Best Public Course in Houston Area...

[rocker40]

Ive played Cypresswood - Traditional Course and Tour 18 but im looking for other nice public courses in the Houston Area to try out.

[chemten]

panther trail in the woodlands was great when I played it a few months ago.

you can also try augusta pines or gleannloch pines in spring.

tour 18 was ok the last time i played, but it was on a sunday afternoon and we left when we hit the 5 hour mark and weren't on the 13th green yet.

[oliversax]

Redstone TPC
Fish Creek
Meadowbrook Farms
Timber Creek
Eagle Point
Blackhorse
Highmeadow Ranch
River Ridge

[RickK]

Grand Lake

And if you don't mind a little longer drive just a bit south of town...The Wilderness in Lake Jackson

[kevch25]

Another vote for the Redstone Tournament course. Not often you get to play on a course the PGA guys play on as well.

[Reidman]

[quote name='RickKimbrell' timestamp='1301455221' post='3101289']
Grand Lake

And if you don't mind a little longer drive just a bit south of town...The Wilderness in Lake Jackson
[/quote]

+1 for Grand Lake...played it last December. Its not much for atmosphere....but the golf course was really good. Augusta Pines is always great....Blackhorse South too.

[bigred90gt]

[quote name='kevch25' timestamp='1301514978' post='3103224']
Another vote for the Redstone Tournament course. Not often you get to play on a course the PGA guys play on as well.
[/quote]

The only time the Tournament course at Redstone comes even remotely close to being worth the ridiculously high price they charge for it is right after the tournament when they are still maintaining tournament conditions. I've played it a few times in other times of the year, and the conditioning is no better than any other decent public course (and not as good as the nice public courses), and most certainly not worth the price they are charging.

Of all the courses I have played in the Houston area (which is a large chunk of the public courses), Eagle Pointe is still my favorite as far as lay-out and conditioning. I live in Baytown and was looking for a membership to a nice course. My options (that were within a realistic driving distance) were Eagle Pointe and Evergreen Point. In the end, I opted for Evergreen ONLY because they allow you to walk any time you want. Eagle Pointe is very strange when it comes to walking. I was told by the membership person that you basically cannot walk the course unless you are a resident of Mont Belvieu, even as a dues paying member. That is just stupid.

[oliversax]

I will have to respectfully disagree w/ Big Red in the above post. Redstone is the best value for TPC or PGA host course in the country, at $175 + caddy tip and $125 twilite. Just a quick comparison:
Torrey Pines - $285
TPC Sawgrass - $385
TPC Phoenix - $330
Harding Park SF - $$245
Doral Blue Monster - $325

I heard both Phil and Johnny Miller say that Redstone greens are as perfect as any course in the country, so it's all relative. Sure, there are some less expensive courses in town, and Eagle Pointe is one of the best bargains in town at $30 for green fee + cart, but there's a big diff b/t a world class course like Redstone vs an above average local course. They are both great 'bang for the buck' but different levels.

[quote name='bigred90gt' timestamp='1302104218' post='3125721']

The only time the Tournament course at Redstone comes even remotely close to being worth the ridiculously high price they charge for it is right after the tournament when they are still maintaining tournament conditions. I've played it a few times in other times of the year, and the conditioning is no better than any other decent public course (and not as good as the nice public courses), and most certainly not worth the price they are charging.

[/quote]

[bigred90gt]

[quote name='oliversax' timestamp='1302108660' post='3125961']
I will have to respectfully disagree w/ Big Red in the above post. Redstone is the best value for TPC or PGA host course in the country, at $175 + caddy tip and $125 twilite. Just a quick comparison:
Torrey Pines - $285
TPC Sawgrass - $385
TPC Phoenix - $330
Harding Park SF - $245
Doral Blue Monster - $325

I heard both Phil and Johnny Miller say that Redstone greens are as perfect as any course in the country, so it's all relative. Sure, there are some less expensive courses in town, and Eagle Pointe is one of the best bargains in town at $30 for green fee + cart, but there's a big diff b/t a world class course like Redstone vs an above average local course. They are both great 'bang for the buck' but different levels.

[/quote]
Have you played the course when it is not being kept in tournament conditions? It is a completely different course. what you see on TV is not the norm for that course, and is actually quite far from it. If you've never been there during normal conditions, you really wouldnt understand the difference. The only similarities between the course during normal condition and tournament condition, is the layout.

