River Oaks Country Club

River Oaks Country Club

River Oaks Country Club is a country club located in the River Oaks neighborhood of Houston, Texas, United States. The club has hosted the River Oaks International Tennis Tournament since 1931.

History

River Oaks was the venue for the Western Open golf tournament in 1940, and the Houston Open in 1946.

Around 1993 the River Oaks Country Club and some other area country clubs began claiming a new tax break.[1] During that year, the Houston Post stated a report that even though the River Oaks Country Club and two other area country clubs have official statements saying that they are open to people of all ethnic backgrounds, they covertly discriminate against blacks.[2]

On May 8, 2007, the United States Tennis Association announced that the River Oaks would host the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships starting in 2008, taking over the event from Westside Tennis Club. Other cities that competed for the event were Atlanta, Georgia, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The tournament pays out US$415,000, with the winner receiving US$65,850.

The new venue will feature American red clay courts that were installed in 2005. The stadium capacity is 3,000. Temporary seating for 500 will be installed for the second court.[3]

As of 2010, the River Oaks Country Club has a waiting list of people who wish to enter the club.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Country clubs claim tax break Houston, area schools lose revenue, paper says." Associated Press at The Dallas Morning News. March 1, 1993. Retrieved on October 5, 2012. "The River Oaks Country Club, Lakeside Country Club, the Houston Country Club and the Champions Golf Club are among the private clubs claiming the special[...]"
  2. ↑ "Exclusive Houston clubs segregated, newspaper finds." Associated Press at The Dallas Morning News. August 16, 1993. Retrieved on October 15, 2012. "Despite bylaws that say they are open to all, the area's three most prestigious clubs covertly discriminate, and no black has ever been admitted, the Houston Post reported Sunday." and "Minority leaders say that although the Houston Country Club, Lochinvar Golf Club and River Oaks Club don't practice illegal segregation, initiation fees range[...]"
  3. ↑ Robertson, Dale (May 7, 2007). "River Oaks keeps Clay Courts in town". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  4. ↑ Hveem, Todd. "Lakeside Country Club renovation draws rave reviews." Houston Chronicle. Wednesday December 15, 2010. Retrieved on October 15, 2012. "Lakeside, like River Oaks and Houston Country Club, has a waiting list."

External links

Coordinates: 29°45′11″N 95°25′26″W / 29.753056°N 95.423931°W