Houston, TX Golf?

[j.b.newton]

I will be in Downtown Houston (Near Minute Maid) in late June and am curious if there are any reasonably priced, good condition courses within a short Uber?

 

Thanks!

[cpriceAP2]

Head over to Memorial Park. Just note, closed on Tuesdays

[SEP1006]

How long you in town for? If you want to play one of the best Links courses in Texas ( Magnolia Creek ) shoot me a PM and maybe we can work something out. My work schedule should allow it.

[j.b.newton]

How long you in town for? If you want to play one of the best Links courses in Texas ( Magnolia Creek ) shoot me a PM and maybe we can work something out. My work schedule should allow it.

 

Thanks for the offer, but unfortunately I have to leave sooner that expected.

[Tex1986]

Memorial is a good one. Wildcat isn't too far away as well.

 

There's lots a places about a 20 minute drive from there. If you want to splurge a little. Golf Club of Houston(Shell Open Course) is just up 59 a little ways in Humble. From the ball park it's not much more than 20 minutes with no traffic.

[j.b.newton]

Since I won't have time to play, where should I eat (walking distance from Minute Maid/Sam Houston Hotel)? I'm somewhat of a Memphis BBQ snob as I've grown up on it, but I'm willing to take a leap into Brisket. Thanks!

[j.b.newton]

No recommendations? Come on, I know there are some foodies out there.

[SC-TX 88]

Not BBQ but for some solid Tex mex walk over to Irma's original. No BBQ places downtown I would recommend.

[golfnhack]

I moved to Houston in January from Orlando. In Orlando I played every weekend on pretty decent course for under $30. Since moving to Houston, I have play exactly ZERO rounds. As a matter of fact, the only golf I have played is when I returned to Orlando for my son's High School graduation. I find golf in Houston to be very expensive and inaccessible. I live in NW Houston by Champions Forest. There are two private tracks there. I can't justify the cost.

 

In FL, I was an active member of the Florida Golf Association. It was fantastic. They have competitive one day golf outings almost every day of the week, that allowed you to play at very nice tracks, including many private ones. The TX golf association does not offer that. I played a lot of competitive golf in FL, and I really miss it. Fortunately I still get to practice. The range is grass, but the balls are limited flight, so it is not ideal.

[jflores8]

I moved to Houston in January from Orlando. In Orlando I played every weekend on pretty decent course for under $30. Since moving to Houston, I have play exactly ZERO rounds. As a matter of fact, the only golf I have played is when I returned to Orlando for my son's High School graduation. I find golf in Houston to be very expensive and inaccessible. I live in NW Houston by Champions Forest. There are two private tracks there. I can't justify the cost.

 

In FL, I was an active member of the Florida Golf Association. It was fantastic. They have competitive one day golf outings almost every day of the week, that allowed you to play at very nice tracks, including many private ones. The TX golf association does not offer that. I played a lot of competitive golf in FL, and I really miss it. Fortunately I still get to practice. The range is grass, but the balls are limited flight, so it is not ideal.

 

Plenty of golf options, just have to bear the heat and play in the heat......golf under $30 during early weekend hours isn't happening not even at GOAT tracks.

[j.b.newton]

Not BBQ but for some solid Tex mex walk over to Irma's original. No BBQ places downtown I would recommend.

 

Great suggestion. I ate there twice and lone star taco's too. In fact, I think I only ate Tex-Mex for the 3 days I was there.

[SC-TX 88]

Not BBQ but for some solid Tex mex walk over to Irma's original. No BBQ places downtown I would recommend.

 

Great suggestion. I ate there twice and lone star taco's too. In fact, I think I only ate Tex-Mex for the 3 days I was there.

 

Great to hear you enjoyed it. We used to walk there when I worked downtown in Houston. The old house and no menu throws you off the first time you go, but the food and strawberry lemonade has always been worth going.

[j.b.newton]

Not BBQ but for some solid Tex mex walk over to Irma's original. No BBQ places downtown I would recommend.

 

Great suggestion. I ate there twice and lone star taco's too. In fact, I think I only ate Tex-Mex for the 3 days I was there.

 

Great to hear you enjoyed it. We used to walk there when I worked downtown in Houston. The old house and no menu throws you off the first time you go, but the food and strawberry lemonade has always been worth going.

