Thorntree Country Club

Thorntree Country Club in DeSoto, Texas, was developed by Kansas oilman Richard Mai and his sons Kurt, Mark, and Rick, who purchased 228 acres along Ten Mile Creek in the early 1980s—land too rough for farming—to create a country club. Designed by Mark Mai, the course opened in 1983 as a private facility with a 7,000-yard championship layout, six tennis courts, and a substantial family membership initiation fee of $12,500. It quickly gained recognition as one of the toughest tracks in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, featuring Champion Bermuda greens, six lakes, three spring-fed creeks, and hosting Byron Nelson qualifiers, PGA Tour stage events, and Texas State Open sectionals for its first five years.

The club has changed ownership multiple times, including to C-Bons International Golf Group, with a notable steady decline since 2008 due to poor maintenance. In June 2025, the City of DeSoto approved a $2.7 million purchase of the 157-acre property from Thorn Tree Golf, LLC, forming ThornTree Country Club Venture, LLC to revitalize the once-prized community asset.