Dallas National Golf Club: what do you get when you combine a Big Five accounting firm partner and an unused cement quarry on the wrong side of the tracks? If you're in Dallas, you get a world-class golf club.

If you wanted to build a golf club that would attract members not just from around your community but around the nation, all willing to pay individual memberships $175,000, how would you go about it? If you were John MacDonald, you'd do it your way.

MacDonald, who retired in his early 50s (he's now 58), became successful as a partner at Ernst and Young, the Big Five accounting firm. An avid golfer, the longtime Dallas resident decided that the city needed a world-class golf venue. Where the story turns a little bit strange involves what happened next.

MacDonald said he "can't believe" the property he found for Dallas National Golf Club (DNGC). Those who know Dallas real estate would agree, though not necessarily in a good way.

"It never would have been possible without this land. It's a miracle piece of land," MacDonald stated. The real miracle was that an accountant could look at the diamond-in-the-rough that became Dallas National and sees its potential. MacDonald purchased a former cement quarry site in a much-less-than-desirable area, seven miles southwest of Downtown Dallas, in December 1999. After purchasing the land, he began working with Potomac Golf Properties, whose investors include Prudential.

The steep, tree-covered, 388-acre Dallas National site is more reminiscent of Austin or San Antonio than traditionally-flat Dallas. It features two canyons, two natural streams, and three plateaus with dramatic views of Texas Stadium and downtown Dallas.

To design the course, MacDonald brought in Tom Fazio, considered by many to be the top golf-course architect in America. Fazio calls Dallas National "the best piece of land left in America close to downtown." Membership sales started in August 2000. MacDonald sold 75 founding memberships at $100,000, and the rest at $125,000, $150,000, and $175,000. "There is no pressure on sales anymore," he said.

"We had all 75 (founding) members' checks due at the same time and, when they all started coming in, it was wonderful. The economic downturn is overstated for people at the (income) level we're seeking." Memberships are currently $175,000, and are individual memberships. In other words, for both members of a couple to have the ability to entertain their own guests would cost $350,000.

The "Wow Factor"

"I never did this to be the best golf course in Dallas," said MacDonald, who serves as a Golf Digest panelist and has played about 65 of the top 100. "This is trying to be one of the best golf courses in the country. This is about an opportunity for Dallas to showcase major league golf."

When MacDonald hired Tom Fazio to carve the course out of the limestone of the quarry site, it was another astute decision. Fazio was very smitten with his creation. "If Dallas National were the only course I had designed, I feel I would have had a great career," Fazio said. "It is nothing short of dramatic and spectacular. You have the 'wow' factor on almost every tee box."

In an article in Dallas Morning News written around the time of the course's opening in August 2002, staff writer Bill Nichols wrote, "Standing on the first tee, one might think he had been set down in rural Wisconsin, New York, or Pennsylvania. The majestic fairways roll over the plateaus and canyons, creating dramatic swings in elevation. The pristine zoysia fairways are dotted with deep bunkers, which provide stunning definition and shape.

"First-time players open a new gift on each tee box because they have no idea what to expect. The holes do not run side by side, but rather, out and back, and each has a distinct flavor. There are equal numbers of doglegs, left and right, and an equal number of downhill and uphill holes."

While offering challenges from the long tees, the course was designed to be enjoyable for golfers of all calibers, and to have the capability to be notched up in the event that it attracts a major tournament.

In 2003, Dallas National was ranked second in Golf Digest's "Best New Private Courses" category, and 17th in Golf Week's "Top 100 Modern Courses."

"Hill Country" Clubhouse

Once he had crafted a hill-country course in flat-as-a-pancake Dallas, MacDonald decided he needed a clubhouse to go with it. Dallas National's clubhouse evokes the architecture of Austin, TX. MacDonald hired local architect and DNGC founding member Richard Drummond Davis to design the clubhouse. Davis studied under postmodernist Michael Graves, but has devoted a 27-year career to re-creating exquisite romantic visions of architectural history for his wealthy residential architecture client base. Davis' knowledge of local materials and access to area artisans would prove invaluable to the other player he brought on board, noted clubhouse design firm Image Design of Atlanta.

MacDonald made it very clear to the design team that they were not building a country club. Dallas National is a straightforward "golf" club, which is very clear in the 20,000-sq.-ft. size of the clubhouse. The first floor of the house is only 14,000 sq. ft.

"We're known for interior functionality," said Image Design President Joan Bourassa, who was principal designer on the project. "They quickly have an active club. Locker rooms and wet areas needed to be addressed. Kitchens and service areas needed to be tweaked. It's a pretty small building. As it gets more active, there will need to be more flexibility for big golf events and outings. Members are going to be pushing to do some events and they really don't have the space. Currently they really just have the grill room, and it's set up for daytime events."

