Cow Pasture Open

It's Cow Pasture time again in Hogan's Forgotten Fairways

Bring a golf club and a sense of humor

By Brian Weis

The kindest thing you can say about Cow Pasture golfers is that they are creative. You could also say they are crazy.

For the third year, golfers (good and otherwise) will converge on the old Dublin-DeLeon Golf Links on June 23. Don't be confused: this is NOT a working golf course. It is a working cow pasture, and all that that implies.

But the cause is a good one and the history is amazing.

Back in 1929, when a young fledgling golfer was trying to make his way into professional golf, he returned to his childhood home in Dublin to play - and win - the Dublin-DeLeon golf tournament. It was significant because it was one of his last amateur events before he turned pro. The trophy he won on that hot August day at the age of 17 is now on display at the USGA Museum in Far Hills, N.J.

The course, like many others, closed at the start of World War II and never reopened. Today, the Highway 6 cow pasture is known as Ben Hogan's Forgotten Fairways. Once a year, its current four-legged residents are removed and pin flags are placed at what appears to be the original tee boxes. The result is a 9-hole course which is not for the faint of heart. Affectionately known as putt-putt on steroids, the course is complete with the kind of hazards that result from having cows on the course, as well as some sturdy native grass and weeds and some determined cacti.

Golfers have brought four-wheel drive vehicles, Jeeps, even a team of horses in previous years. Event organizers say don't bring your good clubs but do bring a sense of humor and a spirit of adventure. But don't bring prissy golf carts unless they have heavy-duty tires.
The for mat is four-person scramble and entries will be limited to the first 18 teams so participants will be off the course by the time temperatures get high. The group will then convene at the Ben Hogan Museum in downtown Dublin for a barbecue lunch, trophy presentation, beverages and a chance to visit with the other participants and special guests.

Entry fee is $50 per person and checks should be addressed to the Ben Hogan Museum and mailed to PO Box 104, Dublin TX 76446.

For more information, check out www.benhoganmuseum.org or email benhoganmuseum@gmail.com. You may also call 254 445-1919 for a brochure.

Revised: 03/15/2012 - Article Viewed 30,600 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the Publisher of GolfTrips.com, a network of golf travel and directory sites including GolfWisconsin.com, GolfMichigan.com, ArizonaGolfer.com, GolfAlabama.com, etc. Professionally, Brian is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA) and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG). In 2016, Brian won The Shaheen Cup, an award given to a golf travel writer by his peers.

All of his life, Brian has been around the game of golf. As a youngster, Brian competed at all levels in junior and high school golf. Brian had a zero chance for a college golf scholarship, so he worked on the grounds crew at West Bend Country Club to pay for his University of Wisconsin education. In his adult years, his passion for the game collided with his entrepreneurial spirit and in 2004 launched GolfWisconsin.com. In 2007, the idea for a network of local golf directory sites formed and GolfTrips.com was born. Today, the network consists of a site in all 50 states supported by national sites like GolfTrips.com, GolfGuide.com and GolfPackages.com. It is an understatement to say, Brian is passionate about promoting golf and golf travel on a local, regional, national and international level.

On the golf course, Brian is known as a fierce weekend warrior that fluctuates between a 5-9 handicap. With a soft fade, known as "The Weis Slice", and booming 300+ drives, he can blast it out of bounds with the best of them.