Gleneagles Country Club

The Kings Course at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano represents the work of Bruce Devlin and Robert von Hagge, a prolific design partnership active primarily in the 1970s and 1980s. Devlin, an Australian professional who won eight PGA Tour events, transitioned to course architecture and collaborated extensively with von Hagge on projects across the southern United States. Their designs typically feature bold bunkering, water hazards integrated into strategic positions, and substantial earthmoving to create definition on relatively flat terrain. Gleneagles sits in the northern Dallas suburbs, where the landscape offers limited natural elevation change. The Devlin-von Hagge approach here likely involves manufactured contours, shaped greens with pronounced undulation, and water features that serve both aesthetic and strategic purposes. Their style from this era often emphasized visual intimidation and required golfers to commit to carries over hazards, particularly on approach shots. The routing would have been designed to accommodate the property's constraints while creating variety in hole length and direction. The club serves the Plano community and reflects the growth of suburban Dallas golf during the late twentieth century. As a private facility, Gleneagles provides its membership with a championship-length test that showcases the architectural characteristics common to Devlin and von Hagge's portfolio—courses that demand accuracy and course management rather than relying solely on natural terrain for challenge.