Houston Memberships

[Drea]

I have recently moved to the Heights area and looking for a course/club to join close by. I toured and really liked the Golf Club of Houston, I also looked at Memorial but it is mats only to hit off on the range, and not a fan of that. I want something decently nice with good practice areas, but also not trying to drop 50-100k on initiation fees. Any recommendations?   

[ND2005]

Unless you’re willing to pay a higher initiation, your options are pretty much limited to either of the corporate owned groups - escalante (GCOH, black horse) or the club corp courses up in the woodlands. 
 
personally not a big fan of any of them. 
 
Champions is a good option but pretty inconvenient from your location 

Edited August 18, 2023 by ND2005

[SC-TX 88]

As a heights resident myself sadly there are no good options without dropping some coin. Royal Oaks isn’t terribly far away and last I talked to them was sub 50k. 
 

I was planning on joining GCOH and then my window got smashed in in the parking lot and when I asked if they had cameras they said did you park over there? Yeah that happens often here, so needless to say I’ll never spend another dime there. 

[Schnee]

Memberships in Houston are a bit of a tough situation right now. Nicer clubs have initiations that are still climbing. There’s a few decent options, but almost all will require a drive from the Heights. 

[SnowbirdTom]

bleep

Edited August 21, 2023 by SnowbirdTom
Deleted

[MAROON79]

Just went through this exercise for courses on the SW side.  Looked at Braeburn, westwood, Riverbend, Sugar creek, Sweetwater and also Golf Club of Houston.

 

Chose Riverbend for a number of reasons - course, course condition, men's locker room, cost.  From the Heights you will probably need to look North, but map it to Riverbend and see if this an option.

 

its probably the best deal in houston

[oneunderbogey]

Everything is a drive from the heights. Champions would be my recommendation if you really want to join a club unless there is something that is convenient to work. 

[SauceJackson5000]

Worth checking out Riverbend, Pine Forest, Braeburn. All are probably within half hour or so from the Heights outside of rush hour and not exorbitant initiation fees.

 

Course and practice facilities at Riverbend are solid though not much of a club really just a golf course. Great men’s locker room. Some good players out there and lots of games to get in on. Cheap initiation.

 

Pine Forest has three nines, all of which are solid, good grass range and short game area. About to kick off a reno one nine at a time I believe. Much more of a family club with than Riverbend. Still reasonably cheap to get in.

 

Braeburn just renovated the course and did a really good job. Fun track and was in great shape when I played last fall. Seemed like more of a traditional club atmosphere and I believe a bit more expensive than RB or PF but on the lower end.

 

Do not know much about Sugar Creek, Westwood or Royal Oaks but would also recommend checking those out as I think they are more or less in your wheelhouse price wise and have heard decent courses.

[ND2005]

11 hours ago, SauceJackson5000 said:

Worth checking out Riverbend, Pine Forest, Braeburn. All are probably within half hour or so from the Heights outside of rush hour and not exorbitant initiation fees.

 

 

Breaburn initiation now north of 50K

[MAROON79]

On 8/30/2023 at 6:58 PM, SauceJackson5000 said:

Worth checking out Riverbend, Pine Forest, Braeburn. All are probably within half hour or so from the Heights outside of rush hour and not exorbitant initiation fees.

 

Course and practice facilities at Riverbend are solid though not much of a club really just a golf course. Great men’s locker room. Some good players out there and lots of games to get in on. Cheap initiation.

 

Pine Forest has three nines, all of which are solid, good grass range and short game area. About to kick off a reno one nine at a time I believe. Much more of a family club with than Riverbend. Still reasonably cheap to get in.

 

Braeburn just renovated the course and did a really good job. Fun track and was in great shape when I played last fall. Seemed like more of a traditional club atmosphere and I believe a bit more expensive than RB or PF but on the lower end.

 

Do not know much about Sugar Creek, Westwood or Royal Oaks but would also recommend checking those out as I think they are more or less in your wheelhouse price wise and have heard decent courses.

Riverbend is a golf club with some other club amenities (workout facility, tennis courts, pool, dining room).  Its golf 99.9%.  Initiation goes up to $10k, October 1st.

 

Braeburn initiation is now $75k. 