At $175, in tournament conditions, it could be seen as a bargain (if you are into paying that much to play a round of golf). In normal conditions, it is an enormous rip-off and you are paying for fact that they host a PGA tournament there. The greens in normal condition are no where near what they are playing on during the SHO, so while they may be some of the best they play on throughout the year, they are only slightly better than average for the majority of the year.

[alittleoverpar]

i haven't played there for a few years, but my cousin and I used to play at Newport Golf Club. I think it might be in Crosby (could be wrong). It wasn't a real long course, and had a lot of trees and narrow fairways. They used to have some of the shortest cut bermuda greens I've ever seen. We always had a great time playing there.

[RickK]

[quote name='alittleoverpar' timestamp='1302126723' post='3126923']
i haven't played there for a few years, but my cousin and I used to play at Newport Golf Club. I think it might be in Crosby (could be wrong). It wasn't a real long course, and had a lot of trees and narrow fairways. They used to have some of the shortest cut bermuda greens I've ever seen. We always had a great time playing there.
[/quote]

Don't waste your time or money on Newport. It is in Crosby and I used to live and play golf there a lot. I was there recently and the course is in terrible shape. They are in serious financial trouble. They had serious issues with their greens and if it were not for the weeds, there would nothing green in the fairways. It is a shame they are in such bad condition. Earlier this year, they were charging $3 green fee and $7.50 for cart. Then they were $12.50 to play on weekends. You can't expect much for those prices.

[RickK]

I played Blackhorse North Course in a scramble event this past week. They were in very good shape. They are reworking the bunkers and those that were complete looked as white as the bunkers you see at Augusta. They are putting quite a bit of money into their complex which is good. The greens were excellent and very receptive.

[alittleoverpar]

[quote name='RickKimbrell' timestamp='1302141937' post='3128069']
[quote name='alittleoverpar' timestamp='1302126723' post='3126923']
i haven't played there for a few years, but my cousin and I used to play at Newport Golf Club. I think it might be in Crosby (could be wrong). It wasn't a real long course, and had a lot of trees and narrow fairways. They used to have some of the shortest cut bermuda greens I've ever seen. We always had a great time playing there.
[/quote]

Don't waste your time or money on Newport. It is in Crosby and I used to live and play golf there a lot. I was there recently and the course is in terrible shape. They are in serious financial trouble. They had serious issues with their greens and if it were not for the weeds, there would nothing green in the fairways. It is a shame they are in such bad condition. Earlier this year, they were charging $3 green fee and $7.50 for cart. Then they were $12.50 to play on weekends. You can't expect much for those prices.
[/quote]

Sorry to hear they have fallen on hard times. It used to be a fun course.

[swbyps]

[b]If you are interested in participating in a Houston Wrx outing at Willow Creek, see this thread.[/b]

[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/459255-h-town-wrx-outing/page__st__30__p__3113565__hl__outing__fromsearch__1#entry3113565"]Houston Outing[/url]

Wildcat is a pretty nice course.

[bigred90gt]

Wildcat is usually in pretty good shape, but when it is hot out, it is miserable on that course. there is nowhere on either course to get out of the sun and into the shade. I do like the lay-out of both. quite a lot of elevation change for Houston.

[UHCougar]

What do you guys think about Bear Creek? I live close by and their fees are good. They also have this loyalty program that looks like a pretty good deal. $25 flat fee gets you: $3 off twilight, free handicap, free replays, merchandise at cost.

Here's a link: http://bearcreekgolfworld.com/loyalty/

[mattshaver]

i was there about a month ago and the greens on the presidents course (i think that's what its called) were like asphalt. soooooo bumpy. almost no way to hit a putt straight. i ended up with a 102, and even though that's a decent score for me, i was pissed because i knew i lost at least 5 strokes to putts that bobbled and bumped their way to the hole.

plus i think the layouts are really unimaginative and kinda dull. houston is kind of spoiled for choice, so even though theyre a good value, there are better courses for the same money. the loyalty program makes it tempting but i couldn't play there all the time.

my favorite public course that i've played is cypresswood cypress course.

[putt4_66]

[quote name='rocker40' timestamp='1301082715' post='3088023']
Ive played Cypresswood - Traditional Course and Tour 18 but im looking for other nice public courses in the Houston Area to try out.
[/quote]

So what have you tried so far, and what did you think of them?

[rocker40]

Ive tried the following:

Gus Wortham - Learned to play here. Still one of my favs.
Sharptown - Like the course. Fairways need some work.

