Houston PGA TOUR host Redstone Golf Club receives name change by new ownership

Next year's Shell Houston Open will be staged at the Golf Club of Houston. No that's not a new club in the Houston area, it's simply the new name of the former 36-hole Redstone Golf Club, which was purchased by Escalante Golf from The Redstone Cos. nearly nine months ago.

According to the deal, Escalante, which is based in Ft. Worth, Texas, had nine months to come up with a new name. After deliberating for the past two months on names that reflected Houston's heritage, industry and various animals and birds, senior officials settled on one that reflected the city and the fact that the club is all about golf.

"We selected the name 'Golf Club of Houston' as it conveys precisely what it is — a pure golf experience that focuses on golf at every level from beginner programs at The First Tee of Greater Houston to hosting one of the premier events on the PGA Tour," said David McDonald, president of the Escalante in a prepared statement.

Dave Matheson, who is one of the company's four partners, said the company unveiled the new name to its members on Thursday night before conducting a formal press conference on Friday. He said that members seemed to largely support the new name of the 36-hole club, which has played host to the PGA Tour event since 2002.

"At the end of the day, we're not inventing fire or sending a man to the moon," said Matheson, VP of corporate communications and marketing. "We're just changing the name of the place."

The purchase agreement also requires Escalante to change the name of the Houstonian Golf & Country Club because the Redstone Cos. still owns the Houstonian Hotel, Spa and Conference Center, which was affiliated with the golf course.

As of Friday, the company website already reflected the name change, and the golf shop at Redstone was already carrying its first shipment of logoed apparel and merchandise. And while the logo reflects the new name, it did retain the arrowhead in the old Redstone logo.

Besides the new name and logo, everything else remains the same at Redstone Golf Club. The Member Course, which hosted the tournament the first four years until the Tournament Course opened in 2005, is still private. Designed by Rees Jones and David Toms, the Tournament Course is still open to the public. Regarded as one of the best conditioned courses on tour, the course hosts the SHO the week before the Masters, April 3-6.

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New South Wales Golf Club

Pipped by the outrageously spectacular 5th hole last time, the 6th at New South Wales garnered the most votes of any hole this year and rightly joins its infamous sibling in the Hall of Fame. Added by Eric Apperly sometime after Dr. Alister MacKenzie left Australia, the hole plays directly across the ocean to a green angled toward the water. There are few more breathtaking par threes anywhere in the world, and no self-respecting catalogue of great Aussie holes is complete without it.

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Chambers Bay Golf Course

Almost all new golf courses arrive with a splash, but few can claim the worldwide imprint of the newly formed Chambers Bay at University Place, Washington. 

Built in 2007, the Scottish Links-style public golf course was designed by noted course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. His objective was to create a unique golf experience, to put as many holes as possible alongside the sound, to build a course enjoyable for all skill levels but demanding enough for the world’s best players under major championship conditions. His creation immediately was hailed a success. By locating the clubhouse on the far side of the course, away from the water, he has maximized use of the shoreline for the course itself while offering stunning views of the sound for golfers and those in the clubhouse as well. By making it a walking-only course, it gives the feel of the classics of golf, though less than five years old. There are no distractions, not too many add-ons, just a great course ready to be enjoyed.

Right off the bat at the 1st hole, the player gets a clear understanding of the visual treat they are in for. As they tee off, a 50 foot-high-dune lay to the right with the backdrop of the dark blue Puget Sound for added effect. The par-4 5th hole, nicknamed “Free Fall,” is perhaps the most memorable as it plummets 80 feet from the tee to the two separate greens 150 yards apart. To reach the furthest green, a player can use a low-running approach to find the putting surface. While on the closer green, the player needs a more cautious approach due to its ominous sand dunes. 

One notable golf publication voted it as the ‘best new course of 2007’ and when looking around at the scenery, a golfing enthusiast can’t help but feel that they are playing in Ireland. The giant sand dunes, rumpled fairways, breathtaking sea views and unpredictable weather give a Celtic-like atmosphere more than 5,000 miles away from the homeland of four-leaf clovers. 

You may know it more as a course that hosted the 2010 U.S. Amateur and it is scheduled to host the 2015 U.S. Open, which will be the first-time the event will be held in the Pacific Northwest. But you should also know it as one of the must-play venues in the entire country, a must play for every golfer’s bucket list. So check out one of the nation’s true golfing gems, no golfer will walk away disappointed. 

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