 

Westwood is $50k, Sugar Creek is $14k, Sweetwater is $10k.

 

Those are all full equity memberships.

[ND2005]

10 hours ago, MAROON79 said:

Riverbend is a golf club with some other club amenities (workout facility, tennis courts, pool, dining room).  Its golf 99.9%.  Initiation goes up to $10k, October 1st.

 

Braeburn initiation is now $75k. 

 

Westwood is $50k, Sugar Creek is $14k, Sweetwater is $10k.

 

Those are all full equity memberships.

Braeburn about to hit their members with a MASSIVE assessment (I’ve heard as high as 90-100k) for clubhouse and facilities renovations. 
 
For a mediocre course located in a flood plain in a bad part of town it’s getting pretty ridiculous. Welcome to 2023 golf I guess. 

[MAROON79]

On 9/5/2023 at 10:13 PM, ND2005 said:

Braeburn about to hit their members with a MASSIVE assessment (I’ve heard as high as 90-100k) for clubhouse and facilities renovations. 
 
For a mediocre course located in a flood plain in a bad part of town it’s getting pretty ridiculous. Welcome to 2023 golf I guess. 

when was the last time you played braeburn?  There is nothing mediocre about the course condition.  It's actually pretty damn hard of a course if you ask me. I honestly think Riverbend is a better layout, but not going to characterize BB as "mediocre".  The thing about BB is that inside the loop of Houston is country club purgatory.  There is only one option and its not affordable for 99.9%.  BB is close enough that its convenient and it has a very good membership.

[ND2005]

3 hours ago, MAROON79 said:

when was the last time you played braeburn?  There is nothing mediocre about the course condition.  It's actually pretty damn hard of a course if you ask me. I honestly think Riverbend is a better layout, but not going to characterize BB as "mediocre".  The thing about BB is that inside the loop of Houston is country club purgatory.  There is only one option and its not affordable for 99.9%.  BB is close enough that its convenient and it has a very good membership.

 

3 or 4 months ago? I've played it about a half dozen times since the renovations through various friends. 

 

Conditions are always great. I just don't think the course itself is anything special. It's a nice walkable Parkland layout but it is land-locked with a few gimmicky holes (5 and 6 in particular). The renovations definitely improved it. 

 

It would have been a great course to join when my friends did - pre-pandemic at reasonable rates - but hard to swallow what they are charging now. 

 

But I agree with you about the larger problem with Houston golf when you live in town. 

[elbellet]

I belong to Westwood and it’s a phenomenal course and club. Membership is great, staff is great and it’s in great shape. I’m from the northeast and the reminds me of the old courses up there. No BS, no gimmicks, I play it every week and never get tired of it. 
 

FWIW, I’ve played BB, RB, Sugar Creek, etc. 

[monty09]

also in the heights and its tough.... kind of missed the window to join many places cheap....  

[snagy2000]

On 12/28/2023 at 11:31 AM, elbellet said:

I belong to Westwood and it’s a phenomenal course and club. Membership is great, staff is great and it’s in great shape. I’m from the northeast and the reminds me of the old courses up there. No BS, no gimmicks, I play it every week and never get tired of it. 
 

FWIW, I’ve played BB, RB, Sugar Creek, etc. 

Like BB, do you get tired of risking your life when not inside the gates?

[GolfGuitarsCars]

New members should get a free 9mm when they join some of these Houston clubs.

[elbellet]

2 hours ago, snagy2000 said:

Like BB, do you get tired of risking your life when not inside the gates?

LOL - adds to the experience. But I do drive swiftly out and in the gates for sure. At least WW is on basically an island. 

[pdaero]

On 12/28/2023 at 11:31 AM, elbellet said:

I belong to Westwood and it’s a phenomenal course and club. Membership is great, staff is great and it’s in great shape. I’m from the northeast and the reminds me of the old courses up there. No BS, no gimmicks, I play it every week and never get tired of it. 
 

FWIW, I’ve played BB, RB, Sugar Creek, etc. 

I've been able to play Westwood once and it was spectacular - absolutely loved the layout and reminded me of classic course construction. It is a fairly old course, right?

[TexasTurf]

How do you guys feel about Bay Oaks? Thinking about applying to a superintendent opening down there. 

