acing it
Luxurious ranch retreat near Houston tees up lush new 18-hole championship golf course
A prestigious and exclusive getaway for Houstonians has just rolled out an exciting new destination for golfers. Big Easy Ranch, the private Colorado County retreat (just an hour from Houston) has unveiled the name and open date of its new, 18-hole championship golf course.
Dubbed The Covey — which harks to the ranch’s wingshooting and upland hunting — the par 72 course will boast more than 7,400 yards with multiple tee boxes, Zeon Zoysia fairways and rough, and TifEagle greens, all aiming to offer optimal playing and course conditions for the area, per press materials.
Groundbreaking kicked off in September; The Covey is slated for completion this fall. Renowned golf course architect Chet Williams returned to design The Covey; he originally designed The Ranch’s nine-hole, par three course that he also designed.
Not surprisingly, given how fast word-of-mouth golf news travels locally, Big Easy has already seen an uptick in members, Big Easy’s Nicole Scarbrough tells CultureMap. “With the announcement of the new 18-hole golf course in spring 2021, we introduced the Legacy Membership, a new level of membership providing access to the ranch amenities along with exclusive access to the … course,” she says. “With a conservative limit of 300, more than 100 Legacy members have already joined. This is pretty significant considering The Covey will not be completed and open for play until fall 2022.”
Scarborough also notes that the retreat has seen new members from Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio — as well as across the U.S.
Meanwhile, course plans also for a second clubhouse that will provide sweeping, 360-degree views of the courses and neighboring foothills, plus lounge areas, a full service bar, dining areas, a wine room, and upscale locker rooms for both men and women.
Considered the elite retreat in Columbus, Texas/Colorado County, Big Easy Ranch (2400 Brunes Mill Rd.) spans some 2,000 acres of hilly terrain. Besides golf, members enjoy sporting clays course, fishing lakes, an infinity pool, wingshooting, whitetail and exotic hunting, luxury overnight accommodations, and a 12,000-square-foot lodge that serves up high-end dining and an award winning wine program.
Members can also take advantage of estate homesites that range from 2/3 of an acre to more than one acre, as well as shared ownership villas.
Rates at Tropic Island resort begin at $35 per night for back-in RV sites.Photo courtesy of Campspot