In contact sports, it’s said the most important ability is availability. In real estate, it’s location, location, location.
Chet Williams had both things going for him 21 years ago when he first stepped foot on what would become Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity. Williams at the time was a design associate for Jack Nicklaus. He had worked on eight to 10 courses for Nicklaus by then.
So when Corby Robertson called Nicklaus Design looking for an architect to help him shape the rugged property near Lake Livingston into a top-tier golf course, Williams got the call. His home near Waco was just a 21/2-hour drive away. Any of the other designers would have come from Florida, which meant a flight to Houston and then a nearly two-hour drive up Interstate 45.
It’s hard to imagine it working out better for Williams or Robertson. After dropping to No. 3 in The Dallas Morning News’ Texas Golf rankings last year, Whispering Pines has returned to No. 1 for the 12th time. It replaces Dallas National, No. 1 in 2019 and 2020 and the only other course to top the rankings since Whispering Pines was first ranked No. 1 in 2006.
The Clubs at Houston Oaks in Hockley, another Williams design, dropped from second to third.
Tempest Golf Course, the Jeffrey D. Brauer renovation in Gladewater that was the No. 2 new course last year, made its debut at No. 42. It was one of six courses ranked in the top 100 for the first time. The others: Texarkana Golf Ranch (64), Legacy Hills Golf Course (83), Rockwood Golf Course in Fort Worth (84), Squaw Creek Golf Club in Willow Park (89) and Sugar Land Country Club (99).
Whispering Pines is held in high regard outside the state as well. It is in a rotation with Tulsa’s Southern Hills and Prairie Dunes in Kansas to host the Big 12 tournament. It also hosts the biennial Spirit International featuring many of the best young amateurs in the world. Head pro Chris Rowe said the U.S. Golf Association made a site visit recently to consider the course for the Walker Cup.
“They were wowed,” he said.
Whispering Pines, which opened in 1999, closed in late December 2019 for a bit of a face-lift. It reopened Oct. 1, 2020. Rowe compared the renovation to building a new house after living in another one for 20 years.
“You’d do everything you wanted to make it better,” he said.
Williams, Rowe and director of agronomy Michael Dieckhoff joined Robertson on the course to critique each hole for possible changes.
Rowe said his ideas were to make the experience better for members, and Williams’ ideas involved moving tees back to make the course tougher for tournaments. What they agreed upon was to the need to replace the aging Bermuda grass fairways with zoysia.
Williams and Rowe agreed the new grass, not the bunkers that were reshaped or changes to greens to allow for more pin placements, is what most players will notice.
“The differences are subtle,” Williams said. “I don’t think most people will pick up on them.”
Said Rowe, “The golf course plays identical to how it’s always played. It’s firm and fast with zoysia. It’s just better.”
Zoysia allows for consistent lies, something players of all abilities appreciate. The 300 members and guests play about 12,000 rounds per year, Rowe said. The course does not get beat up.
“The conditions are always perfect when you show up,” Rowe said. “That’s how we want it.”
And that is a major reason Whispering Pines sits atop the Texas Golf rankings again.
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The Link LonkMay 09, 2021 at 11:49PM
https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/golf/2021/05/09/whispering-pines-fresh-from-renovations-returns-to-no-1-spot-in-the-dallas-morning-news-texas-golf-course-rankings/
Whispering Pines, fresh from renovations, returns to No. 1 spot in The Dallas Morning News' Texas Golf course rankings - The Dallas Morning News
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