The team rosters are set, and the best male amateur golfers from North Texas and South Texas are about to set sail to the Gulf Coast for a head-to-head duel at the 2023 Texas Shootout. Galveston Country Club, one of the state’s historic venues, is the final port of call and will serve as the host site for the 21st edition of the Ryder Cup-style competition November 4-5.
This will be the eighth TGA championship held at Galveston Country Club, dating back to 1909. The landmark club, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, has hosted two Texas Amateurs, three Women’s Texas Amateurs, a Texas Senior Amateur, and, most recently, the 2021 South Regional Amateur, won by Padden Nelson of Houston.
“We are honored to be returning to Galveston Country Club and to be a part of its storied history,” said Justin Guthrie, TGA Tournament Director. “We are appreciative of the club’s supportive and engaged membership and staff, and we look forward to a great match play contest over this fantastic course.”
Founded in 1898, Galveston Country Club is situated on the shores of Lake Como, between West Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Originally located in an area called the Denver Resurvey, the club relocated three times in the early 1900s before settling into its present address on Stewart Road in 1946. Texas Golf Hall of Fame member Ralph Plummer designed the 18-hole course, which opened for play in the fall of 1947. The course was razed and rebuilt in 1961 after Hurricane Carla, and Carlton Gipson re-surfaced the greens in 1990. The architectural team of Peter Jacobson and Jim Hardy supervised an extensive course renovation project in 2003. To learn more about Galveston's history click here.
The creative par-72 layout weaves through a scenic landscape of native grassy areas, marshes, inlets, and stately palm trees. Measuring just over 6,500 yards from the back tees, the course is not long by any means, but it packs a punch of a different kind with narrow fairways, lightning-fast greens, scads of bunkers and water hazards lying in wait, and an ever-present gulf breeze that on any given day can blow at a speed ranging from gentle to batten down the hatches.
“If you were to just go by the yardage on the scorecard you might think the course is easily managed, but that is definitely not the case,” Guthrie said. “It certainly is fun to play but it can be very challenging, especially when the wind gets up, and requires players to be able to control the shape and trajectory of their shots off the tee and into the green.”
The two 12-player teams in the Texas Shootout are comprised of eight mid-amateurs (age 25 and older) and four seniors (age 55 and older). Players earn their way onto their respective teams by acquiring performance points for top finishes throughout the year in designated TGA regional and statewide tournaments, as well as USGA national championships. North and South regions are defined as either being above or below the 31st parallel. (The city of Salado, which is located approximately halfway between Austin and Waco, sits on the dividing line.)
The format for the Shootout includes foursome, four-ball and singles matches. A total of 24 matches will be played over the two days. Each match is worth three points – one point each for the front nine, back nine and 18 – making for 72 available points. The first team to accumulate 36.5 points is the winner.
At the 2022 Texas Shootout, hosted by Grand Pines Golf Club at Bentwater Yacht & Country Club in Montgomery, the South Texas team fended off a furious rally by the North Texas squad on the final day of singles matches to secure a one-point victory, 36.5-35.5. The South Texas win, its first since 2019, evened up the overall series, 10-10.
As the oldest club in Texas, Galveston Country Club is steeped in golf history and is sure to provide a spectacular setting for an exciting and competitive Texas Shootout between the state’s top-ranked amateurs.
For more information on the 2023 Texas Shootout, click here.