[snagy2000]

5 hours ago, TexasTurf said:

How do you guys feel about Bay Oaks? Thinking about applying to a superintendent opening down there. 

It's part of the Invited country club network on the southeast side of town near NASA which has been around for a while. Over the last few years, when I have played it, the course was in pretty decent shape and the greens were really good. The layout isn't bad and I enjoyed playing it, meanders through a neighborhood. However, I always seemed to play it right after the women's Division 3 Championships were being held there. Not sure about the current membership makeup or the club leadership or if Invited has has deemed it as one of the clubs they're going to "invest" in within their network.

[SEP1006]

1 hour ago, snagy2000 said:

It's part of the Invited country club network on the southeast side of town near NASA which has been around for a while. Over the last few years, when I have played it, the course was in pretty decent shape and the greens were really good. The layout isn't bad and I enjoyed playing it, meanders through a neighborhood. However, I always seemed to play it right after the women's Division 3 Championships were being held there. Not sure about the current membership makeup or the club leadership or if Invited has has deemed it as one of the clubs they're going to "invest" in within their network.

 

 

The above is pretty much spot on. For those who don't know Invited Golf used to be Club Corp. As some of you may know Club Corp doesn't have the best reputation with some here.

 

On the south side Invited manages both Bay Oaks and Magnolia Creek. I play Mag Creek the majority of time but will play Bay Oaks a couple times a month. They just re-did all of their greens last summer. The neighborhood the course runs through is older but nice and well kept. Every time I have played it we have enjoyed our experience and were treated well as members of a sister course.

 

 

 

[jmcm87]

Anyone on the North side a member at Woodforest or Conroe CC who can shed some light on costs there? 

[TexasTurf]

Thanks guys. Looking to turn a good track with a decent culture into a top tier one, might be a good fit.

[FlaShFTW]

Just joined Sugar Creek CC as a junior exec (23-29). 6k initiation and 440 monthly (before taxes). Loved the greens and course. Some holes can be a bit of the usual straight away trees on either side for Trent-Jones, but most holes have a lot of strategy and personality to them. The greens are just stellar, fast, and roll true. 

 

Tried out Westwood and Hearthstone (Riverbend wanted me out but never got me a tee time so f*** them). Westwood was awesome as a course, loved the layout (one of the best in the city) and awesome practice facility. But it's just golf (makes it hard to get the gf out to hang out) and the greens were a bit slow when I went to play. Hearthstone was actually a fun track in terms of strategy but conditions were a bit rough. 

 

If anyone wants to give Sugar Creek a try, let me know, I'd love to host people. 

[txeconomist]

On 9/5/2023 at 10:13 PM, ND2005 said:

Braeburn about to hit their members with a MASSIVE assessment (I’ve heard as high as 90-100k) for clubhouse and facilities renovations. 
 
For a mediocre course located in a flood plain in a bad part of town it’s getting pretty ridiculous. Welcome to 2023 golf I guess. 

Going the be more like $45-50K. 

[jmcm87]

The Pines deal is far and away the best deal at the moment. Pretty sure those are the 2024 rates too. 

 

HP was a river on Sunday. Taking tee times this Friday. Insane. 

[FlaShFTW]

On 5/8/2024 at 12:45 PM, jmcm87 said:

The Pines deal is far and away the best deal at the moment. Pretty sure those are the 2024 rates too. 

 

HP was a river on Sunday. Taking tee times this Friday. Insane. 

I've played highland pines twice. Wonderful track, love the course and the conditions are usually pretty solid. Those greens are lightning fast. Only issue is that its like an hour north of me. Good for people in North Houston at least!

[SEP1006]

7 hours ago, FlaShFTW said:

I've played highland pines twice. Wonderful track, love the course and the conditions are usually pretty solid. Those greens are lightning fast. Only issue is that its like an hour north of me. Good for people in North Houston at least!

 

I think they just got flooded in the recent rains we had last week.

 

 

[FlaShFTW]

On 5/10/2024 at 8:35 PM, SEP1006 said:

 

I think they just got flooded in the recent rains we had last week.

 

 

Damn, hope they can get that course back up quickly. It's a real gem. One of my go-tos when I have a weekday off to play it for the cheaper rate.