The Tempest. at The Tempest. Welcome to. East Texas Golf The Way It Was Meant to Be. The 16th hole. Story by Pat Wheeler Photography by Hugh Hargrave

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The 16th hole at The Tempest The Tempest Welcome to East Texas Golf The Way It Was Meant to Be I n the fall of 2016, word of a new golf course in East Texas began to spread.

1 The 16th hole at The Tempest The Tempest Welcome to East Texas Golf The Way It Was Meant to Be I n the fall of 2016, word of a new golf course in East Texas began to spread. It's called the Tempest and it s near Longview, a friend in the know told me. You can see some of the holes they are building. It looks impressive. Say no more, I m on my way! As a Tyler native partial to East Texas scenery, I was soon zooming east down Interstate 20 from Dallas, noticing as always how the landscape changes from prairie land to hills, lakes and trees. Finding the course was easy. It sits just a mile or so north of I-20 on the east side of state highway 135 and is closest to Liberty City but within an half hour of both Tyler and Longview. On that pretty fall day I found a course awash in construction with sandy, tomato red dirt everywhere surrounding the clubhouse in the distance. Driving along the perimeter, I turned up a hill and began to climb steadily. I was intrigued as I Story by Pat Wheeler Photography by Hugh Hargrave noticed holes being built on both sides of the street. Once atop the hill I got a first look at the expanse below. It stopped me in my tracks. It was spellbinding. My imagination was jolted as I gawked at wide corridors shaped through forests of towering pines. I drank in the beauty, staring at a sweep of land that seemingly went on forever with a large valley giving way to another giant hill on the horizon. It was mesmerizing. I thought about Texarkana Country Club. I thought about Augusta National giant pines will do that to you.

568 E. Wilkins Rd. Gladewater, TX 903-984-5335 tempestgolfclub.

family membership costing just $750 inititation fee and $245 monthly dues. Nonresident memberships are just $500/$175.

Outings: Per player prices range from $46 for groups up to 31 to $42 for groups of 61-144 with a variety of food/beverage packages.

This site allows us to accentuate what the land gives us. It s a remarkable course that is sure to be fun to play over and over again.

, long in the making and much anticipated, opens in August. What veteran Texas golf architect Jeff Brauer envisioned while walking the property with owner Joe Bruno has come to fruition.

It s a remarkable course that is sure to be fun to play over and over again. Brauer wants golfers to have fun and The Tempest may be a template for the future as golf caters to a new generation.

