The Hermann Park municipal course in south central Houston is to be wholly reimagined 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,” says 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 Schmenk says: “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,” says 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.”
“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 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,” says Giles Kibbe, president of Astros Golf Foundation. “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.”
ABOUT WOLF POINT GOLF COMPANY
Don Mahaffey constructed the critically acclaimed Wolf Point Club for ranch owner Al Stanger, and, afterwards, got into the golf contracting business with Stanger’s backing. Though Al died in 2016, his vision still endures; Don and Wolf Point Golf Company staff, headed by his son Ryan, the company’s president, bring an end user perspective to every project.
WPGC uses all available technology to manage and construct the best possible golf course; we also believe that technology must be used practically and be applied in a creative manner. Too often we see courses over-engineered at great expense, but with no real value added to experiencing the game itself. WPGC’s name is not accidental; it is a golf company, not a construction firm, which exists because its principals love the game of golf, golf courses, and those who play the game. Each project is a “golf project” not a “construction project”. Staff are encouraged to experience the game by constantly studying golf courses, learn from those building and designing courses, and most of all playing at the unique golf courses around the world.
