Memorial Park Golf Course

Houston, Texas

When lightning strikes, a golfer is faced with 3 options:

1. Wait it out

2. Quit and go home

3. Head to the clubhouse bar

Playing at the 13^th hole of Houston’s Memorial Park Golf Course, I found myself facing this dilemma. With some blue patches of sky to the south, my playing partner and I decided on Option #2: Wait it out. We sped ahead to the bathroom shack at the 16^th hole where a group of die-hard golfers crowded beneath the awning.

I learned a few things while waiting there under the awning. A guy told me that at this particular golf course in Texas, the Marshall only comes out to warn golfers who are 18 years and younger to exit the course (for liability reasons, I guess). Apparently, no one cares if anyone older than 18 years catches a bolt of lighting! Also, my playing partner told me a good joke while we waited out the rain.

“What’s the safest club to play during an electric storm?”

“What?” I asked.

“A 2-iron, because even God can’t hit a 2-iron.”

After a few more bad jokes and some mid-day snacks, our patience and persistence finally paid off. After an hour wait we resumed play at the 14^th hole: par 4, 402 yards. The golf course conditions were wet and challenging, making our round into a golf adventure. Hitting my driver slightly off the right-side off the fairway, I found my ball sunk deep into the grass. I pulled out my 5-iron and it felt like I was hitting through wet concrete; my ball rolled 35 feet forward and stayed in the right rough. A similar shot got me back on the fairway, but ultimately forced me into a hard-fought double-bogey. Fortunately, the last two holes of the course were fairly easy on us and gave some relief from the soggy conditions.

Built in 1924 by architect John Bredemus, Houston’s Memorial Park Golf Course is considered one of the best municipal golf courses in the nation and is visited by more than 60,000 patrons each year. The course had seemingly few bunkers and only a couple water hazards that posed any real threat. However, the mature trees and vegetation presented some challenges and an overall enjoyable view. Memorial Park certainly ranks as one of the best city golf courses I’ve played and has a great location just inside Houston’s 610-loop.

The signature hole in my opinion is the 9^th hole: par 4, 378 yards (word has it this used to be the 18^th hole many years ago). With a blind look at the green, I hit my best tee shot of the day about 230 yards down the left side of the fairway. I soon discovered, however, that I was out of position. Another 20 feet forward and I would have been in great shape, but a close wall of 50 foot pine trees separated me from the green. I played a safe pitching wedge about 70 yards forward to the right, dropping my ball just in front of a small creek running around the green. Now, I was in great position. Just past the creek, the fairway wove in and out like an hour-glass between two bunkers. Slightly uphill, the pin was placed at the front of the green. With no forward roll to rely on (due to the previous night’s rain), I hit a sand-wedge high up in the air and … just short of the green. If only I could have borrowed about 30 extra feet on this hole, I might have walked away with a birdie. Instead, I two-putted for a bogey despite some solid shots. The theme of my day seemed to be solid shots mixed in with challenging weather conditions and a few tricky holes.

On this day of rain, thunder, and lighting, my biggest pleasure may have come from the good camaraderie and a sense of accomplishment. At the end of the day, it was a pleasure just to say, “That’s a round, gentlemen.”