Colonial Country Club (Fort Worth)

Colonial Country Club
Club information
Location Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Established 1936, 80 years ago
Type Private
Total holes 18
Tournaments hosted Dean & DeLuca Invitational (1946-present)
1941 U.S. Open
1975 Players Championship
1991 U.S. Women's Open
Website colonialfw.com
Designed by John Bredemus &
Perry Maxwell
Par 70
Length 7,209 yards (6,592 m)[1]
Course rating 75.1
Slope rating 138[2]
Course record 61 - six PGA Tour pros[1]
Colonial CC
Location in the United States
Colonial CC 
Location in Texas

Colonial Country Club is a private golf club in Fort Worth, Texas. It hosts an annual PGA Tour event, currently called the Dean & DeLuca Invitational, the longest running non-major PGA Tour event held at the same site. The golf course is located on the south bank of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, just northwest of the campus of Texas Christian University.

History

Colonial Country Club was started 80 years ago in 1936 by Marvin Leonard, who had a keen interest in bringing bentgrass greens to his hometown of Fort Worth. When his initial plans to install bentgrass greens at an already existed Fort Worth golf club failed, Leonard came up with his vision for Colonial Golf Club. His vision became a reality in January 1936 when the club opened with approximately 100 members.

In the late 1930s, Leonard began talks with the United States Golf Association (USGA) to conduct the U.S. Open at Colonial. After guaranteeing the USGA $25,000, Colonial was granted the rights to the 1941 U.S. Open, won by Craig Wood.[3][4]

In 1942, Leonard decided to sell the club to the members of Colonial. His first attempt to sell to the members was rejected, but he eventually sold the club to the members on December 31, 1942, when it took its current name, Colonial Country Club.[5]

The course

The golf course at Colonial Country Club was designed by John Bredemus of Texas and Perry Maxwell of Oklahoma. The par-70 course, currently at 7,209 yards (6,592 m), is bordered on the northern edge by the Trinity River (Clear Fork) with the rest of the course surrounded by the neighboring residential area. The course length in 1941 was 7,035 yards (6,433 m),[1][6] considerably long for the era.

In addition to the annual PGA Tour event, the course has hosted three major or significant professional golf events: the 1941 U.S. Open, the 1975 Tournament Players Championship (won by Al Geiberger),[7] and the 1991 U.S. Women's Open (won by Meg Mallon).[8]

Course layout

Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in 2012[1]

Hole123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal
Yards5653894832474814064401994073,6174086354451904644301923874413,5927,209
Par544344434354543443443570


The course has the following ratings and slopes:[2]

  • Black: 75.1 / 138
  • Blue:  73.5 / 134
  • Gold:  72.0 / 131
  • White: 69.7 / 127
  • Women's: 74.8 / 137

Course record

The course record is 61, co-held by six PGA Tour pros: Keith Clearwater, Lee Janzen, Greg Kraft, Justin Leonard, Kenny Perry, and Chad Campbell.[1]

Colonial Tournament

The Colonial golf tournament has been held every year since 1946, with exceptions in 1949 (flooding of the Trinity River) and 1975, when the club hosted the second Tournament Players Championship.

The most noteworthy winner of the tournament is Ben Hogan; the late Fort Worth resident won five times, which earned the course the nickname "Hogan's Alley." Other notable winners include Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper (twice), Lee Trevino (twice), Ben Crenshaw (twice), Al Geiberger, Bruce Lietzke (twice), Jack Nicklaus, Peter Jacobsen, Lanny Wadkins, Ian Baker-Finch, Tom Lehman, Corey Pavin (twice), Tom Watson, Phil Mickelson (twice), Sergio García, Nick Price (twice), Kenny Perry (twice), and Zach Johnson (twice)).

The current tournament record is 259, shot by Zach Johnson in 2010. Kenny Perry holds the 54-hole record of 192 which he shot in 2005. In 2011, David Toms set the 36-hole record with a 124. The 18-hole record of 61 is held by 6 players. The front nine and back nine records are both 28, held by Wayne Levi and Keith Clearwater, respectively.

From 2007 through 2015, the tournament was sponsored by Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts and called the "Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial." Previous title sponsors include Southwestern Bell, MasterCard, and Bank of America. It became the "Dean & DeLuca Invitational" in 2016; Dean & DeLuca is a chain of upscale grocery stores headquartered in Wichita, Kansas.

Trivia

Further reading

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Inside the course: Colonial Country Club". PGA Tour. May 23, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Course Rating and Slope Database™: Colonial Country Club". USGA Tour. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  3. Ferguson, Harry (June 8, 1941). "Wood's 284 wins Open golf title". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. p. 5 section 4.
  4. "Craig Wood cards 284 to triumph in National Open tournament at Fort Worth". Youngstown Vindicator. Ohio. Associated Press. June 8, 1941. p. D2.
  5. "History: In the Beginning". Colonial Country Club. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  6. Considine, Bob (June 6, 1941). "Shute tops Open field with 69". Milwaukee Sentinel. INS. p. B3.
  7. "Al Geiberger gets $50,000 for his record". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. August 25, 1975. p. 1C.
  8. Shatel, Tom (July 15, 1991). "Mallon drums up 2nd major". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. (Dallas Morning News). p. C1.
  9. DiMeglio, Steve (May 18, 2011). "Colonial's Horseshoe was good luck for Zach Johnson". USA Today. Retrieved May 18, 2011.

External links

Coordinates: 32°43′08″N 97°22′16″W / 32.719°N 97.371°W / 32.719; -97.371

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