Colonial Country Club - Charles Schwab Challenge

Photos by Michael Davis, Stadium Journey

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43

Colonial Country Club 3735 Country Club Circle Fort Worth, Texas 76109

Colonial County Club website

Charles Schwab Challenge website

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Colonial Country Club and the PGA: 80 years together

The Charles Schwab Challenge is played at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Although 2019 was Charles Schwab’s first year being the sponsor in Fort Worth, Colonial Country Club first hosted the US Open in 1941. Due to World War II, no tournament was played from 1942-45, but a PGA Tour golf tournament has been held here every year since 1946, giving the course the honor of being the PGA Tour’s longest-tenured tournament at a single venue. The tournament is traditionally hosted over Memorial Day weekend.

Colonial Country Club is known as Hogan’s Alley because legendary Ben Hogan won the tournament five times. The course yardage is 7,209 (creating a Par 70 for golfers), and the course record is 61, co-held by seven PGA Tour pros: Keith Clearwater, Lee Janzen, Greg Kraft, Justin Leonard, Kevin Na, Kenny Perry, and Chad Campbell. The course has also hosted three major or significant professional golf events: the 1941 U.S. Open, the 1975 Tournament Players Championship, and the 1991 U.S. Women’s Open.

Food & Beverage   3

There are numerous concession tents around the golf course, with nearly one stand per hole as the tents are strategically placed for patrons to be able to buy food and not miss any action. The Charles Schwab Challenge food and beverage options are the standard sports fare, such as hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken sandwiches, along with pretzels, peanuts, and various sweets. The food and beverage prices are typical of what sports fans are accustomed to when going to events.

On the front part of the course there is also a food truck fairway near holes 1, 2 and 6. The trucks have various food items from local restaurants – two that are well-known are Buffalo Bros (pizza/wings) and Heim BBQ.

In addition to the options above, there are also premium seating areas for fans that want to have a more leisurely and upscale place to eat. One of the upgrades for concessions is the Champions Club, with a cost of $250 (upgraded tickets give access to air conditioning as well as television while you eat and drink). In summary, there are plenty of food and beverages here for any fan to enjoy, but the overall menu is what fans expect at PGA events.

Atmosphere   3

The Charles Schwab Challenge continues bringing an impeccable environment for avid golf fans, and Hogan’s Alley continues to be one of the best-groomed courses on the PGA Tour. The private club opens their course to the golf world, and creates an atmosphere where all the fans feel like members of the club. There are great seating opportunities to watch the best of the best play on the Par 70 course, and Colonial Country Club and the volunteers create an environment that is attractive to all types of golf fans. The amenities here include a kids autograph zone, the Famous 13th Hole (a par 3 over water with the patron’s seating directly above the green, leaving very little space for the golfers safe zone on the green), and finally The Five, a Schwab Performance Center that is a live interactive golf experience focusing on the five fundamentals of both golf and investing, connecting Ben Hogan’s ground-breaking approach to golf and Schwab’s approach to investing and retirement.

As in all PGA tournaments, fan excitement escalates on the last day, with fans getting to see the final pairings and leaders coming down the 18th fairway to the Colonial Clubhouse, with Ben Hogan’s statue overlooking the 18th green. The winner of the Charles Schwab Challenge receives the customary Scottish royal tartan plaid jacket, the Leonard Trophy, and a 1983 fully renovated Jeep Scrambler which has the tartan plaid look incorporated into the seats.

Neighborhood   4

Colonial Country Club is located about four miles from downtown Fort Worth. The golf course is located on the south bank of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, just northwest of the campus of Texas Christian University.

There are several tourist attractions in Fort Worth near Colonial Country Club, including Fort Worth Zoo on University Drive just across from the main entrance for the tournament; Fort Worth Zoo is one of the top-rated zoos in the country. In addition, the Cultural District around the public car parking at Farrington Field features several museums, including the world famous Kimbell Art Museum, Will Rogers Memorial Center (home of the annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo), and Dickies Arena.

However, a trip to the Fort Worth Stockyards is a must when visiting the Fort Worth area, and it is just a few miles on the other side of downtown. There you can see the famous “World’s Largest Honky Tonk” - Billy Bob’s Texas) – home to live music from national recording acts, a large dance floor, pool tables, mechanical bull rides, and live bull riding on the weekends. The stockyards also have a few steak houses that are well worth the visit, and there is also a local Tex-Mex favorite, Joe T. Garcia’s, but be prepared for long lines if you choose this eatery. Or if you’re looking for BBQ, Heim BBQ at 1109 W. Magnolia Ave is one of the top-rated BBQ places in the state. But the best food option might just be the Ol’ South Pancake House – this Fort Worth staple is a 24-hour family restaurant that is perfect for those early tee times at the tournament.

