A golf course which once hosted the PGA Championship has seen better days
The Pecan Valley Country Club in San Antonio is unrecognisable today(Image: KENS 5 San Antonio)
A course once seen as the crown jewel of Texas golf is now an unrecognisable and overgrown mess. The Pecan Valley Country Club in San Antonio in its heyday was a 7,010-yard beast that brought the world’s best golfers to their knees.
But today it lies in ruin, resembling a jungle of tangled weeds and decaying fairways as opposed to the perfectly mown lawns associated with a top golf course. Located on the east side of San Antonio, the once scenic 18-hole course opened in 1963.
Designed by James Press Maxwell, Pecan Valley was built as the ultimate test of skill. Its defining moment came just five years later when it hosted the 1968 PGA Championship.
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Julius Boros made history in the blistering Texas heat, winning aged 48 to become the oldest major winner – a record which lasted until Phil Mickelson’s success in 2021. Boros secured his title by a single stroke, edging out Arnold Palmer, who missed a crucial par putt on the 18th hole.
Arnold Palmer during Sunday play at Pecan Valley CC, San Antonio, in 1968 (Image: Getty)
The course at that time was filled with mature pecan trees and punishing hazards. It also hosted the Texas Open and the 2001 US Amateur Public Links. Yet, even after golf course designer Bob Cupp led a major renovation in 1998, the club couldn’t escape its fate.
It officially ceased operations in January 2012, making it the first major venue in modern history to be abandoned. It was left to be reclaimed by nature, and passers by today would be forgiven for failing to realise it once hosted a major.
The grass and hedges are now overgrown(Image: KENS 5 San Antonio)
Nature has reclaimed the footpaths(Image: KENS 5 San Antonio)
That’s because several of the buildings, including the clubhouse, now lie in a derelict state. The shrubs and hedges are overgrown, spilling onto the footpaths.
Some of the pathways are blocked by branches, with certain areas more closely resembling a jungle. Only the bridges remain entirely intact with creaks flowing below.
Some areas resemble a jungle(Image: KENS 5 San Antonio)
A portion of what was formerly Pecan Valley has since become a middle school and a residential space. In recent years, an initiative named The Valor Club has also sought to renovate a 215-acre section of the golf course to create housing for army veterans and their families.
It aims to combine affordable housing, a nine-hole adaptive golf course and a Paralympic training centre (Valordome) to create a supportive and active community.
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