BACK TO THE FUTURE - Westwood Golf Club

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BACK TO THE FUTURE
efore there were car radios, there
was Westwood Country Club.
Prior to the invention of 7Up or Scotch tape, famed architect John
Bredemus designed a nine-hole golf
course about 15 minutes west of downtown Houston for the 30 prominent families who founded Westwood in 1928.
Perhaps one of Houston’s most underrated historical treasures, Westwood has
the distinction of being the city’s secondoldest private club still on its original
grounds.
The back nine was added to complete
B
Westwood Golf Club
Westwood CC is one of Houston’s
most historic clubs.
Yet, 80 years after it was
founded, it is starting over with
a new name, a renovated layout
and plans for a new clubhouse.
By Mark Button
the 18-hole course in the 1950s by Ralph
Plummer, a Bredemus disciple.
Westwood played host to the Houston
Open in 1972, won by Bruce Devlin and
the 1974 LPGA S&H Green Stamps
Open, won by Carol Mann.
More recently, the club underwent a
total reconstruction by Keith Foster in
2002-04. It also took on a name change,
Westwood Golf Club, and a new focus.
It’s all about the golf.
Once a fully functional country club,
Continued on page 90
The old Westwood Country Club, which turns 80 this year, has a new name (Westwood Golf
Club), a classic layout that was recently renovated and has plans for a new clubhouse.
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Westwood Golf Club
Architect Keith Foster, who has produced top courses
around the country, led the recent renovation of the
80-year-old layout at Westwood Golf Club.
Continued from page 96
complete with indoor/outdoor tennis courts, a swimming pool, a
huge clubhouse and separate pro shops for tennis and golf,
Westwood now serves a singular purpose: to give its members a
first-rate golf experience. The club’s expansive practice area, for
example, includes a five-acre short-game area. The surprisingly
undulating course itself is highlighted by classic, squared-off tee
boxes, rolling fairways and tricky, pure-rolling greens.
When Foster, also responsible for the design of the spectacular
Tradition Course at Cypresswood, began the latest redesign, the
entire club was leveled. The clubhouse, gone. Tennis courts, gone.
Swimming pool, gone.
Westwood Country Club, gone.
What exists today is a pure golf club, a golfer’s golf course.
There are no frills, no bells or whistles. It’s just 7,184 yards of
immaculately maintained, come-and-get-it golf. Under Foster’s
direction, the contractor who did the reconstruction was Landscapes
Unlimited, the same group who built The Club at Carlton Woods,
which boasts the area’s two most pristine courses, the Jack Nicklaus
and Tom Fazio Courses. The course is ranked No. 79 in the state in
the Dallas Morning News’ Texas Golf poll.
Located near the nexus of Bissonnet and Highway 59, Westwood
is nothing less than an urban golf oasis.
“It’s basically an 80-year-old, brand new golf course,” said Gene
Potter, Westwood membership director and one of the golf pros.
“The people who come here do so for one reason—the golf.”
For the past few years, Westwood utilized a temporary clubhouse for its pro shop, dining area and administrative offices. In
January, however, the membership approved plans to build a glamorous, 12,500-square-foot clubhouse and 5,000-square-foot cart
facility for about $4.7 million. Construction is scheduled to begin in
July and is expected to be complete by August 2009, Potter said.
“This is the final piece of the reconstruction,” he said. “We
should get a bump in the interest level of the club, and we should
see a huge jump in pride from the membership.”
Near the end of the Roaring ’20s, Bredemus took on the project
after he finished building BraeBurn Country Club in 1926. Eight
years after he finished Westwood, Bredemus went on to build the
state’s best municipal course, Memorial Park. That same year, 1936,
Bredemus created what many golf purists consider to be Texas’ best
golf course, Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.
By the time the first drive was struck at Westwood, Houston
already had grown into the state’s most populated city. As Houston
Bunkers—or staying
out of them—are key
to getting around
Westwood with a
decent score.
