The Origin Story of Briggs Ranch Golf Club
Unearthing the History of Briggs Ranch, a Texas Premier Golf Destination
Briggs Ranch Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas
Known as the “friendliest course in the Network”, Briggs Ranch offers a unique golf experience that blends casual charm with top-tier playability. Spotlighting Texas Hill Country just thirty minutes outside of downtown San Antonio, the Tom Fazio-designed course and club offers one-of-a-kind personality and hospitality in its amenities and landscape. This is the origin story of a unique course evolving from the perfect timing of a distinctive vision, Tom Fazio design and years of dedication to the project of Briggs Ranch.
Ranch to Club
Briggs Ranch groundbreaking party.
Briggs Ranch Golf Club’s emerged from the vision of two Texas Golf Hall of Famers, Bill Rogers and Buddy Cook, and businessman Gil Hodges. Cook and Hodge had been involved with preparing the Golf Club of Texas for its opening in 2001; as the Briggs Ranch visionary, Hodge enlisted Buddy and Bill in 1999 to assist in the creation of a new private club in the stunning Texas Hill Country, wanting none other than the legendary Tom Fazio to design the course. Their goal: 18 signature holes.
Within a 50-mile radius deep in Hill Country, 260 acres of land just a half hour from downtown San Antonio was selected for the project.
“I was out there every day to watch the first blade of dirt turned over to the finished product. I would say it’s one of the true blessings in my golf career or in my life. It was the most enjoyable thing to watch it come out of the ground and be developed into what I right now today would represent as I think one of the truly best golf courses, not just in the state, but in the country. And I really believe that”
- Bill Rogers
Tom Fazio and his design team created a course to challenge golfers, requiring strategic plans on how to approach difficult slopes and penalty areas.
Critical to the design of Briggs Ranch is the unique bunker setup –a highlight of the course, the numerous bunkers provide not just challenge to the golfer but aesthetically pleasing layout of a course. “The bunkering is a tremendous highlight of the golf course and really sets it apart,” says Rogers.
Construction of Briggs Ranch
Vital to these bunkers, the course design and construction was the detailed maintenance work in all areas of the property, from native to out-of-play. With such a unique Texan environment, all modifications and improvements were planned to be beneficial to the long-term care of the golf course.
Also important to the design of Briggs Ranch is what lies beneath the surface. “Any architect would tell you there are three critical factors involved in golf course architecture: drainage, drainage, and drainage,” Rogers said.
Early photos of Briggs Ranch
Briggs Ranch opened in 2001, and from the start, it was clear the course was something special. “You cannot say that there is a weak or bad hole at Briggs Ranch,” Rogers said. “They're all wonderful.” After the opening, Hodge operated out of a humble quad-wide (where the cart barn now sits) for the club's formative years. “We hired some wonderful people in the local communities around Briggs Ranch. We had the salt of the earth, wonderful people from the small, kind of German Villages around San Antonio, that we were able to bring in and help us,” says Rogers. Inside four portable buildings, the team did carpentry work to develop tables and chairs, but knew an evolution towards a full clubhouse would be necessary.
Meticulously-maintained bent grass greens and the unique Zeon Zoysia fairways put this course on the map–as put by Rogers, an “aesthetically wonderful walk”–making it nationally known and recognized as Golf Digest’s #4 Best New Course in 2002.
In 2007, a distinctly Texan clubhouse was completed, featuring Spanish-style tile, a terra-cotta roof, and a range of dining and meeting spaces designed for gatherings of all sizes.
Briggs Ranch clubhouse rendering
Construction of Briggs Ranch clubhouse
Briggs Ranch clubhouse after completion in 2007
Dormie Network’s Influence
In 2014, Briggs Ranch was sold and in 2017, Dormie Network acquired the club to finish the founders’ vision of onsite lodging with all the details of the finest hospitality to align Briggs Ranch with Dormie Network’s modern approach to the classic sport.
