Nelson Golf & Sports Club

What the Nelson Actually Is

The Nelson Golf & Sports Club is the rebrand and reimagining of what was for decades the TPC Las Colinas — host of the AT&T Byron Nelson PGA Tour event from 1983 to 2017, named for the Texas-born golfing legend the tournament memorializes. The club retains the championship pedigree and has been positioned as a full lifestyle and racquet-sports destination.

The two courses — the TPC Course and the Cottonwood Valley Course — were originally designed in 1982 by Jay Morrish, in consultation with Byron Nelson and Ben Crenshaw. Both were updated in 2008 by D.A. Weibring and Steve Wolfard. Both are now managed by Century Golf Partners under the Arnold Palmer Golf Management brand.

The Nelson's amenity footprint includes a full practice facility, racquet sports, fitness, dining, and resort-style social infrastructure — the full lifestyle layer of a private resort club. Specific amenity counts and 2026 facility expansions should be confirmed directly with the Nelson Golf & Sports Club at the time of any membership inquiry; the club has been actively expanding facilities and details may have changed since publication.

Membership is structured in tiers — Social/Fitness, Golf, and Tennis — each with its own application. Linkside is the notable exception: each Linkside townhome purchase includes a one-year prepaid Social and Fitness Membership at the Nelson.

The Two Courses, Side by Side

The Nelson Golf & Sports Club operates two championship eighteens. They are not interchangeable, and the difference matters for any buyer choosing residence near one fairway versus the other.

The TPC Course — par 70, approximately 7,166 yards from the championship tees — is the longer, more tournament-shaped of the two. It is the course that hosted the AT&T Byron Nelson PGA Tour event for 35 years, which means its maintenance schedule and design have always been engineered around tournament-grade play. The closing stretch — the 17th and 18th holes, which finish in front of what is now the Ritz-Carlton Dallas — is the visual signature of the corridor and the most-photographed run of holes in the master plan.

The Cottonwood Valley Course — par 71, approximately 7,120 yards — favors a member-friendly daily-play rhythm. Walking the course is part of the daily experience for many members. It is the course the Cottonwood Valley residential community surrounds, which means residents who prioritize day-in-day-out playability over tournament conditioning often gravitate toward course-fronting Cottonwood Valley homes.

Membership Structure — Three Separate Applications

The Nelson Golf & Sports Club operates a tiered membership model. Each tier is its own application, with its own pricing and member privileges. Owning a residence in any of the surrounding gated communities does not automatically convey any tier of club membership — the exception, addressed below, is Linkside.

• Social / Fitness Membership — the entry-level tier. Includes resort-style pool access, fitness center, social club activities and dining, plus access to the Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas amenities adjacent to the club.
• Golf Membership — separate application, additional fee. Required for tee-time access to the TPC Course and the Cottonwood Valley Course.
• Tennis Membership — separate application. Required for racquet-sports facility access at member rates.

Linkside by Cadence Homes is the only community in the Nelson corridor that bundles a club membership tier with the home purchase: each Linkside townhome includes a one-year prepaid Social and Fitness Membership. Golf and Tennis memberships remain separate applications. Per the developer's own materials, the membership offering is subject to change. The Assaad Group coordinates the membership conversation with the club's administration on behalf of buyers across all six corridor communities.

Amenities Beyond Golf

The Nelson is positioned as a full lifestyle club, not a single-purpose golf facility. The amenity footprint typically includes:

• Practice facility — driving range and short-game complex, used by the membership and historically by Tour professionals preparing for the Byron Nelson event when it was based here
• Racquet sports — tennis and pickleball courts; specific counts and indoor/outdoor split should be confirmed directly with the club at the time of any membership inquiry
• Fitness and wellness — a fitness center and wellness programming as part of the Social/Fitness tier
• Dining — multiple dining venues on property, with the surrounding Ritz-Carlton resort restaurants (Knife Italian Steak; Bar Juniper) walk-up accessible
• Pro shop and locker rooms

Specific amenity counts and 2026 facility expansions should be confirmed directly with the Nelson Golf & Sports Club at the time of any membership inquiry. The club has been actively expanding facilities through the 2024–2025 capital cycle and details may have changed since publication.

Tournament Heritage

For 35 years — from 1983 to 2017 — the Nelson hosted the AT&T Byron Nelson PGA Tour event, named for the Texas-born golfing legend the tournament memorializes. The event moved to Trinity Forest Golf Club in South Dallas for 2018–2020, then to TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney from 2021 forward. When the corridor talks about the "Nelson rebrand" — from TPC Las Colinas to the Nelson Golf & Sports Club — that 35-year tournament identity is what was rebranded around. The club's positioning today is as a private member experience anchored on a Tour-pedigree course rather than as an active Tour stop. For residents who care about course-quality lineage, the depth of the maintenance and design culture at the Nelson is hard to fabricate elsewhere.

