Cow Pasture Golf Classic To Benefit Dublin's Hogan Museum

Touting it as the craziest round of golf ever to be played, organizers of the First Annual Cow Pasture Golf Classic are expecting to have the endorsement of the PGA.

Unfortunately that's the Pasture Golf Association, rather than the more recognizable golf sanctioning organization.

But with or without any official sanction, the organizers can't stop laughing as they design the unconventional course and set the rules for the Aug. 14 event, a fund raiser for what will be the world's only Ben Hogan Museum.

The Cow Pasture Classic will be held at a location which celebrates its own Hogan legacy. The site, located four miles west of Dublin on Highway 6, is the old Dublin-DeLeon Golf Course where Mr. Hogan caddied and later competed as a young man. All that remains of the former course are two of the original tee boxes.

The 9-hole course (which designers refer to as "putt putt on steroids") will feature a variety of interesting elements. One of the organizers commented that the course doesn't HAVE hazards - it IS a hazard. But the rules, which would be considered fairly loose, will allow competitors to carry weed-eaters and shovels, as well as clubs. It is not necessary for a golfer to submit a handicap and winners will be chosen in a number of categories which don't involve their scorecards, such as "closest to the hole" at a special hole and "most lost balls."

The format is four-person scramble and entry fee is $100 per person with all proceeds benefiting the Ben Hogan Museum of Dublin. Gentlemen will play from the back and ladies from the front boxes. Golfers will be allowed to improve their lie by one club length at anytime and anywhere on the course without penalty. If a golfer is unable to play the ball due to course conditions (like if you need a weed eater), he or she can use a mulligan to place the ball in the nearest playable area. Mulligans are available in unlimited quantities.

Golfers are welcome to bring their own mode of transportation, which also may be non-traditional. And traditional attire might not be as desirable as an old straw cowboy hat and boots.

Lunch will be served at the completion of the event which includes a margarita competition.

On the evening before, all participating golfers will be invited to a VIP party at the Dublin Rotary Building which will include dinner, an auction and a preview video of the course. Special guests include Robert Stennett, executive director of the Ben Hogan Foundation, and Tom Stites of Nike, who was a former employee and longtime friend of Mr. Hogan.

The Ben Hogan Museum, expected to open in late 2010, is the only stand-alone open-to-the-public Hogan museum in the world. Special rooms in several exclusive golf courses pay tribute to the man who is considered the greatest ball striker in the history of the game, but no single museum is devoted to him exclusively.

Hogan was reared in Dublin and it was there where Hogan, the child, developed character that would serve him well throughout his career and life. Growing up in Dublin with his blacksmith father and grandfather, he would come to understand the art and science of metals, and in later years that knowledge played a strategic role in his equipment manufacturing operation.

The Ben Hogan Museum, which is owned by the Dublin Historical Society, will be located in what was formerly the Lyon-Prim Special Events Center at the corner of Highway 6 and Grafton St. The museum, in colorful detail, will tell the story of Mr. Hogan's career including his miraculous comeback after a near-fatal car accident which helped define his perseverance and focus. Its special focus will be on the formative years that the young Hogan spent in Dublin.

The assistance of the Ben Hogan Foundation in Fort Worth and the heirs of Mr. Hogan has been invaluable to the planning, the development of museum renderings and the museum collection.

For more information or to sign up for the tournament, please contact Karen Wright, Dublin Chamber of Commerce office at 111 S. Patrick, Dublin TX 76446 or call 254 445-3422. Memorial gifts or patron sponsorships are also accepted at the chamber office, on behalf of the historical society and Hogan Museum.