2 568 E. Wilkins Rd. Gladewater, TX tempestgolfclub.com Opens: Late August 2018 Architect: Jeffrey Brauer Par: 72 Yards: 7,229 / 6,748 / 6,051 / 5,239 / 4,512 Memberships: The Tempest offers a variety of reasonable membership packages with a full family membership costing just $750 inititation fee and $245 monthly dues. Nonresident memberships are just $500/$175. Daily-Fee Rates: Non-members can still experience The Tempest for just $50 Monday- Thursday, $55 Friday and $65 Saturday-Sunday. Outings: Per player prices range from $46 for groups up to 31 to $42 for groups of with a variety of food/beverage packages. Home Sites: Beautiful homesites along the golf course range from the $90s to $200s. We have always said that our goal is to be the best course in East Texas. This site allows us to accentuate what the land gives us. It s a remarkable course that is sure to be fun to play over and over again. Jeffrey Brauer, Architect #11 I thought about a lot of stuff but one thought kept prevailing this is what East Texas golf was meant to be big, bold and beautiful., long in the making and much anticipated, opens in August. What veteran Texas golf architect Jeff Brauer envisioned while walking the property with owner Joe Bruno has come to fruition. We have always said that our goal is to be the best course in East Texas, Brauer said. And this site allows us to accentuate what the land gives us. It s a remarkable course that is sure to be fun to play over and over again. Brauer wants golfers to have fun and The Tempest may be a template for the future as golf caters to a new generation. I don t believe in designing tough courses, he said. I am simply taking advantage of this site to present a course that is moderately challenging, intensely interesting and beautiful golf. Well said. The Tempest is a layout that celebrates the beauty of East Texas, a region often overlooked when the top courses in Texas are discussed, on a scale never seen before. But what about the name The Tempest? 18 / AUGUST 2018 Texas Links It s a long story but certainly worth telling. The story begins with a storm, naturally, a most devastating storm. Harken back to August of 2005 when Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast. It was a harrowing time with indelible images of people on rooftops, escaping the vast flooding in New Orleans caused by breached levees. In the wake of Katrina, I sought to bring my skills to bear for the city and joined other attorneys in a suit against the Army Corp of Engineers, Bruno said. I m an attorney and litigation is what I do. The Corps had publicly taken the position that levees performed as designed, which didn t make a lot of sense given they fell down. Then it was the insurance industry s turn and they maintained that most of the damage was from flood water and not hurricane wind and were low-balling the claims. We filed 7,000 lawsuits against more than 75 companies. In the end, Bruno said, the trial court found the Corps liable but the Court of Appeals held they were entitled to immunity. The good news is that we recovered more than $160 million for homeowners. When the dust settled on the legal battles, Bruno said, one of the individuals who worked on the insurance litigation invited him to purchase an interest in an East Texas golf course named Shallow Creek. After the Katrina experience, taking an investment opportunity outside the law business seemed like a good idea, Bruno said. For the successful New Orleans attorney, the East Texas course was his first foray into the golf business. Soon his share of the course became full ownership. Needless to say, I have learned a lot about golf course management since then, he said. Especially for a guy who doesn t play the game. The son of an attorney and grandson of a furniture maker from Sicily who emigrated to the U.S. via Tunisia in the early part of the last century, Bruno has enjoyed the challenge. He has taken an active role in the clubhouse renovation accompanying the new course. Several ornate pieces of his grandfather s furniture now adorn the entrance hallway and the proud native of The Big Easy laughed when asked about a painting in the men s locker room. Nothing says Louisiana like a painting of Napoleon. In his efforts to make the course more profitable, Bruno engaged a consultant. Ultimately, that relationship was described as another learning opportunity but as Bruno continued to explore ways to improve his investment, he looked more to residential development. Several impressive and lovely homes already occupied parts of the property, but existing lots were crowding the course. Bruno concluded that to build more homes, he had to put golf first. In an attempt to find more room for golf and at the same time create more fairway lots, I looked at a tract we owned south of the existing course, Bruno said. I walked it and discovered a gold mine of beauty. It turned out to be land perfect for a combination of golf and residential lots. This part of our land has the elevation changes, the trees and the water that make golf holes beautiful. Enter Brauer to walk the land with Bruno. This was a key moment for what is now The Tempest. It was while walking that property with Jeff, who was like a kid in a candy store, that I made the decision to go for it and do something first class with this golf course, Bruno said. Texas Links AUGUST 2017 / 19

#17 #18 Jeff saw the golf holes that are there now and I decided to support him all the way. We decided to go first-class golf because that is what will attract golfers and new residents.

Jeff is a good friend who is really something when it comes to remembering distinctive characteristics of famous courses, said colleague Damian Pascuzzo, a Californiabased course designer who worked

Based in Arlington for almost three decades, Brauer has done work all over the country but feels blessed to have been given the opportunity to design a course closer to home.

I think our signature holes may be the horseshoe around the 4-acre fishing lake on the back nine. Those holes, 11, 12 and 16 were just a natural fit.

This part of our land has the elevation changes, the trees and the water that make golf holes beautiful. Joe Bruno, Owner deference to the golfer who slices the ball.

, to oversee the construction of the course. Peter Dejak and Ted Staats of Signet have been on site supervising the construction.

