Golfers won't be putting on aerated greens or playing around the Whispering Pines construction project.
Unlike nearly every other golf course in Texas, Whispering Pines closes for two months a year: January-February and July-August. That's when maintenance will take place to welcome members back for the remaining eight months.
“We have members who schedule surgeries around the fiscal year end,” said Chris Lowe, director of golf at Whispering Pines. “Once, we tried being open year-round. But our club has a national membership, and no one plays golf in Texas in July and August. We played in August. It doesn't make sense to open if there's only one group to do it and all the staff are still on premises.”
Another notable golf club closing for the summer is Augusta National, which Lowe jokingly known as the “Whispering Pines of Georgia.”
The formula is working well for Low Pines and Whispering Pines, located on the shores of Lake Livingston, 35 miles northeast of Huntsville, Trinity. Whispering Pines was voted No. 1 in the state for the fourth year in a row and his 15th time in 19 years. dallas morning news'Texas Golf Panel.
“It never gets old,” Lowe said upon hearing news of the ranking. “I enjoy getting the calls. But we keep preaching to our staff, 'We can't let our guard down because everyone is gunning for us.' ”
Whispering Pines took the top spot for the first time in 2006, seven years after opening in 1999.
Perennial contender Dallas National Golf Club takes the No. 2 spot for the fourth year in a row. Since 2006, Dallas National has topped the rankings four times (most recently in 2020) and finished second behind Whispering Pines 14 times.
Dallas is well represented with three courses in the top four. Brook Hollow Golf Club, which celebrates its 104th anniversary this year, moved up one spot to third place, while Preston Trail Golf Club moved up from sixth place a year ago to fourth place.
Houston's River Oaks Country Club, one of the oldest courses in the Top 50, was one of the courses that made a big leap forward, moving up 13 spots to No. 11 from last year's rankings. . The course opened in 1923 and was originally the work of famous designer Donald Ross. .
At the top of the list once again as the state's top course open to the public is Black Jack's Crossing at Raditas. Lanny Wadkins' design along the Rio Grande near Big Bend ranks his No. 13 overall.
what's new
Four new courses made it into the top 31 courses statewide.
One of three Chet Williams-designed Top 10 courses, Covey at Big Easy Ranch is ranked No. 10 overall as this year's Best New Course .
The property, located about nine miles north of Columbus in Colorado County, was a popular hunting ground, hence the course's name. In addition to golf, we also offer hunting memberships.
Williams says the land and its dramatic elevation are some of the best he's ever had the opportunity to work on.
Highland Pines Golf Club debuted at No. 19 in the state. Owner Dennis Wilkerson introduced the Tour 18 concept to the Flower Mound and Humble courses in the early 1990s, making Highland Pines the first public course to open in the Houston area in 15 years.
Located north of Houston, Porter's course was the first in the world to feature laser zoysia greens, intended to create a feel similar to northern bentgrass greens.
Omni PGA Frisco Resort's two courses, Fields Ranch East and West, are ranked No. 3 and No. 4 among first-year and public courses. The East Course, designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, debuted 27th in the state, while Beau Welling's West Course was four spots behind at 31st.
How to rank
Selection of dallas mornings newsThe Top 100 were voted on by 80 committee members comprised of golf professionals, course designers, coaches, amateurs and other golf industry stakeholders. Many amateurs compete in state and national tournaments.
Panel members are asked to consider seven criteria similar to those used by national publications: versatility, shot-making, design, retrofit, aesthetics, maintenance and enjoyment. Voters can only consider courses they have attended, preferably within the past five years.
For a course to be considered for the top 100, it must receive votes from at least 13% of panel members. The minimum number of votes this year is 10 for him, which will be tallied in a system designed to account for high and low outliers.
See more DMN Golf Rankings
– Ranking of the top 100 golf courses in Texas: 1-50
– Ranking of the top 100 golf courses in Texas: #51-100
– Whispering Pines Ranked #1 in DMN's Texas Golf Course Rankings
– Ranking the top 50 golf courses in Texas that are open to the public.
– Ranking the top 25 9-hole golf courses in Texas
Check out more golf coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
