By Torleif Sorenson on 12/2/14

Golf course closings are a sad trend these days, but on December 11th, an historic Texas course with deep ties to the legendary golfers Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, and Sandra Palmer, will close forever.

Glen Garden Golf & Country Club opened in 1912 with a design by the architect John Bredemus. In the years following, Hogan and Nelson would caddie there and, at age 15, played in their first head-to-head competition. Meanwhile, Palmer and her family lived near the fourth hole; she would often practice on the course in the evenings.

In his later years, Nelson spoke often of the quirky arrangement on the closing nine, which featured consecutive par-5s and a pair of consecutive par-3s. Nevertheless, Glen Garden hosted several Texas Invitationals and Texas State Opens. In 1945, when Nelson won 18 consecutive tournaments, his last victory came at Glen Garden. "Lord Byron" was also present when the course re-opened after a $1.5 million renovation was completed just four days after the September 11, 2001 Islamic terrorist attacks.


But as Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News reports, membership has shrunk in the face of a long-stagnant economy and the club was up for sale over the last two years.

Now, it has been sold to investors who plan to build a bourbon distillery on the site. The club and course will close forever on December 11.

Golf writer Curt Sampson recently played Glen Garden and wrote about the experience (and the history) for GolfWorld's digital publication. It is worth a look.

And if you live in northern Texas, we hope you will also find the course work a last look before December 11. If you have ever played there, please pipe in below with your comments and/or remembrances.


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Image via Glen Garden Golf & Country Club