 

I walked in and sat at the bar and the guy looked at me like I was nuts for asking for a menu. He directed me to the board, and all was good.

[Even Further]

I moved to Houston in January from Orlando. In Orlando I played every weekend on pretty decent course for under $30. Since moving to Houston, I have play exactly ZERO rounds. As a matter of fact, the only golf I have played is when I returned to Orlando for my son's High School graduation. I find golf in Houston to be very expensive and inaccessible. I live in NW Houston by Champions Forest. There are two private tracks there. I can't justify the cost.

 

In FL, I was an active member of the Florida Golf Association. It was fantastic. They have competitive one day golf outings almost every day of the week, that allowed you to play at very nice tracks, including many private ones. The TX golf association does not offer that. I played a lot of competitive golf in FL, and I really miss it. Fortunately I still get to practice. The range is grass, but the balls are limited flight, so it is not ideal.

 

Since I moved to Houston from Wisconsin, I too play less because of the cost to quality ratio. Golf is way more expensive in Houston, and more tracks are private.

[Txstcatman]

This is something that’s bugged me about bigger Texas cities in general. Public courses are harder to come by that don’t have issues with greens, upkeep, or traffic. Austin is a little better, but Houston requires a drive anywhere to get a round in. I play Tour 18 down the street when I can get a deal on it.

[golfnhack]

This is something that’s bugged me about bigger Texas cities in general. Public courses are harder to come by that don’t have issues with greens, upkeep, or traffic. Austin is a little better, but Houston requires a drive anywhere to get a round in. I play Tour 18 down the street when I can get a deal on it.

 

I like Tour18.

 

As the saying goes in Houston. It takes you 45 minutes just to brush your teeth. The closest non private golf course to me is Cypress Lakes. It is 12 miles away, yet takes 35 minutes to get to. My average commute to play golf is between 45-1:10.

[Texsport]

The problem with most big cities, like Houston, is that the down town business area is far from where people live - hence, no golf courses in the area.

 

Unfortunately, younger folks don't seem overly into golf and some of the better private courses have closed for lack of business.

 

Memorial Park, Herman Park, and Wildcat GC and are the only public courses within 20 miles of down town Houston - several private courses though.

 

Memorial is long and difficult to get on, Herman is short and sporty, Wildcat has 2 courses built on a land fill with elevation changes (rare in Houston)

 

Texsport

[the bishop]

On 6/22/2017 at 8:19 AM, golfnhack said:

I moved to Houston in January from Orlando. In Orlando I played every weekend on pretty decent course for under $30. Since moving to Houston, I have play exactly ZERO rounds. As a matter of fact, the only golf I have played is when I returned to Orlando for my son's High School graduation. I find golf in Houston to be very expensive and inaccessible. I live in NW Houston by Champions Forest. There are two private tracks there. I can't justify the cost.

 

In FL, I was an active member of the Florida Golf Association. It was fantastic. They have competitive one day golf outings almost every day of the week, that allowed you to play at very nice tracks, including many private ones. The TX golf association does not offer that. I played a lot of competitive golf in FL, and I really miss it. Fortunately I still get to practice. The range is grass, but the balls are limited flight, so it is not ideal.

I know this is an older post but I completely agree.  We moved to the greater Houston area in July 2017 from SoCal and there is no contest between the quality and availability of public golf between the two areas.  I was a men's club member at Tukwet Canyon in Banning, CA.  36 hole facility that hosts a Symetra event every year and hosted the California State Open in 2015.  $55 on weekends.  Terrific tracks.  Across the road was Oak Valley.  Has hosted sectional US Open qualifying numerous times.  Used to play this for $45 on Sundays.  All terrific, truly championship golf courses.  But now?  Cinco Ranch wants $79 on weekends for a run of the mill community course with 18 thoroughly unmemorable holes.  Meadowbrook Farms wants $80+ for their Greg Norman design that is just ok and went through a period recently where they lost control of the greens for at least a whole season and the bunkers had literally no sand in them.  Not kidding.  To their credit they redid all the bunkers recently and the greens have improved somewhat.  La Quinta at Quali Valley - I guarantee there's not a pin placement on any hole on that track that you won't have to putt through a diseased area.  It's depressing.