Recently Tom Kirkendall noted that Redstone’s new Tournament Course was open for business and he promised a first-hand review. Being quite the trooper, Tom found time in his schedule to give the course a try and he has posted the promised critique:
Several days ago, three pals and I teed it up at the Tournament Course for the first time. Although we should have had our heads examined, we decided — in order to get the full flavor of the course — that we would walk the course with caddies (in 95 degree temperature with 90% humidity!) and play the course from the tournament (i.e., the longest) tees. Inasmuch as the ground was still quite wet from a heavy rain storm the previous afternoon, we received no roll on our drives and felt like we trudged every one of the 7,500 yards of the course.
I told you he was a trooper!
Overall, the Tournament Course is an outstanding addition to the Houston golf scene. It is already a very good golf course, and has a chance to become a truly superior one. At this point, I would give the course a strong B+, but my sense is that the Houston Golf Association — which did a wonderful job refining The TPC Course in The Woodlands over the years — will make the improvements and modifications necessary to elevate the Tournament Course to one of the best golf courses in Houston and Texas. A strong golf course will not be enough alone to attract the best professional golfers back to the Shell Houston Open (a more favorable date help even more), but a strong course is a necessary component of a successful event, and the Tournament Course certainly fulfills that need.
There’s much more, of course, and he has posted beautiful photographs, too. Go check it out.
