Two Oak Cliffers were among the original members of the LPGA. One PGA champion is from here. Oak Cliff was home to the tournament now named for Byron Nelson. And the only PGA championship ever held in Dallas was played here.
A country-club sport that’s perceived as elite became accessible to most of Oak Cliff decades ago, thanks to Stevens Park Golf Course, which was integrated in 1954.
Today our neighborhood is home to two highly regarded public golf courses whose history and influence are part of the fabric of life in Oak Cliff.
But it’s also home to two private golf clubs, and each tells a unique story about Oak Cliff.
Oak Cliff Country Club, later renamed to Golf Club of Dallas, was built in 1954 and hosted the Dallas Open Invitational, the tournament now named for Byron Nelson, from 1958-1967.
It is notable in that context as the only place where a golfer has won a PGA tournament on his home course. Sunset High School alumnus Earl Stewart Jr. worked as a pro there when he won the Dallas Open Invitational in 1961.
After years of declining membership in the club, developer Huffines Communities considered buying it to build 500 homes there in 2017, but neighbors overwhelmingly opposed the idea, and Huffines dropped it.
Megachurch Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship bought the club last year.
The church didn’t respond to inquiries for this story, but golf ministries have become popular in Christian congregations.
A letter from the club to members in May 2020 stated that the church planned to keep the 200 acres as a golf course. “It’s clear they just want what is best for the club,” former director of golf Philip Bleakney said at the time.
Photo of hole 1 at Dallas National Golf Club via dallasnationalgolfclub.com
Dallas National is the golf club so exclusive that you might not even know it’s there. Built in 2003 and designed by Tom Fazio, its original members, which included Tom Hicks, Lee Trevino and Roger Staubach, paid upwards of $100,000 a year to join. You can’t join unless you’re invited by a member. And if you’re lucky enough to get inside, you won’t know where you are.
“They don’t want anyone looking in on it,” says Jim Henderson of Stevens Park, who has played the course. “And they don’t want their members looking out on the neighborhood there.”
It was built on about 700 square yards inside a former cement quarry and is said to have striking vistas from every tee box. It’s strictly golf — no pool, no tennis courts, no weddings, no engagement photos.
Ira Molayo of Cedar Crest says it’s very challenging and unlike any other course in Dallas.
“It’s one of my top favorite courses, the few times I’ve had the privilege to play there,” he says.
