By Kasturi Datta |
The Cape Royale golf course in Coldspring, Texas, is to be renovated by golf architect Ty Butler, Landscapes Unlimited’s project development group and contractor Heritage Links.
The course originally opened with nine holes in 1972 and was later extended to 18 by Bruce Littell. It closed in 2016, with Trinity River Authority (TRA) taking over the lease in 2024.
TRA brought in Landscape Unlimited’s project development group to oversee site planning, design, engineering, permitting and contractor selection. The group selected Heritage Links to undertake construction, Erik Christiansen of EC Design Group for irrigation design, and McCarthy Architecture to manage building designs.
“The previous golf course operator essentially ran the course into the ground,” said Clay Fetherbay, program manager at Landscapes Unlimited. “The TRA is required to provide recreation as a part of its programme, so they needed to restore it from that standpoint; there are also folks within the TRA that wanted to restore this gem as it’s located in a beautiful spot.”
The Cape Royale course closed in 2016, but is to be revived by Ty Butler, Landscapes Unlimited’s project develoment group and Heritage Links (Photo: Landscapes Unlimited)
Butler has developed a renovation plan for the course that includes some routing adjustments but mainly preserves most of the original playing corridors.
“The course will be more challenging from the tips while maintaining playability for the average golfer and will be visually striking compared to the previous layout because of enhanced lake views,” said Featherbay.
The course is expected to reopen in autumn 2028.