After several years of hurricane-ravaged reductions to golf course options in Southeast Texas — Belle Oaks, The Palms at Pleasure Island, Bayou Din Links Course, Idylwild front nine — a new playing opportunity is about to present itself.

Actually, Woods Golf & Hunt Club, which will be opening Saturday across Major Drive in Beaumont from the Country Club of Texas, isn’t totally new. But it looks to be a serious upgrade from a layout that was born as Rabbit Run and died as Iron Oaks.

Thirteen weeks after Iron Oaks’ demise, a well-financed makeover from Beaumont attorney Brent Coon is complete enough for a grand opening. Coon, who has become a heavyweight in the area golf business, promises the renovated layout is already a big improvement over its financially-strapped predecessor, and will only get better.

“We did what we always do, hit it with a money gun, reinvented it, laid it out a little differently and made it more open and user friendly,” he said. “We removed a bunch of trees, added shorter and longer tee boxes and have made the greens much better.

“We’ve done a lot of clearing out of junk. A whole lot of elbow grease and scrubbing went into getting it playable. When we started, it was such a complete mess it took us a while just to find the course again. There is still a ways to go, and it’s not nearly as nice as it’s going to be, but golfers can enjoy it now.”

Much of the credit for Woods Golf & Hunt Club’s look and condition goes to Danny Arena, the greens keeper at what used to be Brentwood Country Club before the name change to Country Club of Texas. Arena’s expertise in agronomy and impressive work at Brentwood made a believer out of Coon.

For Coon, creating Woods Golf & Hunt Club was pretty much a direct result of how business is booming at the Country Club of Texas.

Unhappy with having to turn people away on weekends, and given the proximity of the Iron Oaks property, he saw an opportunity to maximize equipment and personnel, while generating more business.
Woods Golf & Hunt will be open Fridays through Mondays, with arrangements to play going through the Country Club of Texas Golf Shop (call 840-9440). A flat fee of $25 plus tax will be charged, no matter the day, time or age of golfer. Saturday’s grand opening is all booked up with a wait list until 2 p.m.

“This is a win-win,” said Coon. “We felt that with the equipment we have, and the greens superintendent and staff, we could operate another course efficiently and cost effectively. Plus, this will give us flexibility to have a tournament at the Country Club of Texas and still have a place for individual walk-on play next door.

“In addition, it will give us the opportunity to close the Brentwood complex more often for maintenance. The Country Club of Texas is open seven days a week right now, so Woods Golf and Hunt Club gives us the chance to shut it down for needed work. We can get that course in even better condition and make it one of the best in the region.”

Coon first ventured into the golf business in 1997 when he bought what was then Willow Creek Country Club and renamed it Brentwood Country Club. He kept his eye on it from his luxurious home behind what is now the 10th green, but would soon be running the course in absentia as his law business expanded and boomed.

Coon moved back into his old home a couple of years ago and got really serious about making Brentwood a more appealing destination for golfers. Investing roughly a million dollars in a course with a lot of rough edges, he was serious to the point of climbing on a tractor and mowing out the entire course to add much-needed definition.

“I wanted something that would have the nice look that you see on a lot of golf courses when you travel,” he said. “I told the staff to follow the footprint I laid out.

“We backed that up with a strong program of the pesticides and herbicides and fertilizers you need. Having a greenskeeper like Danny really helped. I’m proud of what we have accomplished.”
CHIP SHOTS

Andrew Landry, with a tie for 76th, didn’t score nearly as well as he hoped, but the opening week of the Fed Ex Cup playoffs still produced a lifelong memory for him.

Andrew, because his dad, Dwain, is a FedEx delivery man, was selected to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange last Wednesday. The NYSE had rolled out the red carpet for the FedEx Corporation and the PGA Tour to help highlight the opening of the playoffs in nearby Paramus, N.J.

The Port Neches-Groves ex was able to share the honor with his dad and his brother, Adam, who were guests of Fed Ex for the bell ringing and the tournament.

“It was kind of cool to meet the CEO of FedEx and to ring that bell,” Landry said. “What really made it special was being able to spend the week with my dad and my brother. It was kind of a guys week and we had a great time. I just wish my game had been better.”

Landry dropped to 36th in the points standings, but is guaranteed to play in the next two events. He must be in the top 30 after next week’s BMW Championship Philadelphia to advance to the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Up this week is the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston. Because of Labor Day weekend, it runs Friday through Monday.

Landry, who says putting woes were his problem last week, flew in his putting coach, Pat O’Brien, from Dallas on Tuesday to work on that part of his game …

Cap Hollier had the shot of the week in the senior games played at Babe Zaharias. Hollier left his drive on the water-fronted, 250-yard, par 4, 11th hole, two feet short of the pin and rolled in the putt for an eagle …

In the Super Saturday 2-ball at Zaharias, the team of Rick Pritchett, Joe Gongora, Harrell Guidry and a ghost player won the front with minus-5. On the back, the foursome of James Shipley, Cap Hollier, Charles Leard and Roger Baumer prevailed at minus-6. …

The Friday Senior 2-ball saw the team of Craig Geoffroy, Larry Reece, Leard and Charles Perez win the front with minus-5. Minus-2 won the back for the team of Keith Mullins, Pritchett, Baumer and a ghost player …

Format for the Thursday Seniors was individual stroke play with handicap. Benny Sharpe won First Flight by one stroke over Joe Gongora with a 67. Jeff Greenway’s 65 took Second Flight by three strokes over Keith Marshall and Leard.

Closest to the pin winners were Gongora (No. 7), Marshall (No. 12) and Gary Fontenot (No. 15) …

Format for the Wednesday Zaharias DogFight was best 2-ball. The team of Keith Mullins, Reece, Harrell Guidry and Marshall won the front at minus-4. On the back, minus-2 won for Earl Richard, Pritchett, Larry Foster and Baumer.

Closest to the pin winners were Tom LeTourneau (No. 2, tie on 15), Fontenot (No. 7), Mullins (No. 12) and Gongora (tie on 15).

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