Brackenridge Park Golf Course facts for kids
Brackenridge Park Club House
|
|
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Location | San Antonio, Texas |
| Established | 1916 |
| Owned by | City of San Antonio |
| Operated by | Alamo City Golf Trail |
| Total holes | 18 |
| Tournaments hosted | Texas Open (1922-1926, 1929-1932, 1934, 1939-1940, 1950-1955, 1957-1959) |
| Website | alamocitygolftrail.com |
| Brackenridge Park Golf Course | |
| Designed by | A.W. Tillinghast |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,243 yards (5,709 m) |
| Course rating | 70.3 |
| Slope rating | 126 |
The Brackenridge Park Golf Course is a very old and famous golf course in San Antonio, Texas. It's the oldest 18-hole public golf course in Texas, opening way back in 1916. This course was the first to be added to the Texas Golf Hall of Fame!
For many years, from 1922 to 1959, Brackenridge Park was the main place for the Texas Open golf tournament. Today, it's one of six city golf courses managed by a group called the Alamo City Golf Trail. This group helps run several courses, including Brackenridge Park, Cedar Creek, and Mission del Lago.
Contents
Discovering the Course's Past
How the Park Started
The land for Brackenridge Park was given to the city by George Washington Brackenridge. He donated over 100 acres to create this beautiful park, which is where the golf course is located today.
In 1915, Ray Lambert became the City Parks Commissioner. He wanted to make the parks even better. He asked for more money to improve Brackenridge Park, and one of his big ideas was to build a public golf course. People had wanted a public course for a long time to attract tourists. There were already three private courses in San Antonio.
By October 1915, the 18-hole Brackenridge Park golf course was being built. A famous golf course designer named A.W. Tillinghast was hired to create it. They also planned a clubhouse and a swimming spot in the San Antonio River for golfers to cool off after their game!
Today, this historic golf course is still open near downtown San Antonio. It's close to the San Antonio Zoo and Aquarium, the Witte Museum, and the San Antonio Japanese Tea Gardens.
The First Clubhouses
The first clubhouse was a small, one-story building. Sadly, it burned down in 1920. In 1922, the city hired Ralph H. Cameron to design a new clubhouse. This new building would be used by golfers and for the Texas Open tournament. The city raised $8,000 to build it. Ralph H. Cameron also designed other important buildings in San Antonio.
The Borglum Studio's Story
_in_San_Antonio,_Texas.jpg)
Right next to the golf clubhouse is an old building that used to be the art studio for Gutzon Borglum. He was the amazing sculptor who created the giant heads of the U.S. Presidents on Mount Rushmore!
This building was built in 1885 from local stone and wood. It was first used as a water pumping station. But by 1905, it wasn't needed anymore because new wells were drilled into the Edwards Aquifer. The wild land around the abandoned pump house was then turned into the golf course.
Gutzon Borglum rented the old pump house in 1924. From its windows, he could probably see golfers playing. Historian Maria Watson Pfeiffer said it was a great artist studio because of its setting, light, and large space. After Borglum, other artists and art students used the studio. Today, the Borglum Studio looks out over the 17th hole of the golf course.
The Schriever Family's Connection
U.S. Air Force General Bernard Adolph Schriever grew up in a small house right by the 12th green of Brackenridge Park. He and his younger brother, Gerhardt, loved golf. Their mother, Elizabeth, even ran a popular sandwich stand for golfers in their backyard!
Bernard was a great golfer. He won the State Junior championship and the San Antonio City Golf Championship twice. He also led the Texas A&M golf team before joining the army. Later, he became famous for his important work with the air force's space and missile program and helping manage the country's defense during the Cold War.
In 2011, Bernard was added to the Texas Golf Hall of Fame after he had passed away in 2005. His 97-year-old brother, Gerhardt Schriever, accepted the award for him.
Amazing Golf Records
Many incredible golf moments happened at Brackenridge Park.
- In 1939, Harold "Jug" McSpaden set a course record of 59 strokes during a special match with golf legends like Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan.
- Mike Souchak set a PGA Tour record in 1955 for a 72-hole tournament, finishing with 257 strokes at the Texas Open. This record lasted until 2001!
- Three of the first six times a golfer shot a score of 60 on the PGA Tour happened at Brackenridge Park. Al Brosch did it in 1951, Ted Kroll in 1954, and Mike Souchak in 1955.
The Famous Texas Open
The Texas Open was the first professional golf tournament in Texas. It was also one of the first big golf events played in the winter. The first Open in 1922 offered a $5,000 prize, which was a huge amount for a golf tournament back then!
Brackenridge Park hosted the Texas Open many times: from 1922-1926, 1929-1932, 1934, 1939-1940, 1950-1955, and 1957-1959. In 1960, the tournament moved to another course.
