Club information
LocationHouston, Texas
United States
Established1908
TypePrivate
Total holes18
WebsiteHouston Country Club
Designed byTom McNamara – 1908
Robert T. Jones – 1956
(re-design)
Par72
Length6,996 yd (6,397 m) Longest hole is #12 - 597 yd (546 m)
Course rating72.9
Slope rating122

The Houston Country Club is a country club in the Tanglewood area of Houston, Texas.

History

Clubhouse of the original Houston Country Club (1908-1924)

Following the success of the first golf club organized in Houston (a nine-hole course built on 45 acres of land leased from Rice University west of the city) the Houston Country Club was chartered in 1908. Under its first president William M. Rice Jr. it purchased and developed an 18-hole course southeast of downtown Houston on 152 acres.[1] The country club moved to its current Tanglewood location in 1957. The former Houston Country Club was renamed the Houston Executive Club.

The City of Houston purchased the Houston Executive Club in 1972 and renamed it the Gus Wortham Golf Course.[2] Claudia Feldman of the Houston Chronicle said that in the 1960s Tanglewood residents mainly went to Houston Country Club exclusively, and that this was an example of the community's "clubby atmosphere".[3]

George H. W. Bush, a Tanglewood resident, often played golf and tennis at the club.[3] In the early 1960s Bush first met James A. Baker and Robert Mosbacher while playing tennis at the Houston Country Club.[4] In the 1970s Bush and Baker's friendship progressed as they played tennis doubles.[5] Bush and Baker were the winners of the club's tennis doubles championships.[6]

Around 1993 the Houston Country Club and some other area country clubs began claiming a new tax break.[7] As of 2018, the Houston Country Club has a waiting list of people who wish to enter the club.[8]

Scorecard

See also

References

  1. ^ ""A few timely comments from Mr. Wm. M. Rice", 1938" Rice History Blog. December 4, 2020.
  2. ^ "Gus Wortham Golf Course Restoration Plan." (Archive) Houston Parks and Recreation Department. August 1, 2007. Retrieved on October 15, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Feldman, Claudia. "Moving back to the 'hood . . ./CITIZEN BUSH." Houston Chronicle. Sunday December 13, 1992. Lifestyle p. 1. Retrieved on October 15, 2012.
  4. ^ Draper, Robert. "Elephant Walk Visit." Texas Monthly. August 1992. Retrieved on October 15, 2012. "On the tennis courts of the Houston Country Club, Bush, Baker, and Mosbacher met each other for the first time during the early sixties."
  5. ^ Thomas, Evan. "The Rescue Squad." Newsweek. November 20, 2006. Retrieved on October 15, 2012. "The two men became friends while playing doubles at the Houston Country Club in the 1970s"
  6. ^ Zeitlin, Maurice. "The Cabinet: A Club of the Rich and Well-Born." Newsday. February 10, 1991. Start page 40. Retrieved on October 15, 2012. "Cut from the same class mold, Bush's personal ties to the Untouchables reflect the way the men of his class mingle: Bush and [James A. Baker] belonged to the Houston Country Club and won its tennis doubles championships"
  7. ^ "Country clubs claim tax break Houston, area schools lose revenue, paper says." Associated Press at The Dallas Morning News. March 1, 1993. Retrieved on October 5, 2012. "The River Oaks Country Club, Lakeside Country Club, the Houston Country Club and the Champions Golf Club are among the private clubs claiming the special[...]"
  8. ^ Hveem, Todd. "Lakeside Country Club renovation draws rave reviews." Houston Chronicle. Wednesday December 15, 2010. Retrieved on October 15, 2012. "Lakeside, like River Oaks and Houston Country Club, has a waiting list."

External links

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29°45′47″N 95°29′20″W / 29.763°N 95.489°W / 29.763; -95.489

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