Whispering Pines Golf Club, Championship Course

Whispering Pines Golf Club is a private 27-hole facility located along the shores of Lake Livingston in the piney woods of Trinity, Texas, about 90 miles north of Houston. The facility has their 18-hole Whispering Pines Golf Course and a 9-hole executive course, The Needles Course.

Ranked the #1 golf course in Texas, Whispering Pines Golf Course opened for play in 2000. The 9-hole executive course opened in 2013. Both courses were designed by Chet Williams of the Nicklaus Design Group. Whispering Pines was constructed on a 660-acre timber plantation owned by Corby Robertson Jr., chairman and CEO of Houston-based Natural Resource Partners LP. He did the original routing and then hired Chet Williams of Nicklaus Design in 1998 to put the brush strokes on canvas. The layout measures 7,480 yards from the back tees.

Being the best apparently isn't good enough. Constant improvement has kept the course voted No. 1 by The Dallas Morning News for a record-tying seventh consecutive year.

Whispering Pines Golf Club underwent significant changes apparent with the opening of the 2013. New bunkers were installed, three pot bunkers were added, and the new 9-hole short course greeted members when the course opened for its spring season on March 21, 2013

The Club is open on a seasonal basis for 15 weeks each in the Spring and Fall seasons. In season the club operations are Wednesday thru Sunday, which provides every member and their guest the best possible guest service and course conditions.

Whispering Pines Golf Club(R) has a philanthropic golf membership program. The club's 160 members make donations of about $10,000 to charity, primarily Robertson's non-profit World Health & Golf Association. Only about 5,000 rounds per year are played on the course, which is closed in summer and winter.

Whispering Pines Golf Club, The Whispering Pines Golf Course ________

Par for the course is 72. From the back tees the course plays to 7,473 yards. From the foward tees the course plays to 5,021 yards. The longest hole on the course is #17, a par-5 that plays to 603 yards. The shortest hole on the course is # 15, a par-3 that plays to 178 yards from the back tees.

Watch out for # 7, a 453 yard par-4 challenge and the #1 handicap hole on the course. The easiest hole at Whispering Pines Golf Course is # 15, the 178 yard par-3.

Whispering Pines Golf Club, The Needles Golf Course ________

The 9-hole Needles Course has eight par-3s and one 300-yard hole that can be played as a par-4 or par-3 depending on the tee. Among the highlights: A 50,000 square-foot double green that exudes a "St. Andrews" feel. The layout was made to be challenging with at least three tee boxes for variance. The greens will be cut to roll the same as the championship course.