There are plenty of lodging options in town, with two good choices being Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa at 1701 Commerce, and Stockyards Hotel at 109 E Exchange. If you want to be within walking distance of Colonial Country Club, though, then Courtyard by Marriott Fort Worth or Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Fort Worth are your better options.

Fans   3

Colonial Country Club is a private golf club, but the fans that flock to this course are very diverse. As with all PGA Tour events, there are plenty of groups that form around certain golfers. The largest gallery the past few years has been around Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler, which is great for fans of other golfers that want plenty of space to follow a different golfer around the course.

In general, golf fans are very courteous and respectful of everyone in attendance.  This holds true around the course at Colonial – the whole crowd is united in supporting the players, but the support becomes the loudest as the final pairing head to the 18th green on Sunday evening.

Access   3

Colonial Country Club is located off University Blvd across the street from Fort Worth Zoo. The club is situated in the Park Hill-Colonial Hills neighborhood, and this old neighborhood can’t support general parking for the PGA event. However, there are three parking options available to patrons: Gold Valet, Silver, and public parking. Gold Valet is the premier parking for patrons, with a cost of $200 a day as you are parked at the clubhouse. The cost for Silver parking is $75 a day, with a shuttle that takes patrons from TCU’s Worth Hills Parking garage to the Colonial Clubhouse. The public parking lot is located at Fort Worth’s Farrington Field at 2921 W. Lancaster or at Rockwood Lane Fort Worth, with both areas also providing free shuttles to the course.

The main entrance to the course is on Rogers at the 4th hole fairway. There are no opaque bags allowed that are larger than a small purse (6” by 6”), which includes carrying cases, backpacks, camera bags, and chair bags. Clear plastic, vinyl, or other bags not exceeding 12” x 6” x 12” are allowed, as well as food if it is stored in a one-gallon clear plastic resealable bag. All mobile phones, tablets, and PDAs should be put in silent mode, and cameras are allowed during practice rounds only. Once you are inside the course is very walkable, as the landscape is flat with plenty of trees for shade.

Return on Investment   3

The return on investment at the Charles Schwab Challenge is as expected for a PGA Tour event, but is a little better than its metroplex counterpart, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in McKinney. The daily grounds tickets at Colonial Country Club are $50 per ticket, but this course is one of the treasures on the PGA Tour – this historic golf course has hosted some of golf’s greatest players. There are also special ticket packages that would enhance a patron’s experience, but they come at a price: Villages Ticket and Leonard’s Club, with seats at the 18th green. These both have clubhouse access, with food and beverages included, but the prices range from $350 to $800 per ticket.

The concession pricing and parking are on par with typical sporting event costs.

Extras   5

A trip to Colonial Country Club is a chance to see the game’s biggest names firsthand, and those names represent a wide range of styles on the PGA Tour. Since the tournament’s inaugural event in 1946, golf greats like Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Watson, as well as modern-day stars such as Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Rose, have won this tournament – the 2019 champion was Kevin Na, making the tournament his third PGA Tour win.

The Charles Schwab Challenge is also among the PGA Tour leaders in charitable giving, generating $18 to $20 million annually for local Fort Worth-area charities.

Colonial Country Club’s fifth hole, which has the Trinity River running alongside the fairway, is mentioned as one of the best holes in America. This hole is regularly ranked as one of golf’s most difficult and is the anchor in the very tough three-hole stretch here, nicknamed the “Horrible Horseshoe”.

The Colonial staff and volunteers also do a great job throughout the week helping patrons navigate to and from the parking lot shuttles to different places around the course.

Finally, the Charles Schwab Challenge’s placement on Memorial Day weekend inspires the tournament to remember the men and women of the Armed Forces, who sacrificed their lives while serving their country, with a moment of silence during tournament play.

Final Thoughts

Colonial Country Club is a beautiful course laid out in a perfect setting to host a PGA Tournament, and it is also easy to navigate and has plenty of shade from the large oak trees along the fairways. The DFW area is also a great tourist area for golf fans to enjoy, with plenty of restaurants and lodging in the vicinity.

The PGA usually schedules the DFW area to host back-to-back weekends of PGA golf, with the CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament in McKinney followed by the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth; Dallas-Fort Worth is the only metroplex area in the US that hosts two PGA events each year.

Disclaimer: The PGA schedule for 2027 has the CJ Cup at the end of April, while the PGA Championship being held in Frisco will be the week prior to the Charles Schwab Challenge – this prevents the PGA from showcasing the DFW area for 3 straight weeks.