Bent Tree Country Club

Overview: Bent Tree Country Club is a private North Dallas club founded in 1972 on land that was formerly cotton fields and pasture. The original course was designed by Desmond Muirhead, who used water features, shaped ground and tree planting to create a more varied landscape than the flat setting initially suggested. The layout has subsequently been refined by other architects, and the club is now undertaking a complete course transformation led by Beau Welling. Because that project is scheduled to open in fall 2026, this profile avoids presenting a fixed par or yardage that may soon be out of date.

History: Bent Tree was founded by former Dallas mayor Robert S. Folsom and developed into a significant competitive venue. The club has hosted the LPGA Mary Kay Classic, PGA Seniors Reunion events, the Bank One Senior Championship, the Texas Women’s Open, the Men’s Texas Mid-Amateur and U.S. Open qualifying. A 2002 project by Keith Foster rebuilt and reworked Muirhead’s original blueprint, while the current Beau Welling project represents another major chapter in the course’s evolution. The through-line is a willingness to preserve the club’s competitive identity while updating the golf for a new generation.

Did You Know? The course was named for saplings that were bent and tied to mark travel routes along the historic Shawnee Trail, now Preston Road. The name links the modern country club to a much older piece of Dallas-area travel history.