
Darren Carroll for Golf Digest

Darren Carroll for Golf Digest
Colonial Country Club
Colonial Country Club
3735 Country Club Cir
Fort Worth, TX 76109-1099
United States
Overview
We give credit to Texas golf historian Frances G. Trimble for establishing the fact that Perry Maxwell, not John Bredemus, originally designed Colonial Country Club for Fort Worth businessman Marvin Leonard. Both architects submitted routings. Maxwell’s was used, while Bredemus supervised construction. Colonial sported the first bentgrass greens in Texas when it opened in 1936. In 1939, the USGA awarded Colonial its 1941 U.S. Open, the first ever in Texas, so Leonard brought Maxwell back to toughen the course. He added 56 bunkers and created the present par-3 fourth and par-4 fifth (two of the famed Horrible Horseshoe trio of holes) and a par-3 13th (since replaced following a 1968 rechanneling of the Trinity River). Keith Foster’s 2008 restoration wasn’t to everyone’s satisfaction. In 2023, Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner initiated a warp-speed, total renovation of the design using Maxwell's 1941 modifications as a roadmap, a similar treatment they implemented when remodelinig Maxwell's Southern Hills in 2018, on display at the 2022 PGA Championship. This ranking does not reflect the Hanse/Wagner work: Their changes will be revealed in the 2027-'28 results.
About
Awards


Ranking history:
Second 100 Greatest: Ranked since 2013.
Highest ranking: 142nd, 2013-'14.
Previous ranking: 184th.
2025-'26 ranking: 182nd.
100 Greatest: Ranked 1969 through 2008.
Highest ranking: 22nd, 1985-'86.
Best in State: Top 5 in state since 1977, ranked 1st in state 1985-2003, ranked 4th in state 2013-'22. Ranked fifth, 2023 to current.
2025-'26 ranking (and previous): Fifth.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Located in Fort Worth, Texas, this private course was completely renovated in 2024 by Gil Hanse to restore it to the original Perry Maxwell and John Bredemus(1935) design. It features bent grass greens that are protected by an underground water cooling and heating system under each green. Course conditioning is pristine. Tree lined fairways with penal rough makes this a challenging par 70 championship course.The course hosted the 1941 US open and hosts the Charles Schwab Challenge annually."
Read More2025
Review
“Perry Maxwell design, undergoing Gil Hanse restoration...same combo as Southern Hills recent restoration. Should be a good one!"
Read More2023
Review
“Overrated course with a boring layout."
Read More2018
Review
“Great club with tons of history and a fantastic design. The upcoming Gil Hanse restoration will only make it better."
Read More2018
Review
“The club has a lot of history and has been a fixture on the PGA tour for decades. Nice setting with lots of tree lined holes and good design variety. The clubhouse and course make this a really fun experience."
Read More2018
Review
“Budget a little extra time for a clubhouse tour - they have some great memorabilia. Solid course that requires shotmaking to score well. Very enjoyable day of golf."
Read More2018