A Tale of Two Courses

Choices are a good thing...

With access to public golf shrinking in Midland, this will soon leave us with 36-holes and at Hogan Park Golf Course only. Of course, we all know that Nueva Vista closed in 2023 and now the beloved and historic Ranchland Hills Golf Club will be closed in or around September or October of 2024. Although Ranchland is technically a private club, it was still easily available to almost anyone. But let’s talk about what remains in Midland - the Hogan Park Golf Course.

As you might have read, the COM is planning for many upgrades and renovations at HPGC. There are two 18-hole courses at Hogan. The older of the two is known as Quail and the other course is Roadrunner. These courses are very different as the Quail is a “parkland” style while the Roadrunner is sort of a “links” style course. (where is the dramatic ocean coastline?) Friends of Hogan Park Golf Course (FHPGC) believe and are proposing to COM that during renovations, consider the styles of these two courses and keep their general design and character/playability in mind. We’d like for COM to think of Quail as the Championship course and the RR as the “family” course.

History

Contrary to what many might believe, HPGC was not named after famed professional golfer, Ben Hogan. Rather, the golf facility was named after a former Mayor, Fred T. Hogan, 1946-47. The Quail course was built in 1959 and has hosted many important tournaments. In 1964, ‘65, ‘66, and ‘68 HPGC held the LPGA Tall City Open. These tournaments were won by Golf Hall of Fame players Mickey Wright and Kathy Whitworth. In 1977 HPGC hosted the prestigious Trans-Miss Amateur. Of course, throughout the past decades and since constructing the original course, now named Quail, it’s hosted an annual City Championship. Today, the City men’s and women's City Championships are played over three days utilizing both courses. Sadly, the City Championships (men’s & women’s) have seen declining participation in recent years. We plan to try and help revive and increase participation in these once prestigious events. The Roadruner course was built in 1982 as a 9-hole course. Later in or around ~2002 a second 9-holes were added completing the 18-hole course we see today.

Future

Considering renovations for the golf courses we’d like to think of Quail as the Championship course. This golf course is generally more difficult/challenging for many golfers. It also looks quite different than Roadrunner and plays differently. The fairways are narrower than RR and the greens smaller. Fairways on Quail are tree-lined whereas the RR course is mostly devoid of trees. Mowing patterns for Quail generally use a step-cut type pattern where there will be the primary fairway cut, then a first step of slightly higher grass, followed by deeper/thicker rough fading into over-grown mesquite and weeds. Much invasive mesquite and other overgrown brush and weeds should be removed.

The Roadrunner course is what we’d like for COM to consider the “family” course. This “links” style design is generally an easier course to play as opposed to the Quail. The fairways are wide offering plenty of room for wayward tee shots to still land in a fairway or shorter grass. Ideally, the RR course should be mowed (tee to green) and maintained at fairway height of grass cut where it fades out to the rough. New irrigation and its pattern will help make this possible. This will also make the course easier to maintain, (lower labor cost) more fun, and perhaps faster to play. The greens are also a little larger on most holes. Additionally, this course plays what we call, Hard & Fast meaning the golf ball typically rolls out more than on Quail as the fairways are generally a little firmer. Playing the RR course should be encouraged for less skilled golfers, families, and youth. We’d also like to see either the Long-Leaf or USGA Best Tee system put in place for this course. As with Quail, much invasive mesquite and other overgrown brush and weeds should be removed.