3 #17 #18 Jeff saw the golf holes that are there now and I decided to support him all the way. We decided to go first-class golf because that is what will attract golfers and new residents. Brauer is an architect with a sense of history that comes from growing up in the shadows of Medinah CC in Chicago. Jeff is a good friend who is really something when it comes to remembering distinctive characteristics of famous courses, said colleague Damian Pascuzzo, a Californiabased course designer who worked with Brauer on a renovation of renowned La Costa GC near San Diego. We will be talking about a golf hole and he will cite a similar feature at a course like Doral. That amazes me. Based in Arlington for almost three decades, Brauer has done work all over the country but feels blessed to have been given the opportunity to design a course closer to home. It has all the makings of a memorable championship layout. Every time I visit the Tempest, I come away with a new favorite hole, Brauer said. I think our signature holes may be the horseshoe around the 4-acre fishing lake on the back nine. Those holes, 11, 12 and 16 were just a natural fit. And we designed 11 and 16 with the water in play to the left as a 20 / AUGUST 2018 Texas Links I walked it and discovered a goldmine of beauty. It turned out to perfect for golf and residential lots. This part of our land has the elevation changes, the trees and the water that make golf holes beautiful. Joe Bruno, Owner deference to the golfer who slices the ball. We want the course to be friendly to the higher handicap player while still challenging to the best players. After Brauer had finished his design, Bruno brought in Signet Golf of Pinehurst, N.C., to oversee the construction of the course. Peter Dejak and Ted Staats of Signet have been on site supervising the construction. I was introduced to Peter after we decided to go with the new course and he has been very good for us, Bruno said. He is very knowledgeable and the consummate gentleman. Despite some construction setbacks due to inclement weather, Dejak is excited about the opening of the course. We will have the course looking great on opening day and golfers will love the attention to detail, Dejak said. Every time I am on the course, I see something new that will make playing The Tempest unique, fun and challenging. The course will feature the latest and greatest of available grasses with Champions G-12 greens, collars of Blackout Bermuda and Celebration Bermuda fairways and rough. In March, Bruno hired Randy Wade as the head golf pro and general manager. A native of East Texas and formerly the pro at Twin Lakes in Canton, Wade has been busy attending to details for the golf shop while touring potential members. The Tempest will be semi-private with affordable memberships available while also catering to destination golf with daily fees. This has been such a great experience for me, Wade said. To see all the components of the course and operations come together and know what a beautiful and fun course we have for both local and visiting golfers is wonderful. Our job from day one is to provide outstanding customer service so that playing The Tempest will be enjoyable and an experience the golfer will soon want to repeat. We think our course is one you will like playing day after day because of its great holes. Wade is especially excited about the Tempest hosting the First Tee of the Piney Woods on Tuesdays. The club will offer a plethora of junior programs that include a year-long academy and summer camps. Welcoming golfers is a clubhouse and practice facilities that are world class. The clubhouse features The Tavern restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating and a large #13 banquet room for special occasions such as weddings. The outdoor seating area overlooks two practice putting greens. One is flat for precision strokes and the other a giant Putting Garden, ideal for practicing longer putts on slopes similar to those on the course. A chipping green with a bunker is also in this area. Closer to the ninth green and away from the clubhouse is the full-service practice range with a wide and deep tee area, a practice bunker and multiple targets. The Putting Garden is sure to be fun when played in the order of the holes because of its slopes, Brauer said. And there may be some fun nighttime competition as well. Once on the course, players can choose from five sets of tees to suit their game. Brauer is one who advocates a level playing field based on the golfer's distance abilities. So the tees will offer the following yardages: 7,229; 6,748; 6,051; 5,239; 4,512. The round begins with a short par 4 measuring 377 from the tips but only 224 from the front tees. A beautiful home in the background reminds the golfer that living at the Tempest has its perks. Texas Links AUGUST 2018 / 21

SQUAW VALLEY G O L F C O U R S E Play 36 Holes of Championship Golf In Glen Rose, Texas squawvalleygc.

