What started over 100 years ago as a couple of guys hitting a golf ball in a cow pasture is today the well-known Dallas Country Club, located at 4100 Beverly Drive in Highland Park, Dallas.
A staple of Highland Park’s most exclusive social circuit, this private club includes over 100 acres of golf, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, a contemporary fitness facility, a state-of-the-art spa and several dining restaurants and snack bars.
The Dallas Country Club is best known for its 18-hole “Dallas” golf course, which includes 6,266 yards of golf from the longest tees. First opened in 1896, the “Dallas” course is a par 70. It is rated 71.3 and has a slope rating of 126 on Bermuda grass. The golf course and practice tees were recently renovated, and a new, state-of-the-art clubhouse is scheduled to open in January 2012.
While teeing off on the “Dallas” course, golfers can enjoy stunning views of the Dallas Skyline and Turtle Creek. A members-only course, the general public cannot play unless specially invited as the guest of a member.
The Dallas Country Club is not without controversy. In the last decade, the Dallas Country Club became a point of contention in local and national politics because of its controversial membership admissions process. While there is no official policy that discriminates based on race, the Dallas Country Club gained notoriety in the mid-2000’s for having exclusively Caucasian members.
Today the Dallas Country Club has several African-American members, although as D Magazine reported in 2010, the club continues to have a reputation as an exclusive, ‘all-white’ establishment.
In February 2007, controversy erupted in the Dallas Mayoral race after it was reported that two of the candidates were members of the Dallas Country Club, which at the time had no African-American members. The Dallas Country Club was also criticized in 2007 for stalling on the approval of Kneeland Youngblood’s application; Youngblood is a prominent African-American businessman in Dallas who also served in the Clinton Administration.
The Dallas Country Club was also criticized by some for rejecting then-Texas Rangers star Alex Rodriguez’s membership application on the grounds he was a current professional athlete (the Dallas Country Club’s membership rules prohibit current athletes from being members).
Some local media speculated the rejection might be due to Rodriguez’s race, especially after Troy Aikman’s membership application was approved several months later. (Aikman, however, had officially retired at that time from football).
Despite the controversy, the Dallas Country Club remains a prominent part of the Highland Park social scene and a popular golf destination. While not open to the public, if you receive an invite from a current member to play as a guest, don’t miss the opportunity to check out this exclusive course and views of the Dallas skyline.
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