Brackenridge Golf Course is not just any golf course—it’s a piece of history! Designed by famous golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast from Philadelphia, the 18-hole course opened in 1916. The course was built in a beautiful, wooded area filled with native trees, stretching across both sides of the river and the waterworks channel that ran right through it. Back in the day, footbridges connected different parts of the course over the water.
While the course has been remodeled a few times (especially in the late 1960s when US Highway 281 cut through the park), Tillinghast’s original design still stands strong. Two holes were altered over the years, but in 2008, a major renovation brought the course back as close to the original design as possible. Three stone bridges, probably built by NYA workers, still cross the old waterworks channel and the river, adding to the historic feel of the course.
The clubhouse is another gem, designed in 1923 by local architect Ralph Cameron in a charming Tudor style with rubble stone, concrete, and wood. The main entrance features an arched doorway with a fanlight above, and the west side of the building has a tall chimney and a rounded tower with a cool conical roof. At the top of the tower, you’ll spot the original weathervane—and it’s not just any weathervane, but one shaped like a golfer!
