Northwood Club

Overview: Northwood Club is an 18-hole private parkland course in Dallas, originally designed by Bill Diddel and restored by Tripp Davis. The course’s current championship presentation is listed at par 70 and roughly 7,102 yards, with rolling ground, mature trees, creeks and firm, strategic greens giving the property a character that is very different from a flat urban layout. Diddel’s routing uses the natural movement of the land to create distinct holes and changing angles, while the restored greens and bunkers put renewed emphasis on the original strategic ideas. The course can look generous from the tee, but the preferred line into each green matters, particularly when wind changes the value of the available landing areas. Its strongest quality is the continuity between the historic routing and the sharper decisions demanded by modern championship golf.

History: Northwood was established in 1946 after Bill Diddel and Perry Maxwell were invited to study the Dallas property. The members selected Diddel, whose work became known for natural routing, creative greens and strategy that grows from the terrain. Northwood hosted the 1952 U.S. Open, won by Julius Boros, placing the young club among the most important championship venues in Texas. Tripp Davis led an 18-month restoration that began in late 2016 and reopened the course in April 2018. The project rebuilt or restored tees, greens and bunkers, recovered original fairway width, improved drainage and reintroduced the visual character of Diddel’s design.

Did You Know? Northwood is one of only three Texas courses to have hosted the U.S. Open. Its original architect, Bill Diddel, was also one of the founders of the American Society of Golf Course Architects in 1947.