Historical Houston Treasures

Houston has a rich golfing tradition dating back to the early 1900’s that continues today as the nation’s fourth largest city hosts a number of prestigious amateur and professional tournaments, in addition to the PGA Tour’s Shell Houston Open.

A number of the oldest and most renowned layouts in the state of Texas lie within the Space City’s limits, including the venerable courses operated by the city itself.

The Memorial Park Golf Course is the city’s crown jewel. Generally regarded as one of Houston’s best layouts, public or private, Memorial Park is visited by more than 60,000 patrons each year, yet still manages to remain in pristine shape. In 1936, 10 years before the Houston Open became an official PGA Tour event, Memorial Park was introduced as an 18-hole championship course.

Over the years, Memorial Park has hosted PGA Tour events, Champions Tour tournaments and countless regional and local events. It was home to the Houston Open from 1951 to 1963, and saw World Golf Hall of Famers like Arnold Palmer, Jack Burke, Jr., and Bob Charles claim victory.

Memorial Park is a classic layout with very mature trees and traditional routing; it’s also a great walking course. Heavy foot traffic led to a refurbishment in the mid-90’s, and after a $4 million renovation project was completed, the course regained its reputation as a premier public facility. A new generation of golfers will now enjoy a refurbished clubhouse, beautiful fairways and smooth Bermuda Tif greens.

The Gus Wortham Golf Course recently celebrated its Centennial. As the first 18-hole course to open in Texas in 1908, the Wortham Course is often referred to as “A historical treasure of Houston.” The layout has hosted prestigious amateur championships and exhibitions featuring the likes of Harry Vardon and Bobby Jones. It is conveniently located “inside the loop” alongside Brays Bayou.Wortham challenges the low-handicapper, is enjoyable for the high-handicapper, and makes everyone use all their clubs.

Quietly tucked into the northeast area of Houston, but less the 20 minutes from downtown, is Brock Park, one of the city’s best kept secrets. This tree-lined course has been one of the city’s fine municipal courses since 1972 and plays to 6,427 yards. Unlike a lot of Houston area courses, this layout features a number of noticeable elevation changes.

Sharpstown Park has been hailed as Houston’s “Best Golfing Value.” The course earned this reputation by providing outstanding customer service and excellent facility conditions, while offering some of the lowest fees in the Gulf Coast region. Located in the heart of Southwest Houston, Sharpstown features some of the more challenging par 4 holes around. Sharpstown is both challenging and walkable.