Best golf courses near Houston, TX

A significant renovation was completed by Tom Doak (in collaboration with Brooks Koepka) to transform the old municipal course at Memorial Park—which hosted the first Houston Open in 1947 and then again from 1951 through 1965—into a layout worthy of being a PGA Tour venue. Originally built in 1912 at a hospital near Camp Logan for recovering soldiers to use, architect John Bredemus redesigned the course in 1935 and added a second nine. Now with signature Doak green complexes and tour-level conditioning, Memorial Park is once again a must-play in the state and averages 60,000 rounds a year.

This 1926 John Bredemus-designed course has a rich history with ties to Jackie Burke, Sr. (a founder) and Jimmy Demaret (who was once the head professional). Cary Middlecoff, Betsy Rawls and Fred Couples all won tournaments here. In 2021, Tripp Davis renovated the entire course to improve drainage, add irrigation and re-emphasize the strategic thoughtfulness of the design through the shifting of greens and tees, redistributing fairway contour and moving bunkers to more impactful locations.