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stablished in 1927 close to downtown Midland as a nine-hole course with sand greens, Midland Country Club moved to its present location in the mid-1950s with the 18-hole championship course designed by Ralph Plummer.
Jump ahead to 2017, and Weibring-Wolfard Golf Design completed an $8.9 million redesign project that included creating new tees, bunkers, lakes and greens.
While keeping Plummer’s time-tested strategic design elements, Weibring-Wolfard enhanced the layout by bringing the rugged, but beautiful West Texas landscape more into focus, with holes weaving in and around vast native areas and green complexes set high on plateaus or down low even with the lay of the land. Add some wind, excellent tournament conditions and high stakes and the result is a course that will prove to be a comprehensive test of skill for the state’s top-ranked competitive amateurs.
Long considered to be a genuine shot-maker's course, the recently redesigned Midland Country Club offers numerous risk-reward opportunities that could prove to be the difference makers in the 112th Texas Amateur.
Three holes, perhaps more than the others, could prove to be the most critical to success during championship week.
481 Yards, Par 4
This par-4 typically plays downwind. It’s a slight dogleg-left with trees on the left and a large fairway bunker on the right. Players must decide whether to try and carry the trees on the left or play short of the fairway bunker. The green is flanked by a bunker on the left side, which many players will have to carry on their approach shots if they choose to cut the corner on their tee shot. A front-right hole location is the most accessible and provides the best opportunity for birdie.
228 Yards, Par 3
The par-3 eighth hole plays directly into the predominant south wind. The green size is generous, but winds can create a beast of an already long par-3 for players. Accuracy is at a premium as the green is well guarded by a gaping bunker on the left and a smaller one on the right.
601 Yards, Par 5
The 15th hole provides a challenge for even the longest hitters. The bunker that hugs the left side of the fairway is a must-miss, but players will need to have command of their ball flight because when the wind is from the south it knocks the ball towards the bunker. Power players can try and blast one over the bunker, but a miss left or right will end up in the thick native areas. Few players will be able to reach the green in two, but an accurate layup shot between three fairway bunkers will leave players with a short approach and great opportunity for birdie.
