MANOR, Texas -- The long-delayed dream of a real clubhouse at ShadowGlen Golf Course to unwind after a round on the challenging track is now a reality as the course unveiled its 5,000-square foot gem two weeks ago.

The clubhouse, which will house ShadowGlen’s pro shop, restaurant and staff offices, had a soft opening at the first of the month and will be fully operational by the end of June, said Lindsay Bowman, ShadowGlen’s director of golf operations.

“We are very excited to be moving into our new home and to be able to provide our golfers the comforts they have so long deserved,” Bowman said. “It is the next step in our evolution.”

The course will hold a special Grand Opening celebration for the new clubhouse on Friday, June 29, starting with an 8 a.m. shotgun. There will be special games and contests for everyone, and afterward the management will serve lunch with complementary draft beer and sodas. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 6 p.m.

The clubhouse designer was Foley Design of East Point, Ga., which won the National Clubhouse Design of the Year award for his work at Fred Couples’ Newcastle in Seattle.
ShadowGlen, a 7,174-yard test designed by the Austin, Texas-based duo of Roy Bechtol and Randy Russell and opened for play in 2003, is a unique track designed, built and managed by golfers with the golfer's needs in mind.

Bechtol and Russell have jointly, individually and in conjunction with PGA Tour professional Tom Kite have been involved in the design of more than 50 golf courses across the United States.

ShadowGlen’s TifEagle greens are undulating and meant to be speedy while the TifSport Bermuda provides the finest fairways available, and the new Y2 Zoysia grass, usually reserved for the finest private courses, lines the bunker walls.

Playing to a par of 72 with a rating of 74.2 and a slope of 139, many of ShadowGlen’s toughest holes play into the predominant south or southeast wind.

“We built this course to be a true test of golf for all players, but from the back tees and with the wind up as it usually is, you have to bring your A game to score well at ShadowGlen,” Bechtol said. “There is not much to stop the wind out in the prairieland east of Austin, and that adds to the flavor and challenge of the course.

Scenic views are aplenty while numerous water features also enhance this tour quality experience. Extensive bunkering and mounding help maintain that isolation golfers want while playing, but also create tricky situations for the players around the greens.

Bechtol and Russell have fashioned a course so refined and challenging that ShadowGlen was voted a “Top 10 Best New Affordable Golf Course in 2004” by Golf Digest.
“It is great to see that the facility finally has a clubhouse worth of the course itself,” Bechtol added.