Around the Green

The 104th Texas Amateur presented by Insperity will be contested at Lakeside Country Club in Houston from June 13-16, 2013. The championship will boast a field of 144 of the best players looking to take possession of the state’s most coveted amateur prize, the H.L. Edwards Memorial Trophy.

 

This will be the first time Lakeside has hosted the Texas Amateur, although the club has been the site of numerous USGA events over the years, including U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying, and has a well-earned reputation for supporting the game at the professional, amateur, and junior level.

To be eligible for the Texas Amateur applicants must be male amateur golfers with a GHIN Handicap index of 6.4 or less; belong to a club that is a member in good standing of the Texas Golf Association; and be current residents of the state of Texas.

 

For those not otherwise exempt into the starting field, 18 hole qualifying will be held at various sites across the state during the months of April and May. Entries for the championship will open at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, January 28, 2013.

 

Lakeside, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2012, was designed by Ralph Plummer and opened for play in the summer of 1952. Plummer, who was born and raised in Fort Worth, had a reputation for being an “on-site” designer who loved to plan, strategize, and visualize his work with input from clients and associates.
Plummer made the most of the natural features and elements available to him at Lakeside, which was built on the property then known as Pine Lake Farm, resulting in a stern test for tournament play and an interesting, challenging, yet playable course from the forward tees for the recreational player.

 

In the late 1980s, the club hired noted architect Ron Pritchard to modernize the course, while staying mindful of the original parkland style layout. Pritchard returned to Lakeside in 2010 for some additional upgrades.
This time Pritchard oversaw a four-month renovation project that included bunker restoration and modification, adding nine new tee complexes which lengthened the course some 250 yards, and aggressive tree trimming to help improve sight lines and course conditioning.

 

After the upgrades, Lakeside now measures 7,254 yards from the back tees with a USGA Course/Slope Rating of 75.3/141, and will most assuredly test the mettle of the state’s top amateurs.

 

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