The Woodlands Resort & Country Club (Panther Trail)

Overview: Panther Trail is the resort course at The Woodlands that follows many of the forest corridors of the former Pines layout. Roy Case redesigned the routing as an 18-hole, par-72 course with a longest published tee length of 7,044 yards. The setting is the Texas Piney Woods, but the course is not simply a tree-lined corridor: wide landing areas, water, large greens and a finishing hole beside the resort give the round a clear resort rhythm. It can accommodate different playing levels, yet the player still has to manage angles and choose when the wider route is preferable to a more aggressive line.

History: Panther Trail had its grand opening in 2003 after Case completed a substantial redesign of the former Pines Course. The Woodlands Resort’s golf operation includes Panther Trail and The Oaks, while the wider community has additional private club courses. Panther Trail’s identity is therefore both historical and exact: it is the redesigned resort course, not a generic name for all golf in The Woodlands. The resort has also hosted major events, including the Shell Houston Open and AJGA competition.

Did You Know? More than twenty acres of wildflowers were included in the perimeter of the redesigned course, according to the opening coverage. The 18th also finishes near the resort’s lake and hospitality facilities, which helps explain why Panther Trail is often remembered as a complete destination round rather than only a sequence of golf holes. Its earlier Pines corridors remain part of the story, but the current routing is a distinct Roy Case course.