THE TRADITION

In 2005 we held the Inaugural Carlton Woods Invitational.  Two years later, the club remains committed to developing the Invitational into one of the most prestigious events in amateur golf.   We want to give our players a pure, traditional golf experience while paying attention to the smallest of details.   In two short years, the Invitational has already attracted an elite national amateur field and represents one of the finest events in the U.S. and an esteemed tournament to win.  The format is a three-day stroke play competition for Mid-Amateur and Senior Amateur golfers.  

Held on our two award winning Nicklaus Signature and Tom Fazio golf courses, meticulous care and attention is given to course preparation and conditions.   Comments from past participants confirm you should expect a tough but fair test of golf. 

When we established this tournament, we committed to building a tournament based upon tradition that is rich in quality and detail.   New in 2008, the Invitational has been designated as one of Golfweek’s national designated tournaments.  We are adding the winner’s wall of fame which permanently displays the past winners names and scores outside the Nicklaus clubhouse.    In addition, we added a scoreboard behind the 18th green of the Nicklaus course.   Atop the new scoreboard we will fly the flags of the home
states for each state represented in the contestant field.  In addition, The Club at Carlton Woods is lucky enough to host a pair of American Bald Eagles breeding and living on the 18th hole of the Nicklaus course.    The pair of eagles is a favorite of many of our club members and their children.    When we set out to establish an official tournament logo and re-design our winners’ trophies we decided to incorporate the bald eagle into both.   The new bronze “Eagle Trophy” represents the prestige and tradition we are building into this tournament and will also become one of the historic traditions of this tournament.  

In just six years of operation, The Club at Carlton Woods has quickly established itself as a preeminent championship venue. The club has hosted USGA Open and Mid-Amateur qualifying, the 2004 Texas State Amateur, and the 2007 USGA State Team Championships.   Both the Nicklaus and the Fazio courses have garnered a host of state and national awards.