A tournament that can technically be traced back as far as 1922, the Houston Open is one of the most historic events on the PGA Tour calendar. During that time, it has taken place at a variety of different locations around (and even outside) Texas.
The Houston Open first occurred at Memorial Park Golf Course back in 1947 before skipping to a few different places and returning to Harris County between 1951-63.
During its time out of use as a PGA Tour host venue, Memorial Park underwent a $7 million restoration and reopened in 1995 with a lighted driving range, putting and chipping greens, and a new clubhouse facility.
Now the location of one of the best muni golf courses in all of the United States, Memorial Park - which sits west of downtown Houston - is a total sports hub. It has facilities for tennis, softball, swimming, track, croquet, volleyball, skating, cycling, and a 2.93-mile running course.
But its crowning glory is the 600-acre golf course. Originally built as a nine-hole layout with sand greens, it was redesigned by golf course architect John Bredemus between 1935-36 and went on to host legendary figures such as Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
Between the 2021 and 2023 PGA Tour seasons, the Houston Open took place at the renovated municipal in November. But for 2024, it has returned to March - two weeks before The Masters.
Despite being labelled as Texas' top-rated municipal golf course, you might be surprised to learn the green fees (and even more so for Houston residents) are extremely reasonable.
The cheapest green fees, which are for junior residents, can be found at just $10 while adults can play the 7,500-yard layout for $38 at between Friday and Sunday or on a holiday.
Weekday golf for adults is priced at $30, while seniors can play Monday to Thursday for $15. Twilight golf (which begins at 3pm) is priced at $21 for a weekday and $28 at the weekend or on holidays.
However, the prices are considerably more expensive for non-residents. Juniors, who are only allowed to play between Monday and Thursday no matter where they live, see their green fees priced at $60 while senior or disabled players will have to play $80 on a weekday.
Twilight golf in the week is $90 and $110 at the weekend. The steepest green fees of the lot relate to non-resident adults, however. Memorial Park green fees are currently $120 between Monday and Thursday and $140 at the weekend or on holidays.
Push cart rental costs $13 while borrowing a set of rental clubs will set you back $55.
Those numbers prove to be an even greater bargain when you consider its place among the other public courses to host PGA Tour events. At the very steepest end of the scale, TPC Sawgrass' most expensive green fee is $920 - including a caddie.
Meanwhile, Pebble Beach can cost as much as $730 to play while Pinehurst No.2 - with a minimum two-night stay included - could be almost $800. Whistling Straits - host course of the 2021 Ryder Cup - costs up to $550 to play.
