Champions Golf Club

Champions Golf Club is a 36-hole private golf club located in Houston, Texas. Established in 1957 by multiple major champions Jack Burke, Jr. and Jimmy Demaret, who were both raised in the city, Champions carries a long history for Houston golf. Burke (b.1923) won the Masters and PGA Championship in 1956 and Demaret (1910–1983) was the first to win three Masters (1940, 1947, 1950).

Champions Golf Club
Club information
Location in the United States
Location in Texas
Coordinates29.983°N 95.531°W / 29.983; -95.531
Established1957, 64 years ago
TypePrivate
Total holes36
Tournaments hosted1967 Ryder Cup
1969 U.S. Open
Tour Championship (5)
Houston Open (5)
1993 U.S. Amateur
2020 U.S. Women's Open
Website
Cypress Creek
Designed byRalph Plummer (1959)
Par71
Length7,301 yd (6,676 m)
Course rating75.1 [1]
Slope rating135 [1]
Jackrabbit
Designed byGeorge Fazio and
Tom Fazio (renovation)
Par71
Length7,021 yd (6,420 m)
Course rating74.2 [2]
Slope rating135 [2]

The Cypress Creek course was designed by Ralph Plummer and opened for play 62 years ago in 1959. It was the site of the 1967 Ryder Cup, 1969 U.S. Open, five PGA Tour Championships, and the U.S. Amateur in 1993. It also hosted the Houston Champions International on the PGA Tour five times, which is now the Houston Open.

In 2018, the Cypress Creek course temporarily closed for a renovation in advance of hosting the 2020 US Women's Open. The renovation was completed by architect Chet Williams, known for his work across Texas including the design of Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, TX.

The first hole of the recently renovated Cypress Creek course.

The second course is the Jackrabbit course, which is used in qualifying rounds for the various USGA Championships the club has hosted, while Cypress Creek is the primary tournament venue. In 2020, golfers for the U. S. Women's Open will play one round at Jackrabbit and three rounds at Cypress Creek. The Jackrabbit course opened in 1964 and was designed by George Fazio, later renovated by nephew Tom Fazio.

The competitive course record at Cypress Creek is held by Chad Campbell, who shot a 10-under-par 61 in the third round en route to winning the Tour Championship in 2003,[3][4] the last held at Champions.

Tournaments

The club also hosts the Champions Cup Invitational, one of the premiere two-man best-ball amateur events, since 1961.


Notable History

Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan was a frequent visitor to Champions and played in several tournaments hosted at the club. He played the last tournament of his career on the Cypress Creek course in 1971 after making a quintuple-bogey on Hole #4, a challenging par 3. Hogan hit his tee shot into the vegetation on the bank of the Cypress Creek and injured his knee searching for his ball. After deeming it unplayable, he returned to the tee box and hit two more shots into the Creek. He played his seventh shot onto the green and two putt for a score of 9. [5]

Hole 4 on the Cypress Creek course at Champions Golf Club

Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson visited Champions Golf Club in 1999 for putting lessons from Jackie Burke. Mickelson quipped that Billy Ray Brown warned him about missing short putts in front of Jackie, because Burke was notorious for punching unsuspecting students saying "It's got to hurt when you miss those!"[6]

References
  1. "Course Rating and Slope Database™ - Champions GC - Cypress Creek". USGA. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  2. "Course Rating and Slope Database™ - Champions GC - Jackrabbit". USGA. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  3. "Mmm, mmm, good! Campbell takes over tournament with 61". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). wire reports. November 9, 2003. p. C2.
  4. "Campbell wins Tour Championship going away". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire reports. November 10, 2003. p. E2.
  5. Pelham, Bill (2019). Burke and Demaret. PageTurner, Press and Media. p. 30. ISBN 9781643762821.
  6. Pelham, Bill (2019). Burke and Demaret. PageTurner, Press and Media. p. 196. ISBN 9781643762821.


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