Hancock's Century

by Robb Walsh

Legendary golfers like Harvey Penick (left) and Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan (putting), have graced the greens at historic Hancock Golf Course. All photographs courtsey of Austin Hostory Center, Austin Public Library, #PICA 19306, # PICB 06814, # PICA 12194

If you can hit a three iron through the eye of a needle, you can reach the second green at Hancock Golf Course in two. But you have to have the perfect angle. I've birdied the hole once in my whole life. Today, I'm 175 away with an overgrown tree blocking my approach. Ben Hogan would have aimed to the right and hooked the ball hard around the corner. Of course when Hogan played here the trees weren't so tall.

I muff the shot and double bogey the hole as usual. After a few well-chosen epithets, I stand on the edge of the green and watch the foursome behind me hit their errant approach shots. The laughter takes the edge off my own feelings of incompetence. I'm sure Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, and Harvey Penick have all stood on this same spot at one time or another laughing at the poor fools behind them. And at $7 for nine holes, that must make Hancock one of the cheapest "sports hall of fame" experiences in America.

The only people who seem to notice this little nine hole municipal golf course in Hyde Park are the jokers who honk on your backswing as they drive by. I don't think many Austinites know that Hogan and Nelson once dueled on these greens or that the legendary gambler Titantic Thompson once made wagers here or that this is where Harvey Penick got his start.

Hancock is the oldest golf course in Texas. To be precise, Hancock is the state's oldest golf course in continuous operation. It opened in 1899 as the Austin Country Club. The city sold the back nine off in the 1950s to the developers of Hancock Shopping Center. Much of the course's layout has changed over the century. The original 'greens' have been changed too.

"The first 'greens' were sand, they were replaced by grass in the late 1920s," says Steve Darby, Hancock's pro since 1981. Darby got a history lesson about the course from the late Harvey Penick a few years ago. It was Penick himself who designed and maintained the grass greens at Hancock. In those days, "aerating" meant perforating the turf with pitchforks. There was some talk about tearing up the greens and starting over awhile back, Darby remembers. But they finally decided to leave the original greens in place. "When we told Harvey, he was so happy, he got tears in his eyes."

In the original layout, my nemesis, the second hole, was much easier. "In the old diagrams it was a straightaway par five," says Darby. "I believe it was around 1910 that they moved the green across the creek and up the hill." I bet the trees were all pretty short back then too. With the trees as big as they are now, the second hole at Hancock is one of the toughest par fives in town.

For many years, Hancock was jokingly known as "Hard Rock" among local golfers because there was more hardpan than grass on the shabby old course. It wasn't until the early 1990s that an irrigation system was finally installed, and since then conditions at the oldest course in Texas have improved dramatically. The short and easy layout has lately become a favorite among the "I am Tiger Woods" crowd and their hopeful parents.

Steve Darby and other volunteers are trying to organize a celebration to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Hancock next year. The Austin History Center has agreed to display old photographs of the course and its famous characters, a state historical marker is being sought and there is a tournament planned for September. Darby hopes the neighborhood, the city, and the golf community will take an interest in the Hancock centennial, which also appears to be the only public celebration of the 100th anniversary of Texas golf.

In a more perfect world, the U.S.G.A. would be so excited about this centennial that they would offer to help the city turn the oldest course in Texas into a showcase facility for young golfers. And they would also trim the tree on the second hole.

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Hancock Golf Course is located at 811 E. 41st (off Red River), and is open every day except Christmas, 7am-dark. For info about or to assist with next year's festivities, call golf pro Steve Darby, 453-0276.

Historic photos of Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, and Harvey Penick at Hancock are available for viewing in a collection of photos at the Austin History Center, 499-7480.