Memorial Park Golf Course is known as one of the best municipal courses in the nation and is visited by more than 60,000 patrons each year. The course originally began as a 9-hole course with sand greens, built near the hospital at Camp Logan for use by convalescent soldiers (1912). In 1935, following the closing of the hospital, golf course architect John Bredemus redesigned the course. It opened in July of 1936 and, according to legend, John Bredemus remarked that this was his “greatest golf course ever.”
Through the years, the course has hosted many famous golfers, including Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Jimmy Demaret. It was the home of the Houston Open from 1951 to 1963. In 1994, on behalf of Mayor Bob Lanier, Houston Park Board member Nancy Reynolds began a campaign to restore the golf course. Great effort went to preserving its historical quality while allowing for proper maintenance for the future of the course. In 1995, the newly renovated 600-acre course opened with a lighted driving range, putting and chipping greens, and a beautiful new clubhouse facility.
Via Memorial Park GC
The course also hosted the Houston Open in 1947.
In 2020, after a redesign by Tom Doak with input from Brooks Koepka, Memorial resumed hosting the Houston Open.
1-Average par 5 with dogleg left. Miss left, never right(OB). Green has a bit of a back stop on back left corner.
2-Two tiered green over a deep trench. If pin is located on lower tier aim for the slope and let the ball roll back to the hole.
3-Very gettable par 5. Aim over the top of the fairway bunker, and have a go at the green. Green is a bit elevated so accuracy is important. No real trouble around the green though.
4-Long par 4. Better to miss left than right off the tee. Green slopes to the right side with a large slope in the back right corner leading into a valley.
5-Short par 4 with trouble to the right and left. If you are hitting driver well you can find yourself inside 110yds to the green.
6-Dog leg left, average distance. There are two trees/bushes in the left side rough off the tee. If you hit in between these two trees you will probably not find your ball because the rough is very thick. I have made this mistake 3 times and have never been able to find my ball. OB on the right side.
7-Short par 3 with OB left and right. Misses left are more forgiving than right.
8-Straight par 5, nothing to crazy, trench runs along the left hand side, maintenance path OB to the right.
9-Par 3, two tiered green, over a very thin creek. Bunkers surround the front of the green. Enjoy the scenery on the running path to the back right of the hole ;).