The Hermann Park municipal course in south central Houston is to be redesigned by golf course architect Jon Schmenk in a large project privately funded by Astros Golf Foundation, the body founded in 2018 by Houston Astros owner Jim Crane and by Hermann Park Conservancy.
Astros Golf Foundation backed the renovation of the Memorial Park municipal in Houston in 2019-20. Construction of the new-look course will be handled by Texan contractor Wolf Point Golf Company, headed by Don Mahaffey and his son Ryan.
Don Mahaffey built the well-known Wolf Point course in south Texas for rancher Al Stanger and got into the golf construction business after its completion, with Stanger’s support. Construction work on the Memorial Park project was also handled by Mahaffey.
The Hermann Park course dates originally from 1922 and sits on a small property. “The current course is rather cramped, so this project will see it reconstructed with the front nine consisting of all par threes and the back nine as a 3,400-yard, par 36, and the front nine will be lit for night-time play,” said Ryan Mahaffey, Wolf Point Golf Company’s president. “There will also be a large practice area, with a double-deck range similar to the one built at Memorial Park.”
Architect Jon Schmenk added: “To withstand the anticipated amount of play, the new layout will contain abundant tee space for golfers of varying skill levels, large softly contoured greens, even two double greens on the par-three course, gently rolling fairways and strategically placed hazards while trying to keep the course maintenance friendly.
“The layout will also provide plenty of challenge for the experienced golfer within a routing that preserves the large, old oak trees which should give the course an established, mature feel on opening day.”
Astros Golf Foundation supports Texas Children’s Hospital – the title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s Houston Open, which is played at Memorial Park – and the Hermann Park project aims to provide a recreational space for children undergoing treatment. The plan includes an adaptive First Tee area built with artificial turf to accommodate wheelchairs and related traffic.
“This is a great project, and we’re very proud to be involved,” said Don Mahaffey, who will serve as project manager, while Ryan leads construction in the field. “The community aspects of the project are obviously front and center, but perhaps the most interesting part of the plan from a golf design point of view is that all the ponds on the course are interconnected and designed to capture stormwater for irrigation use. This system is very similar to the one we designed and built at Memorial Park, and that helped reduce potable water use by 50 per cent. We are aiming for similar results here.”
Giles Kibbe, president of Astros Golf Foundation, said: “In order to make this a financially viable operation for the long-term we have to significantly expand the driving range, which is a significant revenue generator. We also need to increase the size of the ponds in order to create a stormwater recapture and irrigation system that is environmentally friendly, and we need to build a new clubhouse.
“Jim Crane’s goal is to provide all Houstonians with a great golf experience on a first-class facility at an affordable cost. Jim grew up as a caddie playing municipal courses, so he wants the average golfer to be able to experience a great course in first-class condition. That’s what we did at Memorial Park and that’s what we’re going to do at Hermann.”
