Steven K

The golf course near Sears in Garden Oaks was Pine Forest Country Club. My family had a membership. Club History Pine Forest Country Club, established in 1945, was originally located along North Shepherd Boulevard on 144 acres of tall pine tress. Legendary architect John Bredemus built the course during World War II, designing a tight woodsy course that hosted the University of Houston’s All-American Intercollegiate team for 15 years and was host to the 1949 Houston Open, won by Johnny Palmer by just one stroke. Twenty-eight years after Bredemus completed his development, the club decided to move west of the city since three-fourths of its membership lived in the Memorial area. Paul Wahlberg located 186 acres at 18000 Clay Road, enough land for an 18-hole golf course. The vision however was for 27 holes and was realized with the acquisition of an additional 44 acres. Architect Jay Riviere designed the original 18-hole course, which consisted of the Green Nine and Gold Nine. On May 1, 1975, the facilities at Clay Road were opened only two weeks after the activities at the original location were closed for good. Some 300 trees were transplanted from the North Shepherd course and most of them survived. In 1985, architect Carlton Gipson was hired to add an additional nine holes, now called the White Nine.