly as much as the restored Dornick Hills. Or Medinah 3. Or Hoylake. Or a return to Austin GC. Or a return to Brancaster. And so on.

I wish I could go see 5x the number of courses that I do each year. Since I can't, I prioritize.

[Sam Morrow]

John, the 3rd at the ocean course at Kiawah also has an island in the middle of the fairway with a tree, and it is a great hole. Perhaps reserve judgement until you see it in person. I have not seen it so I cannot say.

My judgement is that I'm not compelled to see this in person. I'm never in Houston, and if I were there I would be far more interested in figuring out a way to visit Wolf Point again.

Great green complex on the 3rd at Kiawah ocean. I don't think the tree in the fairway on that hole makes it a better hole.

In fairness if you're not even compelled to see it then your opinion is worthless. It's fine to dislike something but give it a chance.

Sam,
That's a pretty judgemental position to take.

I explained that I don't go to Houston. Deciding to go there to see this Covey course carries an opportunity cost. I've only seen about 65 of the Golf US top 100 courses and a similar number of the top 100 world. There were courses that opened in 2024 and quite a few more coming in 2025. It's simply not possible for a person with my amount of available time and financial resources to go and see every course that interests me. From what I've seen of the Covey course, it interests me less than at least 50 others I could name. And that's just courses I haven't seen - I could probably list another 100 that I would like to see again before I would go to Houston to see that one.

Whether you like it or Golf Digest likes it doesn't really impact what I'm interested in. I never said I disliked the course - just that I'm not compelled to see it. I'm sure the course has some high points, but does not seem like something I would enjoy nearly as much as the restored Dornick Hills. Or Medinah 3. Or Hoylake. Or a return to Austin GC. Or a return to Brancaster. And so on.

I wish I could go see 5x the number of courses that I do each year. Since I can't, I prioritize.

Only judgemental thing I've read here is from you. You bashed it from images and said you're not compelled to see it.

[John Mayhugh]

Only judgemental thing I've read here is from you. You bashed it from images and said you're not compelled to see it.

"Bashed" is rather dramatic. Here are my critical comments:

• Holes 3 & 8 suggest I wouldn't be as smitten as Golf Digest
• I'm not compelled to see this in person. I'm never in Houston and if I were there I would be far more interested in figuring out a way to see Wolf Point again.

I honestly don't understand your sensitivity here. I think I'm plenty qualified to judge how I spend my time and money, and that's all my post was about. I explained why I would rather see other courses. 

Do you think this course is better than Wolf Point?

[Sam Morrow]

Only judgemental thing I've read here is from you. You bashed it from images and said you're not compelled to see it.

"Bashed" is rather dramatic. Here are my critical comments:

• Holes 3 & 8 suggest I wouldn't be as smitten as Golf Digest
• I'm not compelled to see this in person. I'm never in Houston and if I were there I would be far more interested in figuring out a way to see Wolf Point again.

I honestly don't understand your sensitivity here. I think I'm plenty qualified to judge how I spend my time and money, and that's all my post was about. I explained why I would rather see other courses. 

Do you think this course is better than Wolf Point?

You said what you said own it. Tough to compare they are incredibly different golf courses. Id probably rather play Covey everyday if I had to pick.