Inside the course: Colonial Country Club

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Host of this tournament since its inception in 1946, Colonial Country Club has been a staple on the PGA TOUR.
May 19, 2012
PGA TOUR staff
Fast facts
Course superintendent Scott A. Ebers
Original architect John Bredemus and Perry Maxwell (1936)
Par value 70
Number of TOUR events as host venue 65 (including 2012)
Course ranking Ranked 22 (out of 51) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2011
Yardage history 7,054 (2004-'08, 2010)
  7,204 (2009)
  7,080 (2000-'03)
  7,010 (1996-'99)
  7,096 (1979-'95)
  7,142 (1969-'78)
  7,021 (1957-'68)
  7,035 (1946-'56)
Grass Bermudagrass (tees, fairways, rough); Bentgrass (greens)
Tournament Stimpmeter 11.5 ft
Sand bunkers 84
Water hazards 3
Course tour Click here
Course record
 Player
Keith Clearwater
Lee Janzen
Greg Kraft
Justin Leonard
Kenny Perry
Chad Campbell		 Year
1993
1993
1999
2003
2003
2004		 Round
2nd
4th
3rd
4th
3rd
3rd		 Finish
T9
T11
T2
2nd
Won
2nd
Holes-in-one
Player Hole Year
Jim Furyk 8 2011
Ben Crane 13 2010
Paul Goydos 13 2010
Dean Wilson 13 2009
Dustin Johnson 13 2008
Brian Gay 8 2007
Rod Pampling 16 2007
Shigeki Maruyama 8 2003
Hal Sutton 16 2003
Corey Pavin 13 2002
Stuart Appleby 13 2000
Jim Gallagher Jr. 13 1996
Brad Faxon 8 1996
Jeff Maggert 8 1995
Loren Roberts 16 1993
Chip Beck 8 1989
Chris Perry 16 1989
George Archer 8 1985
Larry Mize 8 1984
Jim Thorpe 16 1984
2011 Rankings
Most Difficult Hole
This is the hardest hole, and the most famous, at Colonial and the last of the "Horrible Horseshoe." The tee shot must be precise -- there's a ditch to the left and a river on the right. Even a good tee shot leaves a long, narrow approach.
2011: 0 eagle, 32 birdies, 250 pars, 93 bogeys, 15 double bogeys, 2 others.
Easiest Hole
This is a tempting par 5, but it's difficult to reach in two because of the bunkering. A sand wedge approach shot gives the best chance for birdie.
2011: 9 eagles, 192 birdies, 165 pars, 25 bogeys, 0 double bogeys and 1 other.
Colonial Country Club2011 rankings Last 26 years
Hole Par Yards Avg. Score Rank Avg. Score Rank
1 5 565 4.536 18 4.668 18
2 4 389 3.781 17 3.908 16
3 4 483 4.117 4 4.126 4
4 3 247 3.099 6 3.152 2
5 4 481 4.247 1 4.282 1
6 4 406 3.923 14 3.930 15
7 4 440 3.969 13 4.011 12
8 3 194 3.023 10 3.051 10
9 4 407 4.094 7 4.142 3
10 4 408 4.046 8 4.054 8
11 5 635 4.809 16 4.802 17
12 4 445 4.112 5 4.106 5
13 3 190 3.199 2 3.051 9
14 4 464 4.156 3 4.094 6
15 4 430 4.046 8 4.076 7
16 3 192 3.01 11 3.051 11
17 4 387 4.01 11 3.983 14
18 4 441 3.903 15 3.997 13
Course origins
Built in 1936, the traditional layout -- designed by John Bredemus and Perry Maxwell -- has been acclaimed since its inception as a tough but fair challenge and always ranks high on top 100 lists. Colonial hosted the 1941 U.S. Open -- the first time the event was held south of the Mason-Dixon line -- and was won by Craig Wood. The event was such a success that the Colonial National Invitational Tournament was launched in 1946, starting the longest running event of the PGA TOUR on the same site.
Ben Hogan won the first two events and went on to win three more times over what is truly "Hogan's Alley." Another Colonial tradition is the Wall of Champions framing the No. 1 tee. Engraved with the name and score of each champion dating back to the 1941 U.S. Open, it represents a veritable who's who of golf history: Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Julius Boros, Billy Casper, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson all won here. Other unique Colonial traditions include the official, Scottish-tartan plaid jacket worn by past champions and the champions dinner hosted the night before the tournament. Colonial has also hosted the 1975 PLAYERS Championship and the 1991 U.S. Women's Open.
Colonial underwent a significant renovation of its features, including all bunkers, greens and tees. Native stone walls were installed on two of the water features, and trees were repositioned in a few strategic areas. The tournament yardage was increased to 7,204 yards, and the green on No. 13 was rebuilt to reflect the intent of the original green construction. --Source: Golf Course Superintendents Assocation of America
Tournament course history
Course Location Years
Colonial Country Club Fort Worth, Texas 1946-present*
*The tournament was not played in 1949 due to flooding

The TOUR heads to the Lone Star State this week. Learn more about this week's host, Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.