DALLAS, Texas – The recent reopening of the Dallas Athletic Club Gold Course, gives the longtime Dallas private club powerhouse two outstanding courses, both of championship caliber for a fast-growing North Texas membership.
The Gold Course, along with the adjacent Blue course which hosted the 1963 PGA Championship, originally opened in 1989 as a Jack Nicklaus layout. The multi-million dollar renovation, which reopened Feb. 1 to limited play, came from longtime Nicklaus associate Chet Williams, who has operated his own Texas architectural firm for more than a decade.
“I always felt this was a good course, but now it feels and acts like a championship course,” said DAC head professional Lance Patterson. “The movement on the course feels outstanding and the finishing stretch is simply great.”
The Gold Course remains a par 72 test of golf, stretching 7,085 yards from the back tees, but Williams totally redesigned seven holes, 3,5-7 and 16-18, while adding bent grass 007 XL grass to all the greens. He refurbished the bunkers, added 11 trees to the property while taking away others plus restoring a sense of challenge and strategy to the entire layout.
“We wanted to have a championship feel to the course, changing some holes, renovating others and really giving members and their guests a chance for enjoyment and challenge,” said Williams, who is the designer of the No. 1 private course in Texas, Whispering Pines in Trinity, along with several other award-winning designs.
While the championship tees were moved back on several of the holes, the biggest changes come on several of the greens with added slope and movement. There is also water on nine of the holes with some of the watery features shrunk or enhanced.
In addition a new cart path was installed to the entire Gold layout, the tees were leveled, and bunkers filled with Arkansas Premium Play sand.
“We are so pleased with what Chet did as a testament to the championship character here,” said DAC general manager Brent Burkhart.
Starting with the sunken Biarritz green on the par 4 14th hole and the sneaky short, but dangerous par 3 15th, the redesigned layout turns especially memorable for the finish.
The 16th is a long par 5 with bunkers, hidden from view off the tee, to the right of the landing area. There is water on the right side of the fairway with a large pond in front of the green and the bank in front it shaved down to repel any short shots into the water, much like No. 15 at Augusta National.
The par 3 17th has a running creek slicing along the right side with a large lake behind the green. The 18th is a par 4, 455 yards from the back tees, with water visible from the tee on both sides and with large greenside bunkers.
“We finally have the tools to maintain the course the way we should to showcase it,” said DAC superintendent Travis Moore.
For more information on the new DAC Gold Course, the historic Blue and the 300-acre entire complex, go to www.dallasathleticclub.org
