Halbert National is opening up to college golf. The private Tom Fazio design in Granbury, Texas, hosts the inaugural Abilene Christian Intercollegiate this week, October 19-21, live on Golf Channel.
The course belongs to David D. Halbert, the 70-year-old founder of Caris Life Sciences. He owns all of it, and there are no members or tee times. It was built for his family and friends.
Halbert spent about $50 million building it, according to Forbes. The par-72 layout sits along Lake Granbury, about 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth, on a 185-acre property, per Golf Channel. It was completed in 2025.
That $50 million is only part of the bill. The total will top $70 million once Halbert builds a lodge and acquires neighboring lots. “I want it to be nicer than Augusta,” Halbert said.
Upkeep costs about the same as his flight crew, Halbert said. Forbes estimated that at roughly $3 million a year for a Gulfstream G550.
The tax bill is a different story. Hood County appraised the 162-acre property at $3.04 million in 2024 and charged $60,000 in taxes. When the land was hayfields, its assessed taxable value was $40,000.
Fazio told Forbes that more than half the cost of a new course can go underground into irrigation and drainage. He pointed to a $15 million renovation at Dallas National that added an underground cooling system for its bentgrass greens. A maintenance building can run $5 million, and a pump station in a lake costs $2 million.
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Halbert can afford it. Caris went public in March 2025 and quickly reached a $10.3 billion market cap. His 44% stake gave him a net worth of $4.9 billion and a first spot on the Forbes 400.
It wasn’t his first big payday. In 1987, at 31, Halbert launched the pharmacy benefits manager AdvancePCS. He sold it to Caremark in 2004 for $7.5 billion and personally made about $250 million.
The plan started much smaller. Halbert and his wife, Kathy, first considered a three-hole, par-3 course for their lakefront property. “I just wanted this little thing where if I didn’t have anybody behind me and I could swing like an idiot,” Kathy told Forbes.
Halbert called Fazio instead. His request was simple: “Make me the most beautiful golf course in Texas.”
Halbert and Fazio met in 2022, when Halbert was 66 and Fazio was 77. Halbert had already been a member at four or more Fazio courses. Fazio, who charges a flat consulting fee per course, initially tried to talk him out of it and asked how he expected to get his money back.
Halbert won him over by pitching a “no-budget course.” He sent his plane to bring Fazio to Granbury about a dozen times over the two-year project. The build moved a million tons of dirt and planted 2,000 trees on what used to be flat hayfields.
Fazio’s original design played 7,542 yards. Halbert has since added several new tee boxes, with the goal of stretching it to 7,777. He also told Forbes he planned to plant more $35,000 “signature trees,” and he and Fazio were emailing each other a listing for a $58,000 amphibious hovercraft golf cart.
In 2025, Halbert told Forbes he hoped to bring in fellow Dallas National members Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and Bryson DeChambeau. Invitations have since gone out to several PGA Tour pros, including Spieth. The Dallas native recently filmed a commercial at Halbert National for Caris Detect, the company’s multi-cancer early detection blood test.
Halbert is an Abilene native and an ACU alumnus. He met Kathy at Abilene Christian, and the couple later donated $30 million to the university.
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The tournament comes from a multi-year partnership between ACU Athletics, Golf Channel and HNS Sports Group. Nine men’s teams and nine women’s teams will play three rounds of stroke play. ACU’s men and women will compete every year.
The men’s field includes Abilene Christian, Arizona, Houston, Michigan, Missouri, Rice, SMU, Texas A&M and Tulsa. The women’s field includes Abilene Christian, Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Cincinnati, Louisville, Oregon, Purdue and Tennessee.
The event honors the late Johnny Perkins, a Granbury native who played wide receiver at ACU from 1974-76. He left as the program’s all-time leader in receiving yards. The New York Giants drafted him in 1977, and he played seven NFL seasons.
“I’m honored to host the Abilene Christian Intercollegiate at this premier golf course,” Halbert said. “The event unites the innovative spirit of Caris Life Sciences with my ACU heritage, all while celebrating my friend and ACU classmate, Johnny Perkins. I look forward to welcoming the Golf Channel and a national TV audience to experience competitive collegiate golf at Halbert National.”
“Partnering with Golf Channel and competing at one of Texas’ most remarkable courses gives us an incredible opportunity to showcase college golf at its highest level,” said Zack Lassiter, ACU vice president for athletics. “We’re proud to launch an event that we believe will grow into one of the sport’s premier traditions.”
“Golf Channel has introduced viewers to future PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour stars through our comprehensive college golf coverage for more than a decade,” said Glenn Grimshaw, Golf Channel vice president for programming and partnerships. “We’re proud to add the Abilene Christian Intercollegiate to our robust college golf portfolio as we continue to showcase the stars of the future.”
Golf Channel airs all three rounds live from 4-7 p.m. ET each day. The tournament will be held at Halbert National every year.