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Westwood Golf Club
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continued to grow throughout the next 40-50 years, many affluent
impressed with the membership’s passion for restoring their course
families migrated toward the Memorial Park area and points north.
and making it better than ever.
The neighborhoods surrounding Westwood were left behind, creat“I really like how the ground was so insulated,” Foster said when
ing a challenge for the club to lure new members.
asked what attracted him to the project. “Then there was a ravine
“I remember when it seemed like Westwood was way out in the
that cuts through the property. Westwood was, at one time, considcountry,” said 70-year-old Dr. Leon Daily, who has been a member
ered a flat golf course. I saw the ravine and I thought that was a
since 1968. “It was out there with nothing around it in the early to
great opportunity to make some elevation changes.
mid-1950s. But it was always so convenient. I live in the Meyerland
“The group of guys I met there were fantastic, too. They wanted
area, southwest Houston, and Westwood is just 15 minutes away.”
to create the best course possible, a classic, old school design, someDaily, whose father-in-law has been a member for 40 years, said
thing that had more of 1920s or 1930s feel to it.”
the proximity factor was enough to outweigh the decline of the
Foster said he has always loved courses built in that era. He
neighborhood through the years.
prefers the understated nature of those classic designs, and he rebuilt
“Some of my friends have joined clubs and they’re driving 45
Westwood in that vein. Aesthetically, the course won’t “wow” many
minutes to an hour just to get there,” he said. “That’s a two-hour
golfers. Water comes into play on only seven holes, but it’s
commute every time you want to play golf.”
Westwood’s subtle nuances that makes is such a gem.
Daily loves the new course—especially the contour of the fair“Everyone is used to a lot of water features,” Foster said. “We’re
ways and the challenging bunkers—and
in a very visual time; everyone expects a
‘Back in the 1920s and lot of drama. Back in the 1920s and 1930s,
he’s excited about the new clubhouse.
Like many of the nation’s grand, old
1930s, you didn’t get hit you didn’t get hit over the head with a lot
golf courses built in the 1920s and ’30s,
of extravagant water hazards and visual
Westwood watched Houston grow in a dif- over the head with a lot of features. You’re not going to get sensory
ferent direction, leaving it in a neighbor- extravagant water hazards overload at Westwood. But when you play
hood that failed to keep pace with the
it, you realize there’s a lot more golf there
and visual features.
times. Similar situations have occurred in
than you ever thought.”
Atlanta with East Lake Golf Club, home
of those design subtleties—a comYou’re not going to get monOne
of the PGA Tour Championship, and in
denominator throughout the parkland
sensory overload at
Dallas with Brook Hollow Golf Club.
track—is the challenging makeup of the
Through community revitalization, the
complexes. Most of the putting surWestwood. But when you green
neighborhood surrounding Westwood is
faces are elevated. Aggressive, pin-seekbeing restored and looks to be moving a
play it, you realize there’s ing players can be penalized should they
positive direction. Just a block from
take too much club on approach shots.
a lot more golf there than “If you’re above the hole or if you play
Westwood is the Higher Dimension
Church, built in 2003. Pastor Terrance H.
aggressively over the greens and have to
you ever thought.’
Johnson and his congregation moved into
chip back,” Foster explained, “you always
the place of worship after spending its first four years inside a nearhave a treacherous chip or putt coming back. All the old golf courses
by elementary school.
back in the day had greens that were more ‘pitchy’ and ‘slopey.’
In fact, the southwest part of Houston has been growing quickly
That’s certainly a characteristic of Westwood.”
in the past few years, as evidenced by the recent announcement of
Another Foster-inspired element of the course is mounding that
Minute Maid moving its offices to the Sugar Land area.
encases the perimeter of the property, which measures about 157
When Westwood first approached Foster, he said several factors
acres. To keep the golfers’ focus on golf and not on its surroundattracted him to the project. He said he loved the land and was
ings—there is not a single home on the course—Foster created tall
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Westwood Golf Club
grass mounds between the exterior holes and the property’s edge.
