Since it opened in 1979, Lufkin’s Crown Colony Country Club has been regarded as one of the jewels of Texas golf courses. The Bruce Devlin-Robert von Hagge track is short, tight and stunning. Typical of von Hagge tracks such as Walden on Lake Conroe (a personal favorite) and the Club at Falcon Point (which is featured in the July issue of Houston Links), Crown Colony features plenty of knobby hills and thought-provoking doglegs.
The Dallas Morning News consistently rated it as the No. 1 course in the state for many years before the modern golf course boom of the 1990s. Many a talented golfer have said it’s one of the toughest 6,700-yard courses they’ve played.
Scott Verplank won the 1982 Texas State Amateur there, and Chip Stewart won the State Am at Crown Colony in 1998. Both shot even par for 72 holes to win. This course will test every club in our bag. They added new Champion Bermuda greens last summer, and trust me, they’re rolling fast and pure.
It’s a great time to play the historic track, and here’s the perfect opportunity. There are a few spots remaining in the annual Crown Open golf tournament in two weeks – July 15-17. For $450, you can register your two-person team to compete in the 36-hole, two-person scramble event. The fee pays for both players and includes a Friday practice round, networking mixer Friday night, cart fee, range balls, mulligans (what are those?) and both rounds of the tournament with lunch both days, too.
Believe me, this is a great value. In fact, I’m leaning toward prying Chad Sullivan off his couch to try and redeem ourselves after our pitiful final round at the Firecracker Invitational at Sugar Creek CC in Crockett last weekend. With his long drives and my deft short game ... surely we can place in the top 20 somewhere.
Your team will be flighted by handicap, and there’s a $1,000 first place prize for each flight. (Cash prizes for second and third places, too: $600 and $400, respectively.)
To register your team for the Crown Open, July 15-17 at Crown Colony Country Club in Lufkin, send an email to bburns@crown-colony.com or call the pro shop at 936-637-8800.
Hope to see you there!
PS -- The July issue of Houston Links and DFW Links will be at your home golf course this week. Please pick up a copy and spend some time reading it. We have some great stories in there, including a feature by Pat Wheeler on DFW's three national champions: Carolyn Creekmore, Mina Hardin and Anna Schultz, all of whom have won the USGA Women's Senior Amateur.
As always, thanks for reading.
- Mark
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