Houston Country Clubs

[monty09]

On 5/12/2024 at 2:42 PM, FlaShFTW said:

The top tier ones/exclusives are going to be Lakeside, River Oaks, and Houston CC. 

 

I haven't been to Lakeside or River Oaks, but based on satellite pictures, both have huge practice facilities for golf. Massive range, fairway bunker practice, large short game areas with multi-green complexes and greenside bunkers to get all sorts of inside 100 yard practice. Houston CC doesn't look like it has much honesty, kind of a disappointment all things considered. Just a range and only one short game chipping/bunker green for practice. 

 

I toured Westwood a couple months ago. Westwood is a true golfer's golf club, no other amenities so unlike the other three mentioned above, there's no tennis, gym, or fancy dining options. Good looking locker room and clubhouse is pretty much all that you're gonna get outside of some awesome golf with a very beautiful parkland layout. There's maybe 2 weak holes on the entire course at Westwood, it's got a great short game area with two greens and a ton of space to go out to 80 yards to hit wedges. Only downside is their grass range is closed Tuesday-Thursday to let the grass heal so if you're a guy who likes to go after work to hit the range, that's the downside though I guess you can just work on short game there. 

 

Westwood is the cheapest option of the 4 and no waitlist right now, biggest drawback is going in and out is a bit sketch with the area especially late at night but if you just move quickly, shouldn't be an issue. The other 3 are located in much better areas but all are on substantial waitlists last I heard and insane initiations in the 6 figures (I think Houston CC is 165k right now from what my boss told me who's a member out there) with like a 4 year wait. Lakeside isn't even fully open yet, the more senior equity holders are the only ones with access to the course after their renovation and not even guests are allowed out right now. 

 

westwood is my fave course of the 3

[FlaShFTW]

Felt like updating this after going over to Riverbend yesterday to play. I feel pretty happy that I joined Sugar Creek over Riverbend after playing the course. The practice facility left a bit to be desired, very small range (fits like 6-7 golfers on either side), at least it's double sided, but only off mats on either side which doesn't really make sense since it was bone dry. Range grass also looked completely baked out so they might not be watering them. 

 

Short game area is also a bit meh. Has some space to practice different shots but when you're chipping/hitting bunker shots back towards the people on the range, it can definitely get a bit hairy with nerve wracking to try not to blade one into them. The bunker doesn't connect to the range so you can't practice fairway bunker shots either unlike SC. Nice big putting green though, way bigger than Sugar Creek's (we honestly need to expand ours a little more and flatten some sections out). 

 

The course layout was really really good. Very much a championship golf venue. But the course conditions were quite rough. Patchy, inconsistent rough (even first cut bordering fairways), greens were slow and bumpy, at best stimping at a 9, green collars looks like the mower chewed through them so they were extremely bumpy too, fairways were rough hard and looked baked out, idk if they're watering them during the summer right now because it doesn't look like it. For as lovely as the layout is (and it's beautiful) and how much money they've put into their little rest houses and water stations on the course, it really feels like they missed the mark in terms of the actual golf. Feels like the course is more for show than it is for playing, which was a damn shame. Pretty much Westwood-lite if I had to describe it best, both have great layouts but Westwood's conditions are miles better. 

[GhostofJimJoyce]

9 hours ago, FlaShFTW said:

Felt like updating this after going over to Riverbend yesterday to play. I feel pretty happy that I joined Sugar Creek over Riverbend after playing the course. The practice facility left a bit to be desired, very small range (fits like 6-7 golfers on either side), at least it's double sided, but only off mats on either side which doesn't really make sense since it was bone dry. Range grass also looked completely baked out so they might not be watering them. 

 

Short game area is also a bit meh. Has some space to practice different shots but when you're chipping/hitting bunker shots back towards the people on the range, it can definitely get a bit hairy with nerve wracking to try not to blade one into them. The bunker doesn't connect to the range so you can't practice fairway bunker shots either unlike SC. Nice big putting green though, way bigger than Sugar Creek's (we honestly need to expand ours a little more and flatten some sections out). 

 

The course layout was really really good. Very much a championship golf venue. But the course conditions were quite rough. Patchy, inconsistent rough (even first cut bordering fairways), greens were slow and bumpy, at best stimping at a 9, green collars looks like the mower chewed through them so they were extremely bumpy too, fairways were rough hard and looked baked out, idk if they're watering them during the summer right now because it doesn't look like it. For as lovely as the layout is (and it's beautiful) and how much money they've put into their little rest houses and water stations on the course, it really feels like they missed the mark in terms of the actual golf. Feels like the course is more for show than it is for playing, which was a damn shame. Pretty much Westwood-lite if I had to describe it best, both have great layouts but Westwood's conditions are miles better. 

 

I won't get into whether I agree or disagree with comparisons to other clubs in the area, but just so everyone has the full picture - Riverbend just aerated the greens and the driving range grass is new/coming in as it was just expanded/leveled/re-sodded.

[FlaShFTW]

On 6/24/2024 at 8:17 PM, GhostofJimJoyce said:

 

I won't get into whether I agree or disagree with comparisons to other clubs in the area, but just so everyone has the full picture - Riverbend just aerated the greens and the driving range grass is new/coming in as it was just expanded/leveled/re-sodded.

In that case, I hope I can try out the course again when it's in better shape to give it a more accurate review. That being said, the people who I played with that day said that green speeds and conditions don't get much better than where they were today. I do wish that the practice area was given a bit more life to it, I think the course with it's layout deserves an awesome driving range and practice facility, though not sure where that would end up being located since it feels like all the space is already occupied. 

[MAROON79]

On 6/24/2024 at 8:17 PM, GhostofJimJoyce said:

 

I won't get into whether I agree or disagree with comparisons to other clubs in the area, but just so everyone has the full picture - Riverbend just aerated the greens and the driving range grass is new/coming in as it was just expanded/leveled/re-sodded.

yep - all driving range grass replaced so we are on mats for now.  Our short game area is too small for sure - not sure how we fix that unless we get rid of the pool. They also did the most aggressive vericut and aeration ever of the greens/fringe and fairways.  Not sure about the fairways comment - haven't been out there in a few weeks due to travel.  Rough was fine two weeks ago - it gets really really thick later as they water the heck out of it. 

 

according to the club app on June 23rd the greens were running at 10'9".  I've never seen a day (other than after the aeration) that they were less than 10'

Edited July 8, 2024 by MAROON79