The architectural plan incorporates a wrap-around back porch overlooking the 18th green. Custom-made rustic rocking chairs with woven-leather seats sit invitingly on the porch, with log sections used as drink tables. In keeping the casual ambiance of the space, rough-hewn timbers and stone fireplaces embellish the porch area.

Approaching the clubhouse entrance, the Austin stone exterior boasts a wall of windows in the front entry that welcomes members and guests. Since 100 of the club's members would be coming in from other parts of the country, the designers felt it was important to establish some heritage and tradition of the area in the interior of the new club. Upon entering the clubhouse, the main lobby reflects the environment with a grand mural depicting the golf course. "The mural in the lobby and photographs throughout the clubhouse are extremely important," Bourassa said. "We alluded to items in the mural that are special too in terms of heritage."

Extensive research resulted in finding regional artisans who produced most of the artwork and crafts that have been placed throughout the club. One prominent example is the collection of woven baskets, which were made by a local basket weaver, that create a focal point in the private dining room. Tina MacDonald, wife of John MacDonald, arranged a lot of the art. All materials, finishes, furnishings, and fabrics were selected to enhance the sophisticated rustic architectural envelope

Custom design details abound throughout the interior. Iron chandeliers, complementary sconces, and unique table lamps create ambient lighting which enhances the residential character of the clubhouse. The custom patterns of area carpets radiate a Southwestern character, which was a primary design objective.

"The color palette that the owners wanted was something that brought in the sunset. Terra cotta, cobalt blue, browns, and creams," Bourassa said. "Local stone was very important to (the MacDonalds). Local limestone was used on both the exterior and on the entrance and fireplace. All the running trim is a knotty alder. We used traditional molding forms, but because of knotty alder it looks much more rustic."

Even the locker rooms reflect the owners' insistence on attention to detail and faithfulness to the design concept. "Tina MacDonald is a golfer herself, so for a very small club of 20,000 square feet the ladies' locker room was very well handled," Bourassa said. In the men's locker room, the locker doors have hand-carved distressing that creates the feeling of a much-older facility. The doors to the men's room's private cubicles have whimsical three-quarter-length louvered "saloon" doors.

"I've never seen doors like this in a men's wet area," Bourassa said. Something else that's unusual in the mens' locker room is a special room --separate from the regular men's lounge. It's called the 'High Rollers Room,'" Bourassa said. "People can drop a lot of money on cards in that room. It's a very masculine place to be. Women are just fine with it because they have wonderful amenities and a great golf course."

Penalty for False Start

The extraordinary coordination among the owners, the designers, and the builder of the $6 million clubhouse was put to the test just a few months before it was scheduled to open. "We were 50 percent through the project when it burned to the ground," said Bourassa. "We were supposed to install furnishings in October, and it burned to the ground May 1st. Everything had to be demolished and carted off and restarted from scratch." The builder (Rogers-O'Brien Construction Co.--led by Pat O'Brien, a DNGC founding member--of Dallas) had it back where it was within two months, and completely rebuilt within seven months.

Extraordinary performance? Perhaps. But at Dallas National, the extraordinary is just par for the course.

Dallas National At-A-Glance

What: A golf-only facility that will be limited to 350 members, developed on 388 acres by John MacDonald and Potomac Golf, an affiliate of Prudential Real Estate Investments.

Course Opened: August 30, 2002.

Location: Southwest Dallas, six-and-a-half miles from downtown, half a mile from Loop 12, near Mountain View Community College.

Course Features: 7,200-plus yards; Crenshaw L-93 Bentgrass greens; three large plateaus, with 160-foot elevation changes; eight bridges; 12 holes atop or on the edge of plateaus; holes nine-14 cut through limestone canyons; two streams running through the canyons; views of downtown Dallas, Texas Stadium, and Las Colinas; cart paths dyed reddish tan to blend with nature.

Other Amenities: 130-yard-wide driving range, including covered areas that will be used for teaching and videotaping; separate warm up tee 30 yards from No. 1 tee for players who arrive too late to go to the range; two short-game practice areas in secluded coves; two putting areas; 12,000-square-foot clubhouse, with men's and women's locker rooms; no residential development on course, but 12 cabins planned for out-of-town members; caddie system.

Divine Support: The head of a convent, a few hundred yards left of the No. 16 tee, has told developer John MacDonald, "We're praying for you every day."

Club Initiation Fee: Was $100,000 for Founder Members. Currently $175,000, and will rise exponentially as more members join.

Key People: John MacDonald, developer/founder; Mike Letchinger, developer/founder--Potomac Golf Properties; David Denley, club manager; Jerry Diamond, senior advisor; Britt Patton, head golf professional; Brannon Goodrich, golf course superintendent.