Course Review: Texas National Golf Course by Robert Henslee
Golfers: Robert Henslee, Mike Schneider, Dave Harbison
There’s a nostalgic feeling, at least for this golfer, when pulling up the heavily wooded driveway to the doors of the historic Texas National Golf Course. It’s one of the courses I played more than 20 years ago as a teenager with my father and brother. And the same course that challenged us then remains today, with features that make it a unique experience both on and off the course itself.
As legend has it, this course was inspired by a trip to Augusta National in the 1970’s. With Texas National’s rolling topography and a creek that runs through the middle of the layout, it’s not hard to see why its founders saw such similarities.
It’s what led them to build the course and establish the first Texas Golf Hall of Fame there. The hall has moved on but there are still some great old pictures of the Lone Star State’s great golfers lingering in a back room which will take you back to days gone by when golfers were allowed to wear metal spikes and when tour golfers would mix and mingle with the fans in between holes. Special thanks to Steve Shinn for showing us a bit of the history remaining there.
The 6800-yard Texas National layout is more challenging than it appears on the scorecard thanks to its pine-lined fairways and at times steep approaches. There are times when, standing on the tee box, it seems there is no wiggle room in the fairway. These are the holes I remembered from so many years ago. However, in playing TN again, I found a fair mix of tight fairways and wide landing areas. It should be no surprise that it’s the hardest shots you remember most.
When we played the course in April, the greens were in terrific shape. I dare say you won’t find better putting conditions on any public course in the Houston area. The putting lines were true, which unfortunately only reinforced my need to spend more time on the putting green. It’s hard to blame the putter when you can trust a putt to roll exactly the way it should.
The layout is a little deceiving at first. There are homes all along the fairway on the first few holes. But don’t think this is a heavily developed tract. Once you get past the first few holes, you’re deep into the Piney Woods of East Texas… some of us deeper than most! The branches and winding creek can be a problem but you certainly don’t need to worry about breaking any windows or landing in anyone’s pool on your errant tee shots.
You’ll play one of their signature holes right away. The 2nd hole is a 222-yard par 3 that forces you to carry a small pond in front of the green. It’s a challenge from the tips. We played the blue tees, which is a much more forgiving 189 yard shot. As on all of their holes, there’s a fair tee box to match up with each golfer’s ability. The white tees on no. 2 are 136 yards from tee to green but you still have to carry the water and negotiate four sand traps around the green.
The par 5 seventh hole is another challenging hole. At 589 yards, even a strong drive leaves you 200+ yards out into a small green, guarded by water on the left and in the rear. With my hook, it’s not a green that I would try for in two. And don’t be fooled by the scorecard. The long par 5 is anything but straight. It’s absolutely a hard dogleg left. You can forget about trying to reach the green on your second shot if you don’t curl your drive into the fairway from right to left.
11 and 12 are two more memorable holes. With a 50 foot drop in elevation from tee to fairway, number 11 dares you to try and carry the water that’s only 180 yards downhill. Don’t do it! Even if you clear the creek, there’s a hidden quagmire between the creek and green. Trust me, unless you are sacrificing balls to the golf gods, just lay up with an iron and play it safe.
The par 4 12th is similar to number 11, with a creek cutting across the fairway of this 400 yard par 4. If you’re like me, you learned your lesson the previous hole and decided to try a little “smart golf” here.
The final 3 holes provide a terrific finishing kick. The par 5 16th is not exceptionally long at 470 yards, but there is trouble down the entire right side. Slicers beware! Even if you don’t slice, the water comes into play in and around the right side of the green. If the pin is tucked on the right side, this approach shot is not for the faint of heart.
17 is another challenging par 3, nearly 200 yards off the blue tee box, with a creek bed that runs right up to the edge of the green. You absolutely have to carry the entire length to the green to have any shot at a par. Put it this way, between the 3 of us, we had 18 strokes (counting a few penalties) before holing out on what may be the hardest hole on the course.
The finishing hole is a reasonable 380 yard par 4. But it is straight uphill, playing more like a 430 yard bear. You’ll need a strong tee shot to have any chance of making the green in two. It’s a great hole to finish off a great round. If you par number 18, you’ve earned it!
All in all, the thing I liked most about Texas National, aside from the memories of playing it with my Dad as a teenager, is the hilly layout and the fantastic putting surface. As a Houston area golfer, you might forget how golf is played in other parts of the country. Nearly every course in this area is flat. But at TN, you’ll have to factor in the elevation on your club selection on several holes. They even have gas carts, because the battery-powered ones wouldn’t have enough juice to get you through the hilly terrain.
With some narrow fairways and ample water shots, the course is challenging yet fair for every level of golfer. Bring some extra balls if you’re not into “smart golf!” The woods are beautiful (I’ve already spent too much time searching for balls in them) and the quiet thicket makes for a wholly different experience than you’ll find anywhere else in this area.
If there’s one complaint, it’s that the fairways are a little sparse in some spots. It’s not that they weren’t green, they were just a little bumpy in places between tee and green. Still, there was plenty of grass to be found if you aren’t a stickler for a little clean-and-place action.
Regardless, I would recommend the short drive to Willis to see this historic course. You’ll enjoy the rolling hills, the impeccable greens and the downhome feel that comes along with Texas National.