Then the third, a long and downhill par 4, takes the golfer back out. The first three holes serve as a nice warm-up for an enjoyable round.

Brauer allows a bail out long as the green takes on the shape of a sombrero.

The fifth is an up and over par 4 and the only blind tee shot on the course. A generous fairway makes the tee shot less daunting.

On the fifth hole, we substituted a little one-foot high ridge for a sand bunker on the right side of the green, a feature I first saw in Ireland at Lahinch, Brauer said.

It is a stopping point on most tours of the course.

4 SQUAW VALLEY G O L F C O U R S E Play 36 Holes of Championship Golf In Glen Rose, Texas squawvalleygc.com #18 22 / AUGUST 2018 Texas Links #5 #14 An elevated tee tucked into trees gives the par 4 second hole a nice look as it comes back towards the clubhouse. Then the third, a long and downhill par 4, takes the golfer back out. The first three holes serve as a nice warm-up for an enjoyable round. After a climb to the fourth tee, golfers experience their first wow moment. A drop of 30 feet greets you, with the green only 157 yards away but guarded in front by a creek. Brauer allows a bail out long as the green takes on the shape of a sombrero. It s just a little drop-shot par 3, but the change in elevation and the creek make it dramatic and the perfect appetizer for the upcoming vistas, Brauer said. The fifth is an up and over par 4 and the only blind tee shot on the course. A generous fairway makes the tee shot less daunting. Brauer used his memory of classic courses when designing the green against a backdrop of trees. On the fifth hole, we substituted a little one-foot high ridge for a sand bunker on the right side of the green, a feature I first saw in Ireland at Lahinch, Brauer said. It looks easy, but it s a challenging chip shot to get the ball near the hole. The sixth tee affords golfers a wonderful panorama of the course below. It is a stopping point on most tours of the course. I am so excited about playing the Tempest, said Dallas oilman Continued on page 24 A Personal Tour with Architect Jeff Brauer Letting nature take its course P eople ask how architects envision a course, especially on ground untouched by an earth mover. Such was the case on much of the land used at The Tempest. It s really not that complicated. We walk the property with topographical (topo) maps in hand and draw up a few of holes to see what will fit. Then we walk it again looking at the holes we drew, knowing some will be changed, sometimes more than once. A prime example at The Tempest is the 12th, which we originally plotted for residential lots. But we realized it was much too rugged for home sites with a dramatic valley. But it was perfect for a par 3 that is now one of the best holes on the course with a beautiful shot over a ravine to a two-tiered green sloped from left to right. On subsequent walks, we discovered a pleasant surprise numerous long-range vistas opened up to accentuate the beauty of the course. From the sixth tee, you can see parts of Nos as a backdrop. You can see the bunkers on the 11th from the clubhouse, and the clubhouse from the 12th tee. Natural beauty is part of any course, but it is a hallmark of The Tempest. The vistas are enhanced at dawn and dusk with the long shadows every good photographer hopes to capture. The lots featuring such views should be fast sellers. The routing sets the footprint of the course, but is only half of its character. Next comes each hole s design features. On dramatic land like this, certain green and fairway sites cry out for particular features we always try to incorporate. One great thing about working with owner Joe Bruno was his openness to changes. My experience was like the Golden Age of golf architecture, when a design might come together more slowly to allow us to maximize the land features. I find a new favorite hole each time I walk the course, which is exciting. The holes around the fishing lake will be considered signatures Nos. 11, 12 and 16. But there is so much more because we wanted to make every hole unique. A great example is one of the last holes completed the dogleg left, par-4 No. 8 with its huge, wildly contoured green. It provides an exciting visual for arriving golfers. It let s them know this is a very special place. Placing the 11th and the 16th on either side of the large fishing lake was a no-brainer. We had to determine which way the holes worked better. In the end, we kept the water on the left side of each hole to accommodate slicers. Holes 13, 14 and 15 fell into place, forming a triangle around an area ideal for fabulous home lots. One of the earliest routing decisions was to create what are #12 now holes and 10 and 18 in an area once occupied by three holes. We replaced three ordinary holes with two exciting ones. The 10th became a double-option fairway, where cutting the corner allows long hitters to possibly reach the par 5 in two, unless the prevailing south wind into the golfers is too strong. The highly elevated tee on 18 gives The Tempest one of the most dramatic tee shots in Texas. It is a classic Cape Hole, asking golfers how much of the lake are you willing to take on? It is as strong a finishing hole as can be found. As we tour potential members around the course, they are impressed with the front nine because the first three holes are comfortable and attractive with scattered trees, then the fourth is a short, par 3 that drops 30 feet from tee to green. The fifth is an up and over par 4 and the sixth is a dramatically downhill hole with one of the long-range vistas. No. 7 is a fun Redan par 3 with a great look and the No. 8 green impresses as does the reachable par-5 ninth with water menacing from the left for the second and third shots. The Tempest builds to a grand finish, offering new looks and challenges all the way around. Many believe the test of a great course is the ability of the golfer to remember every hole distinctly. We strove for that and the beauty and variety of the land gave us a head start. Come play The Tempest and you be the judge! TL Texas Links AUGUST 2017 / 23