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas Adjacency — Why It Matters

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas sits immediately beside the Nelson. Residents of the Nelson's surrounding communities can take a golf cart from a home tee to the resort's spa, dining rooms, fitness center, or concierge desk. This is the corridor's defining geometry — and it is what makes Nelson-corridor real estate fundamentally different from any other gated golf community in DFW.

The 400-acre resort opened in 1983 as the Las Colinas Sports Club, paired with the Four Seasons Hotel beginning in 1986. After 35 years under the Four Seasons flag, the property was acquired in 2022, transitioned to Marriott management, and was officially rebranded The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas in January 2024. A $55 million renovation completed in phases through 2024–2025 refreshed guest rooms, dining, and the spa.

The Six Residential Communities of the Nelson Corridor

All six are gated. The Assaad Group represents buyers and sellers across all of them.

• Cottonwood Valley — established custom-home community on the Cottonwood Valley Course at the Nelson; gated with 24-hour security and two guard houses; shares a property boundary with the Ritz-Carlton.
• Fairway Vista at Las Colinas — gated, built 1998–2005; mix of single-family and townhomes; greenbelt with four fountains; direct connection to the Nelson driving range.
• The Enclave at Windsor Ridge — guard-gated; custom mansions situated along the TPC Course at the Nelson; the corridor's top-tier address.
• The Vue — gated, low-maintenance two- and three-story homes located inside Cottonwood Valley; completed 2018; 164 total residences (39 three-story plus 125 two-story).
• The Residences at TPC Las Colinas — new-construction single-level golf villas accessible by elevator, on the 17th and 18th fairway of the TPC Course, across from the Ritz-Carlton resort.
• Linkside — Cadence Homes new construction; 75 three-story townhomes, 2- and 3-bedroom layouts, elevated terraces, oversized two-car garages with golf-cart space; one-year prepaid Nelson Social/Fitness membership included with purchase (subject to change per developer).

What Buyers Evaluate on a Nelson Corridor Purchase

Inventory varies materially by sub-section of the campus, frontage type, and topography. The Assaad Group reads each of these on every showing:

• Course frontage versus course view — fairway-front, green-front, and tee-box adjacencies behave differently in privacy, foot-traffic, and long-term enjoyment.
• Topography and lot character — the corridor's lots are not uniform; small differences in elevation and orientation make material differences in livability.
• Course-corridor evolution — clubs renovate; knowing which holes are scheduled for change affects which lots will retain their character over a 10-year hold.
• Membership posture and access — except where included by purchase (Linkside), residential ownership does not automatically convey club membership; the team coordinates the conversation with club administration.

How The Assaad Group Supports a Nelson Corridor Purchase

The Assaad Group is the top luxury real estate team in the Nelson corridor — Compass-affiliated, Realm Global member, active across nine DFW submarkets. The team's engineering depth on Nelson-corridor transactions sharpens foundation and grading analysis beyond standard inspection, drainage and floodplain reads grounded in actual engineering practice, and development-pipeline awareness for the half-mile around any candidate property. See /about for full team and credentials.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Nelson Golf & Sports Club the same as the old TPC Las Colinas?

Yes. The Nelson is the rebrand of what was previously known as the TPC Las Colinas — long-time host of the AT&T Byron Nelson PGA Tour event from 1983 to 2017. The club retains the tournament heritage and has been positioned as a full sports, fitness, and racquet destination.

How close is the Ritz-Carlton Dallas to the Nelson Golf & Sports Club?

Immediately adjacent. The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas, and the Nelson share a corridor; residents of the Nelson's surrounding communities can take a golf cart between the resort and the club.

Does buying a home near the Nelson include club membership?

Generally no — the Nelson operates on a private-membership model independent of residential ownership. The notable exception is Linkside by Cadence Homes, where each townhome purchase includes a one-year prepaid Social and Fitness Membership at the Nelson. Golf and Tennis memberships are separate applications. The Assaad Group coordinates the membership conversation with the club on behalf of clients.

Which residential communities surround the Nelson Golf & Sports Club?

Six gated luxury communities: Cottonwood Valley, Fairway Vista, the Enclave at Windsor Ridge, The Vue (located inside Cottonwood Valley), The Residences at TPC, and Linkside.

What is the course design history at the Nelson?

Both courses — the TPC Course and the Cottonwood Valley Course — were originally designed in 1982 by Jay Morrish, in consultation with Byron Nelson and Ben Crenshaw. The courses were updated in 2008 by D.A. Weibring and Steve Wolfard. Both are managed by Century Golf Partners under the Arnold Palmer Golf Management brand.