Haute Spots Dallas: Inside The Brook Hollow Golf Club

Photo Credit: Brook Hollow Golf Club

Ensconced behind brick walls and towering oak trees in the dubious area between I35E and Harry Hines the average passersby would have no reason to know that some of the most important people in Dallas were relaxing just a few yards away. If you get a chance to see Brook Hollow Golf Club in person you’ll understand the motto, A tradition of excellence.

Located in a city that abounds with country clubs, Brook Hollow is undeniably the most exclusive of them all. The city’s crème de la crème, the blue-blooded families of Dallas, come to the club to golf, get married, attend charity events, network, and dine in one of the finest dining rooms in North Texas. Many of these families have been members for generations and consider Brook Hollow their second home, becoming as familiar with the employees of the club as they are of their own. Many even choose to enjoy their holiday dinners here.

Photo Credit: Beyond Event Production

Designed in 1919 A. W. Tillinghast, Brook Hollow is one of only a handful of courses that he designed in Texas. It also happens to be the first course in the United States to have had an irrigation system added to keep the greens playable. Created to be a course for the most serious golfers amongst Dallas’ elite, Tillinghast unabashedly declared that Brook Hollow would rank “among the notable modern links of the country.”

Although it has been through a revision or two it still retains the charm and complexity of the original design. This traditional course is challenging due to the tight, tree lined fairways and small greens, and gets more difficult as you play along.

Counted among the members of Brook Hollow Golf Club are former President George W. Bush, Ross Perot Sr. and Jr., Dee Wyly, and Jerry Jones. Membership starts somewhere around $100,000 but if you are a newcomer to the city (ie: you haven’t lived in Dallas for at least a decade) and you are not well connected you may find that the cost of membership triples – if you can get in at all. In fact, you’ve probably got a better chance at being invited to come as a guest than you do to get a membership here. Once you’ve paid your initiation fees there’s the monthly membership fee to keep up with. This is not a problem for Brook Hollow members whose income brackets are firmly in the 1 percent.