Carlton Woods.
Because of the ravine that dissects the course, Foster was able to
“I’ve always thought that bunkers were half-shot penalties,”
achieve the perimeter mounding effect without moving significant
Foster said. “At a lot of places, when you get into a fairway bunker,
amounts of dirt.
you can just advance the ball pretty far. If you play a great golf
“The ravine allowed me to drop everything around it,” he said.
course, like Oakmont, when you get into a fairway bunker you can
“The holes closest to the ravine, Nos. 6, 7, 8 and 11, I lowered by
advance the ball, but not very far. You’re not going to take 3-iron or
three to four feet. On the perimeter holes, I raised those holes three
4-iron and hit it on the green.”
to four feet to try and create more elevation change. We took all the
That was the case last year at Westwood during a Women’s U.S.
excess dirt, debris, concrete and trash and threw it on the perimeter
Open Regional Qualifier. One of the top amateur players in the
and then we capped it and buried it.”
country found a fairway bunker on the ninth hole. Trying to reach
The result provides a peaceful, uninterrupted experience. There
the green, she caught the lip of the bunker several times before she
are countless spots where, while you’re chasfinally escaped the hazard. The unfortunate
ing those birdies and eagles, you can forget
incident all but ended her hopes of qualifyhow close you are to downtown, the Galleria
‘I’ve always thought ing.
area and the Medical Center.
Anyone who has played Westwood will
that bunkers were
A peek at the scorecard might suggest an
tell you to play conservatively from the fairopportunity for red numbers right away.
way traps—take your medicine—and try to
half-shot
While that is technically true, the 537-yard,
get the half-stroke penance back somewhere
par-5 opening hole is not nearly as easy as the
else.
penalties...you’re
yardage might suggest. The green is elevated,
Westwood’s first three holes were
not going to take
making club choice tricky, and it’s guarded by
touched the least by Foster in the redesign.
two bunkers on the right and one large trap on
3-iron or 4-iron and He said he added five completely new holes
the left.
and changed many of the rest significantly.
hit it on the green.’
Danger lurks before you even see the
After the par-3 third, a 183-yarder with
green, however. For starters, the first hole
water short, left and behind the green,
plays into prevailing winds. There’s also a
golfers are introduced to Foster’s first major
small pond right of the fairway about 315
thumbprint.
yards out. It’s hidden from view of the tee box and is more of a secHe moved the green about 30 yards to the left, creating more of
ond-shot hazard for most players.
a dogleg-left flow to the hole. Tree-lined on both sides with out of
What is in plain sight is the deep, steep-faced fairway bunker on
bounds stakes to the right, the final 200 yards of the fairway
the left about 285 yards from the tee box. During Foster’s three-year
ascends about 20 feet until it rises again for the elevated green.
redesign, he added about 16 bunkers to give Westwood a total of 61
The next hole starts what might be the best stretch of holes on
traps. Almost a third of those hazards are found in or adjacent to
the course. No. 5, a 328-yard par-4, can be played a myriad of
fairways. All of them are nasty.
ways. The hole basically is straight, but the fairway zigzags, first
In most cases, the best shot available is to wedge out and hope
right, then back left. Foster pinched the short grass tight and placed
to advance your ball 30-40 yards. The severity of the fairway traps
three cavernous bunkers about 160 yards out. The fairway slopes to
at Westwood is nearly equal to the most penal bunkers in this part
the left, so most shots kick that direction.
of the country—the diabolical fairway traps on the Fazio Course at
Foster said he always has been a fan of risk-reward holes,
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Westwood Golf Club
Carol Mann won the 1974 LPGA S&H Green
Stamps Open at Westwood Country Club.
and the short, par-4 fifth at Westwood is a prime of example.
