Memorial Park Golf Course
A city muni transformed into a PGA Tour venue, Memorial Park is the rarest thing in American golf: a championship course anyone can play. Tom Doak rebuilt it in 2019, a par 72 of about 7,300 yards minutes from downtown Houston.
Photo: Memorial Park Golf Course via Google.
The verdict
Memorial Park Golf Course is the busiest and most remarkable municipal course in Texas, a public layout in the heart of Houston that hosts the PGA Tour. First built in the 1930s, it was completely reimagined by Tom Doak's Renaissance Golf Design in 2019, a roughly 13.5 million dollar rebuild funded largely through philanthropy and tied to bringing the Houston Open back to the city. It plays as a par 72 of about 7,300 yards for everyday golfers and is set up tougher, around par 70, for the professionals.
What makes it special is the access. The same fairways the Tour plays each autumn are open to any golfer who books a tee time, with resident and non resident municipal rates that are a fraction of the marquee private clubs across town. Doak's brief was to build a course exciting for professionals yet fair and fun for the 60,000 plus rounds a year the muni logs, and the result is a genuine rarity: a Tour test with skyline views that doubles as the people's course of Houston.
Memorial Park Golf Course at a glance
- Opened
- 1936 (redesign 2019)
- Designer
- Tom Doak
- Type
- Municipal parkland
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- About 7,300 yds
- Green fee
- Public municipal rates
Designer, redesign year, par and length verified June 2026 from the course, the PGA Tour and leading databases. The course dates to the 1930s and was rebuilt by Tom Doak's Renaissance Golf Design in 2019; it plays as a par 72 of about 7,300 yards and is set up near par 70 for the Houston Open. Green fees are municipal and change, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
Doak's redesign gave Memorial Park bold, sweeping greens with big contours and short grass run offs, the kind of features that let a scratch player attack and a higher handicap putt or chip rather than hack. The fairways are wide, but the angles into the firm, undulating greens reward a player who drives to the right side, and the recovery shots around the putting surfaces are where the architecture really lives.
The closing stretch is built for drama, including a reachable par 5 and a long, demanding finish that has produced plenty of Tour theater since 2020. There are few trees by championship standards, so wind and the firmness of the greens are the chief defenses, and the par 3s vary enough in length and exposure to test every club in the bag.
For a traveling golfer the appeal is obvious: a chance to walk the same holes as the world's best for a public green fee, in a mature park minutes from downtown. It is proof that a great municipal course, well restored, can sit alongside any private name in the state.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Public municipal course; open to all, with resident and non resident rates |
| Green fee | Municipal rates; indicative non resident weekend rates run north of 90 USD in 2026 |
| Booking | Tee times through the city booking system, well in advance for weekends and prime times |
| On the day | Walking and carts both available; a relaxed public dress code applies |
| Getting there | Memorial Park, just west of downtown Houston, minutes from the city center |
| Best months | March through May and October through November, before and after the summer heat |
Access and fees verified June 2026 and are indicative for the 2026 season; municipal rates change, so always confirm directly before booking with the course or your trip planner.
Where to stay nearby
Downtown Houston, the Galleria and the Memorial area all sit within minutes of the course, giving the full range of city hotels and dining and quick access from both Houston airports. Staying central keeps the transfer to the first tee short.
Memorial Park is the ideal public anchor for a Houston golf trip, easily paired with the region's resort and championship courses. We can build the itinerary, secure the prime tee times and arrange the lodging and transfers around your rounds.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around Houston.
Build a Texas golf trip
We help secure the prime Memorial Park tee times, plan the visit and book the lodging and transfers around your round. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Memorial Park Golf Course questions
Who redesigned Memorial Park and when?
Memorial Park dates to the 1930s and was completely rebuilt by Tom Doak's Renaissance Golf Design in 2019, a roughly 13.5 million dollar renovation that prepared it to host the PGA Tour's Houston Open from 2020.
What is the par and length of Memorial Park?
Memorial Park plays as a par 72 of about 7,300 yards for everyday golfers and is set up tougher, around par 70, for the Houston Open.
Can the public play Memorial Park?
Yes. Memorial Park is a public municipal course open to all, with resident and non resident rates. The same holes the PGA Tour plays each autumn can be booked by any golfer.
Does Memorial Park host a PGA Tour event?
Yes. Memorial Park has hosted the PGA Tour's Houston Open since 2020, following the Tom Doak redesign, making it one of very few municipal courses on the Tour schedule.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, redesign year, par and yardage verified June 2026; Houston Open hosting verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.