Tour 18 - Always good holes here. Challenging but well maintained. Clubhouse needs work.
Houston National - One of my Favorites but the houses are too close.

Cypresswood Cypress Course - 3rd favorite course ive played. Tight fairways.
Cypresswood Traditions Course - My favorite course. Has challenging greens. Well maintained. Bring your best putter to play this course.

[swbyps]

Wildcat
Woodforest Fish Creek
West Fork
Windrose

[pdaero]

I've heard that the Cypresswood Traditions course is phenomenal, but I haven't been able to get out there. It's a LONG trek from west Houston!

My favorite is River Ridge in Sealy. It's a good bit out there, but always in great shape.

[JJGold]

[quote name='pdaero' timestamp='1304659555' post='3211809']
I've heard that the Cypresswood Traditions course is phenomenal, but I haven't been able to get out there. It's a LONG trek from west Houston!

.
[/quote]

Played Cypresswood Traditions for the first time in 4 years this past Monday and it was plush. Stunning layout and pristine playing conditions.

Given Houston's current drought, are there any public courses in Houston whose current conditions would be considered plush? I've been pretty disappointed lately with hard pan fairways, and concrete greens.

[swbyps]

^^ Oh man you're killin me with that post. I have got to get out there now to check it out. I live about 20min from Cypresswood. Im pretty cool with the manager at the Golfsmith I go to and he gave me a pass for a free round out there..but it has to be used during the week. I guess since they closed that other course, they are able to put some extra resources towards the remaining two.

You're right about the drought situation though. Its a good thing we are not quite into the oppressive summer heat yet. We better start getting some rain pretty soon though or the courses will be on fire come mid july. And...I dont know what the heck the deal is with this crazy wind we've been having. I hear things are holding up pretty nicely at Woodforest. Its almost always in good shape but its quite a ways out if you dont live on the far north side.

[bigred90gt]

Which course did they close? The one across the street?

It has been a few years since I've played Woodforest. We were supposed to have a tournament there this past saturday (it was 18 hole shotgun at 9:00, and then the 3rd 9 shotgun at 2:00), but the genius in the pro-shop double booked tournaments, and since the other tournament was apparently a bigger tournament, we got the boot. I ended up playing a round at Gus Wortham with my uncle and a buddy of mine, and I dont think I'll be going back there for a while. It was in horrible shape. Some of the greens were just unplayable.

[RickK]

[quote name='bigred90gt' timestamp='1306464146' post='3265807']
Which course did they close? The one across the street?

[/quote]

Yep, the one that was across the road is the one they closed.

[RickK]

I was back up to Grand Lake a few weeks back and the drought has not been kind to them.
The course was extremely dry and conditions were not nearly as good as they had been in the past.
The greens were still good but the rest of the course was showing extreme signs of stress.

[Brizam]

I played quail valleys el dorado course this past weekend. I would def say it's worth checking out. Really good value for the price. It's going in my rotation of places to play.

Courses I frequent:
Blackhorse
River ridge
Timber creek
Quail valley (just making the rotation now)
Agusta pines
Meadowbrook farms

Cheap and fun:
River pointe

Courses I hate:
Wild cat. Both courses.
Greatwood

[RickK]

[quote name='Brizam' timestamp='1306720540' post='3271642']
I played quail valleys el dorado course this past weekend. I would def say it's worth checking out. Really good value for the price. It's going in my rotation of places to play.

Courses I hate:
Wild cat. Both courses.
Greatwood
[/quote]

QV Eldorado course is coming along nicely. They could stand to do a little work on some of the traps(not all) since they have settled quite a bit since they were built.

Curious, why do you hate Greatwood? I have a few reasons of my own, but was wondering what you do not like about it.

[bigred90gt]

While I generally like Timber Creek, and it used to be in great shape year round, last year some time, they pretty much lost the greens, and the last few times I went out there (its been a few months), they still were not back to their former glory, yet they were still charging full price. Their full price is not something I'm willing to pay for bad greens.

[JJGold]

[quote name='bigred90gt' timestamp='1306946946' post='3277540']
While I generally like Timber Creek, and it used to be in great shape year round, last year some time, they pretty much lost the greens, and the last few times I went out there (its been a few months), they still were not back to their former glory, yet they were still charging full price. Their full price is not something I'm willing to pay for bad greens.
[/quote]

I'm playing Timber Creek this Friday and will report back with up to date conditions.