“The golf course is huge in scale, and the green complexes and bunkering provide plenty of challenge,” Dormie Network Chief Operating Officer Mark Ruhga said. “Finally, the hospitality of South Texas is second to none and fantastic weather throughout the winter months makes it a perfect escape for our members and guests.”
Combining Briggs Ranch’s unique Texas charm with Dormie Network’s mission to a pure golf experience grounded in luxury and hospitality, the acquisition led to renovations including the construction of six new casitas, clubhouse modifications, the construction of TrackMan performance center, installation of full perimeter hog fence, cleaning of native throughout course corridors, a new golf cart fleet and maintenance equipment fleet replacement.
“Briggs Ranch was created as a true golf club, which with the addition of the casitas, provides the perfect backdrop for the Dormie Network experience,” Ruhga said. “Scenic views of Texas Hill Country, amazing regional cuisine, attentive staff and pleasant weather year-round make this course a complementary fit in our Network.”
Under Briggs Ranch’s Dormie’s era, Head Golf Professional Mike Frost was named the 2024 Western Chapter Golf Professional of the Year at the STPGA Chapter Award for his leadership, philosophy, and dedication to the game.In addition, General Manager Derrick Dixon was named the 2023 Bill Strausbaugh Award Recipient, recognizing his commitment to fostering a culture of openness and growth at the club.
“The people set it apart, from Derrick, the staff, the food service, and the food quality,” Rogers said. “If you looked up hospitality, you might have Dormie Network in parentheses beside it. That's their business.”
A Championship Course
In 2022, the greens surfaces were restored and converted to TifEagle Bermuda grass. Briggs Ranch provides the highest caliber of putting conditions to golfers throughout the year. Meticulously planned schedules and precise course agronomics allow for the greens to thrive even in the hot Texas climate, allowing guests and members to enjoy world-class putting.
“On the agronomy side, we have to look at the slopes around the greens and bunkers to ensure Fazio’s intent is maintained,” Dormie Network Chief Agronomy Officer Clint Tolbert said. “Sometimes on a slope, a difference of two degrees can completely change the hole for better or worse, so we always try to honor the architect while offering championship-caliber greens.”
In 2025, the course was named the #32 Best Course in Texas by Golf Digest. To this day, Rogers says, “I could never tire of playing Briggs.”
Southwestern Hospitality
The championship-caliber amenities extend to the clubhouse, offering full-service club fitting, state-of-the-art golf shop, and exquisite locker rooms.
Briggs Ranch’s clubhouse is nothing short of a Dormie Network hospitality gem–the Spanish-style-tiled, 15,000-square-foot building houses two dining rooms to serve up to 300 guests, a delicious seasonal menu typically featuring the Texas favorite bacon-wrapped jalapeño quail poppers and some of the finest bourbon in the San Antonio area.
“The rare bourbons we offer are emblematic of the kind of experiences we deliver; something that cannot be replicated anywhere else,” Briggs Ranch Assistant General Manager Tyler Thorson said.
Today, all within close distance of the clubhouse, the 60 master suites and 15 onsite casitas offer the finest accommodations. At the start of each day, carts await outside guests’ casitas, thoughtfully stocked with sunscreen, water, and snacks, and they return to a refreshed room with crisp beds and fully restocked bars.
Jack and Jose, the dynamic duo of cattle hailing from Collinsville, Texas’s Silver Star Longhorn Ranch, joined Briggs Ranch in 2021 and have become the club's most recognizable resident mascots. Known for greeting members and happily accepting cattle treats, the pair add signature charm to the property
Rooted in the vision of Bill Rogers, Buddy Cook, and Gil Hodges, shaped by Tom Fazio’s legendary design, and elevated by Dormie Network’s signature hospitality, Briggs Ranch carries forward a legacy of Texas Hill Country character and refined golf experiences—guided by passionate leaders and dedicated teams for generations to come.
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