Houston Golf Course Scene

If the hackneyed term “Hidden Gem” was ever to be used accurately to describe a single outstanding golf course that separated itself from the lot of out of the way layouts, surely it would be wisely deployed in honor of Montgomery’s Blaketree National Golf Club.

Located in the sedate and remarkably stunning Southeast Texas countryside, roughly 20 minutes from Lake Conroe and a little more than an hour from downtown Houston, Blaketree is the result of attorney turned oil wildcatter Thomas W. Blake’s ambition to build a private playground for himself and his friends to enjoy.

Consistently finding the fairway off the tee and racking up a high percentage of greens in regulation on a regular basis will significantly improve your on-course experience, and it won’t hurt your reputation around the clubhouse either. Isn’t it about time you stopped playing mediocre golf?

Mount Belvieu’s Eagle Pointe Golf Club is home to a challenging par-71 championship level golf course and a premier Player Development Program, which combined with Eagle Pointe’s excellent practice facilities, is designed to help golfers gain the skills necessary to take aim at the picturesque Rick Forester-designed layout that has been given four stars and labeled as “A Great Place to Play Golf,” by the Houston Chronicle.

Teeming with tranquility and a recurring overture of Texas hospitality, The Falls Golf Resort and Club fully encapsulates what a day away from it all should feel like.

The championship-quality 18-hole golf course has been lauded as a “Must Play” by a laundry list of publications, and extras such as charming accommodations, tennis courts, two swimming pools, a one-acre fishing pond, fitness facility and the Cascades Restaurant catapult The Falls into distinguished company.

New Ulm’s first-class resort complex located at the “Gateway to the Hill Country” is a rare find in today’s golf world, and promises to be the “Best Drive of Your Life.”

In 1923 the Memorial Park Golf Course was a homely nine-hole track built convenient to Camp Logan, a World War I-era training site. It was created to provide soldiers who were on the mend with a leisurely recreational pursuit.

From those humble beginnings, Memorial Park evolved into an illustrious 18-hole golf course, which it’s been since 1936. The course’s original architect John Bredemus, who is also responsible for a number of private facilities from Victoria to San Angelo, called Memorial Park the best course he’d ever built.

Through the years Bredemus’ claim has been backed up, as Memorial Park has hosted some of the world’s greatest golfers including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Cary Middlecoff and Jack Burke Jr., during its run as host of what is known today as the Shell Houston Open from 1951-63.

Each of the holes at The Battleground at Deer Park Golf Course have been given a name associated with the battle that took place on the San Jacinto Battleground, when troops under the command of General Sam Houston defeated and captured General Santa Anna and the Mexican Army.

The name of each hole and a brief description is included on a granite tee marker located on each hole of the golf course. Following is what appears on those ten markers.

During a six-month span in the year 1912 three of the greatest golfers who’ve ever lived were brought into the world. Combined, the trio would account for 198 career PGA Tour victories and make dozens of indelible marks on the game.

At the 1946 Houston Open, the first year the city’s professional golf event was promoted by the Houston Golf Association as the part of the PGA Tour, Lord Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and Slammin’ Sammy Snead made history.

The week of May 9 -12, Nelson, Hogan and Snead finished 1-2-3 in the tournament held at the prestigious and private River Oaks Country Club. It would be the only time in their storied careers they would all place inside the top 3 in the same event.

General Manager of The Battleground at Deer Park, Louis Gantz, is fully aware of the challenges his golf course faces in an overbuilt market and a tepid consumer climate.

Houston has an amazing assortment of championship golf courses, but perhaps more than can be fully supported with the economy as it is. Gantz knows that golfers have plenty of courses to choose from and will more than likely be playing less this year, so he is adamant about offering those who visit his course the best possible value on their dollar.

Houston has a rich golfing tradition dating back to the early 1900’s that continues today as the nation’s fourth largest city hosts a number of prestigious amateur and professional tournaments, in addition to the PGA Tour’s Shell Houston Open.

A number of the oldest and most renowned layouts in the state of Texas lie within the Space City’s limits, including the venerable courses operated by the city itself.

Challenging Golf and a Texas History Lesson

Evergreen Point Golf Club offers up a slice of Lone Star history with its family-run operation that is passionate for the property and the game of golf. Located in Baytown, minutes from the San Jacinto Battlefield where Sam Houston and his army won independence for Texas, the Evergreen Plantation was purchased by the Hazelwood family in the mid-1990s. The property was subsequently turned into a showpiece for golf just a mile-and-a-half from the Fred Hartman Bridge, 20 minutes outside the 610 loop, 30 minutes east downtown Houston.

New 9-Hole Addition

Just minutes outside of the city in understated Hockley, Houston Oaks Golf & Country Club is a tranquil tting with an abundance of activities to satisfy a golfer’s appetite. The Ralph Plummer-designed golf course is a great test of your golf game but it isn’t the only game in town.

The sprawling 330 acre property at Houston Oaks Golf & Country Club is also home to a new executive/family nine hole course and a new family-style, junior Olympic size swimming pool. The facility also boasts a lake perfect for catch-and-release fishing, beach volleyball, tennis and playground equipment, ideal for that large family picnic or reunion. Nature lovers will also be able to bird watch, kayak and ride paddle boats at Houston Oaks.