Continued from page 22 Craig Bivins. The views from the tees are beautiful. These are big holes.

It reminded me of something I read about the design work of Tom Fazio.

5 Continued from page 22 Craig Bivins. The views from the tees are beautiful. These are big holes. As we were touring the property, my friend Jamey Walker made the observation from the sixth tee you have a view of almost the entire course. It s just spectacular. It reminded me of something I read about the design work of Tom Fazio. He said he wanted the golfer to see the entire hole in front of him and for the holes to have such a beautiful look from the tee that they are memorable once the round is over. I believe you have that at The Tempest. As the first par 5, the sixth has a #15 terrific downhill tee shot to an area defined by mounding on the left that directs your eye to the right for the best path to the green. Long hitters can take a shot at reaching the green in two, but a big drop off to the right of the green makes a well positioned lay-up shot the more prudent play. A short drive up the hill to the seventh tee is the beginning of nonstop visual delights. A Redan hole, the par 3 measures up to 200 yards with the green receding from right to left so that the best shot will be bounced in from the right side, avoiding the bunker short and left of the green. The eighth is a dogleg left par 4 with a massive green and the ninth is a definite birdie opportunity on a par 5 with water in play left on the second shot. Making the turn, the back nine starts with a short par 5 that has a challenging tee shot to a split fairway. The more aggressive angle is down the left side since it might afford a chance to reach in two but for most the second shot, a lay-up, will be crucial. The three-tiered green is framed by a waterfall to the back left. The par 4 11th is starts a stretch of holes on the property discovered by Brauer and Bruno. The 11th has a picturesque tee shot with a lake guarding the fairway on the left. Most will consider the 12th a signature hole because of a 24 / AUGUST 2018 Texas Links PHOTO: HUGH HARGRAVE/HHPHOTO.COM large ravine to be crossed with a shot measuring up to 186 yards. It is followed by another par 5 that is carved from trees, as are the next three par 4s that are all beautiful. The string of par 4s is interrupted by the downhill par 3 17th that punctuates a group of one-shot holes with great variety. The finale is the most memorable tee shot on the course from a giant bluff over a lake. It is a classic Cape Hole where the golfer can take on as much of the water as courage will allow. A par on the finale will be well earned. Once done, a trip to The Tavern is the perfect setting to relax and rehash the round. The only thing better than playing the best course in East Texas is talking about it, remembering the good shots while forgetting the others. TL For more information, please visit tempestgolfclub.com.

The region s most welcoming club Designed by legendary golf architects Best facilities on the Seacoast Relax and enjoy our Pub & Grill

The region s most welcoming club Not only can every level of player enjoy our course (check out the course overview that follows with tips on how to play the holes), we re also priced to fit any budget,