Texas Open Winners at Brackenridge Park Golf Course
| Year | Player | Country | Score | To par | 1st Prize ($) | Purse ($) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Wes Ellis |  United States |
276 | -8 | 2,800 | 20,000 | |
| 1958 | Bill Johnston | United States |
274 | -10 | 2,000 | 15,000 | |
| 1957 | Jay Hebert | United States |
271 | -13 | 2,800 | 20,000 | |
| 1955 | Mike Souchak | United States |
257 | -27 | 2,200 | 12,500 | |
| 1954 | Chandler Harper | United States |
259 | -25 | 2,200 | 12,500 | |
| 1953 | Tony Holguin | United States |
264 | -20 | 2,000 | 10,000 | |
| 1952 | Jack Burke Jr. | United States |
260 | -24 | 2,000 | 10,000 | |
| 1951 | Dutch Harrison | United States |
265* | -19 | 2,000 | 10,000 | |
| 1950 | Sam Snead | United States |
265 | -19 | 2,000 | 10,000 | |
| 1940 | Byron Nelson | United States |
271* | -13 | 1,500 | 5,000 | |
| 1939 | Dutch Harrison | United States |
271 | -13 | 1,250 | 5,000 | |
| 1934 | Wiffy Cox | United States |
283 | -5 | 750 | 2,500 | |
| 1932 | Clarence Clark | United States |
287 | +3 | 600 | 2,500 | |
| 1931 | Abe Espinosa | United States |
281 | -3 | 1,500 | 6,000 | |
| 1930 | Denny Shute | United States |
277 | -7 | 1,500 | 7,500 | |
| 1929 | Bill Mehlhorn | United States |
277 | -7 | 1,500 | 6,500 | |
| 1926 | Macdonald Smith |  Scotland |
288 | +4 | 1,500 | 8,000 | |
| 1925 | Joe Turnesa | United States |
284 | E | 1,500 | 6,000 | |
| 1924 | Joe Kirkwood, Sr. |  Australia |
279 | 1,500 | 6,000 | ||
| 1923 | Walter Hagen | United States |
279* | 1,500 | 6,000 | ||
| 1922 | Robert MacDonald | 281 | 1,500 | 5,000 |
* Indicates a win in a playoff
The Texas Golf Hall of Fame
The Texas Golf Hall of Fame is now located at Brackenridge Park Golf Course. It moved there after closing its previous location in the late 1990s. To welcome the Hall of Fame, the golf course added new features. These include a pavilion for events and The Texas Golf Walk of Fame.
The Walk of Fame connects the Brackenridge Clubhouse and the Borglum Studio. It has special monuments that honor members of the Hall of Fame. A family named the Cavenders donated money to help build the Walk of Fame. They did this to honor their grandfather, Tod Menefee, who was a famous golf professional.
Course Design and Features
The Brackenridge Park Golf Course was first designed by A.W. Tillinghast and opened in 1916.
Course Information
| Tee | Rating/Slope | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 73.9 / 146 | 394 | 507 | 160 | 359 | 446 | 360 | 407 | 195 | 546 | 3374 | 388 | 519 | 332 | 156 | 436 | 416 | 486 | 128 | 426 | 3287 | 6661 |
| White | 70.9 / 137 | 360 | 469 | 134 | 324 | 422 | 333 | 382 | 168 | 522 | 3114 | 351 | 469 | 313 | 141 | 377 | 366 | 470 | 115 | 387 | 2989 | 6103 |
| Red | 72.3 / 143 | 394 | 507 | 160 | 359 | 422 | 360 | 382 | 168 | 522 | 3274 | 388 | 469 | 332 | 156 | 377 | 366 | 486 | 128 | 426 | 3128 | 6402 |
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 | |
| Handicap | Men's | 11 | 15 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 2 | |||
| Handicap | Women's | 11 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 14 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 16 | 6 |
The grass on the fairways is TifSport Bermuda. The greens use Miniverde Ultradwarf Bermuda grass. The course has a moderate amount of water hazards and many sand bunkers.
Course Changes Over Time
1968 Renovations In 1968, Brackenridge Park Golf Course was completely updated. This happened because new highways (U.S. 281 and I-35) were built right through the back part of the course. The course lost 10 acres of land, and some of the longer holes had to be shortened. Architects redesigned the back nine holes to fit the smaller space. They added ponds, but some parts of the river that ran through the course were filled in.
2008 Restoration The golf course got a big makeover in 2008 with a $4.5 million renovation. An architect named John Colligan restored fifteen of the original 18 holes. Today, the course is 6,243 yards long from the back tees and is a par-71. It covers 113 acres of green space in the city.
Special Recognitions
In 2012, Golf Week magazine ranked Brackenridge Park Golf Course as the 29th Best Municipal Golf Course in the United States. It was also named the 16th Best Course in Texas.
