Brackenridge Park Golf Course facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Brackenridge Park Golf Course

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

Brackenridge Park Golf Course is a really old and important golf course in San Antonio, Texas. It opened in 1916 and is the oldest public 18-hole golf course in the state! It was also the very first place to be added to the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. For many years, from 1922 to 1959, it hosted the famous Texas Open golf tournament.

This course is found inside the beautiful Brackenridge Park. It's one of six public golf courses in San Antonio managed by a group called the Alamo City Golf Trail. This group helps run several courses, including Brackenridge Park, Cedar Creek, Mission del Lago, Olmos Basin, Riverside, San Pedro Driving Range and Par 3, and Willow Springs.

The Story of Brackenridge Park Golf Course

Where It All Began: The Course's Location

The golf course is located in Brackenridge Park. This park exists because George Washington Brackenridge gave over 100 acres of land to the city.

In 1915, Ray Lambert became the City Parks Commissioner. He wanted to improve the city's parks, especially Brackenridge Park. One of his big ideas was to build a public golf course. People who loved golf had wanted a public course for a long time. They thought it would bring more tourists to San Antonio. At that time, San Antonio only had three private golf courses.

By October 1915, the 18-hole Brackenridge Park golf course was already being built. A famous golf course designer named A.W. Tillinghast was hired to create it. They also planned to build a clubhouse and a swimming area. This way, golfers could cool off in the San Antonio River after their game.

Today, this historic golf course is still open near downtown San Antonio. It is also close to the San Antonio Zoo and Aquarium. Other famous San Antonio spots like the Witte Museum and the San Antonio Japanese Tea Gardens are nearby too.

The Original Clubhouse

The first clubhouse at the golf course 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 was important for the golf course and for hosting the Texas Open. The city raised $8,000 to build it. Ralph H. Cameron also designed other well-known buildings in San Antonio.

The Borglum Studio

The Borglum Studio (Oct. 2012)

Next to the Brackenridge Park Golf Clubhouse, there's an old building that used to be the art studio of Gutzon Borglum. He was the famous sculptor who created the huge 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. The land around this old pump house was then turned into the golf course.

In a book called "The Ghosts of Old Brack," it mentions that Gutzon Borglum came to San Antonio in 1924. He rented the old pump house as his studio. From its windows, he could probably see golfers getting ready to play. A local historian, Maria Watson Pfeiffer, said that the setting, light, and large space made it a great artist's studio.

After Borglum used the studio, other famous local artists and art students also used it. Today, the Borglum Studio looks out over the 17th hole of the golf course.

The Schriever Family and Golf

General Bernard Adolph Schriever of the U.S. Air Force grew up in a small house right near the 12th green of the Brackenridge Park golf course. He and his younger brother, Gerhardt, were good friends with Tod Menefee. Their mother, Elizabeth, even ran a small, popular sandwich stand for golfers in their backyard!

Bernard was a very talented golfer. He won the State Junior championship and the San Antonio City Golf Championship twice. He was also the captain of the Texas A&M golf team for two years before he joined the army. He became very famous for his work in the air force's space and missile program. He also helped manage the nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

In 2011, Bernard was added to the Texas Golf Hall of Fame after he passed away in 2005. His 97-year-old brother, Gerhardt Schriever, was there to accept the award for him.

Amazing Golf Records

Brackenridge Park Golf Course has seen some incredible golf achievements:

• In 1939, Harold "Jug" McSpaden set a course record of 59 strokes! This happened during a special match with other golf legends like Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, and Paul Runyan.
• Mike Souchak set a PGA Tour record in 1955. He finished the 72-hole Texas Open with a score of 257. This record stood for a very long time, until 2001.
• Three of the first six times a golfer scored 60 strokes in PGA Tour history happened at Brackenridge Park!
  • Al Brosch was the first to do it in 1951 during the Texas Open.
  • In 1954, Ted Kroll also scored a 60 during the Texas Open.
  • The next year, Mike Souchak started the Texas Open with a 60, on his way to his record-breaking 257 score.

The Texas Open Tournament

The Texas Open was held at Brackenridge Park many times: from 1922-1926, 1929-1932, 1934, 1939-1940, 1950-1955, and 1957-1959. There were no tournaments in 1933 and from 1935-1938.

The Texas Open was the very first professional golf tournament in Texas. It was also one of the first big golf events played during the winter. The first Open in 1922 offered a prize of $5,000, which was the largest prize money for any golf tournament at that time! In 1960, the Texas Open moved to Oak Hills Country Club, another course designed by A.W. Tillinghast.

Texas Open Winners at Brackenridge Park Golf Course

Year	Player	Country	Score	To par	1st Prize ($)	Purse ($)
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
1935–38	No tournament
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 Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.

Texas Golf Hall of Fame

The Texas Golf Walk 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 make space for the Hall of Fame, the golf course added some new features. These include a new building for events and the Texas Golf Walk of Fame.

The Texas Golf Walk of Fame is a special pathway that connects the Brackenridge Clubhouse to the Borglum Studio. Along this path, there are monuments dedicated to members of the Hall of Fame. The Cavender family, known for their car dealerships, gave $50,000 to help pay for the Walk of Fame. This donation honored their grandfather, Tod Menefee, who was a legendary golf professional.

Course Design and Features

A.W. Tillinghast originally designed Brackenridge Park Golf Course. It first opened in 1916.

Course Information

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 Renovation In 1968, Brackenridge Park Golf Course was completely updated. This was because new highways (U.S. 281 and I-35) were being built right through the back nine holes. The course lost about 10 acres of land, and some of the long holes on the back nine had to be made shorter. Architects Johnson and Dempsey and Associates, along with George A. Hoffman and Murray Brooks, redesigned these holes to fit the smaller space. They also added ponds to the course.

2008 Restoration The golf course got a big boost in 2008 with a $4.5 million renovation. Architect John Colligan worked to bring back the original design of fifteen of the 18 holes. Today, the course is 6,243 yards long from the back tees and is a par-71. It covers 113 acres of urban green space in the city.

Recognitions

Brackenridge Park Golf Course has received some special awards:

• In 2012, Golf Week magazine ranked it the 29th Best Municipal Golf Course in the United States.
• It was also ranked the 16th Best Course in Texas.