“I set the bunkering on the inside turn, so if you feel like going at
it, you just go over the bunkers to try and go at the green,” he said.
“Depending on whatever tees you play, based on your skill set, you
have the same risk and reward as anyone. It’s the same deal, based
on yardage. So everyone, when they get off the tee, will have two or
three ways to play No. 5.”
The sixth hole offers another set of risks. The 560-yard par-5
requires a drive that must carry the ravine while avoiding all the
overhanging trees on either side of the fairway’s opening. The hole
sweeps to the right—the fairway slopes left to right—and the ravine
tracks up the entire right side. Local knowledge becomes an advantage, as two steep cross bunkers preempt the fairway about 90 yards
short of the green.
Depending on the result of their drives, players must decide
whether to lay up short of the bunkers or carry them. Foster’s “halfshot penalty” philosophy definitely is in play for shots that find
either cross bunker. Like so many others, No. 6 has an elevated
green, and it’s protected by two traps in front and the tree-lined
ravine to the right.
Players cross the ravine to play No. 7, a 445-yard dogleg-left with
the most elevation change on the course. The fairway rises about 2530 feet from the tee box and reaches its apex about 245 yards out. A
large, deep fairway bunker to the right marks the top of the hill, then
the land falls about 40 feet before rising again to an elevated green.
There’s also water in play for drives that drift too far right.
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Westwood Golf Club
Foster planted tall, native grasses and used mounding and
classic bunkering when renovating Westwood’s classic layout.
The back nine is highlighted by another three-hole stretch, Nos. 12-14.
The par-5 12th measures 584 yards
and makes a near-90-degree turn to the
left, wrapping around a long, skinny pond
that isn’t clearly visible from the tee. A
fairway bunker rests on the right side,
about 280 yards out. Big hitters can draw
their drives off the bunker and shape the
shot around the lake. The well-protected
green features two sand traps on the left
and another on the right.
Next is another of Foster’s favorites,
the second par 4 that can be reached with
powerful drives. The 345-yard par-4
slightly resembles No. 5, with cross
MARCH 2008
‘It’s basically an
80-year-old, brand new
golf course. The people who
come here do so for one
reason—the golf.’
—Gene Potter,
Westwood GM
bunkers and pinched fairway positioned
about 260 yards from the tee.
“Those cross bunkers are set up so that
from the tee, you can play short of the
bunkers with an iron and not even think
about them,” Foster said. “But if you’re
killing it, you can take driver and go over
them. If you carry those bunkers, the
ground feeds straight into the green
because the bunkers are on higher ground
than the green.”
At 500 yards, the 14th hole might
make some do a double-take when looking at the scorecard. Yes, it’s a par-4. It
plays downwind, but the straight-away
hole takes two firmly struck shots to pro-
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Westwood Golf Club
vide a birdie putt. There’s water in play up the right side for
the final 80 yards.
With four sets of tee markers, Westwood is playable for
golfers of all skill levels. More than that, with varying wind
directions, the course can challenge all golfers from any set
of tees.
“The course changes from every set of tees,” general
manager Jay Haffner said. “It doesn’t matter if I play all the
way back or all the way up, it will test my game.”
Westwood has had a long, proud history. Many courses
have come and gone throughout the years, but Westwood
managed to survive, despite the direction of Houston’s
growth. With a fantastic new layout, a luxurious clubhouse
on the way and an improving neighborhood, the golf club’s
popularity and success appear to be headed toward an alltime high. HL
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Westwood Golf Club
8888 Country Creek Drive
www.wwgolfclub.com
713-774-3011
Course Architects: John Bredemus
(1928), Ralph Plummer (1957), Keith
Foster (2004)
Opened: 1928
General Manager: Jay Haffner
Membership Director: Gene Potter
Director of Instruction: Mark Nye
Greens: MiniVerde Bermuda
Fairways: TiffSport Bermuda
Location: Near the intersection of
U.S. 59 and Bissonnet.
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