Best Public Golf Courses in Houston, Texas

Spring is here and you're ready to hit some balls.  The driving range is boring so the call of championship golf is primed and ready.  Houston is a big place with many golf course choices.  Of course, for a $35,000 initiation fee and a few hundred bucks a month you can play those wonderful private courses.  But for the rest of us, our adjunct advisory panel at 1stopforgolf  http://www.1stopforgolf.com/  and http://www.visithouston.com/  amongh others provides the following recommendations.

Redstone Golf Club (Humble, Texas) The Tournament Course at Redstone, designed by Rees Jones and David Toms is currently one of only 11 public courses across the country that hosts a PGA TOUR event... The Shell Houston Open is currently being played their right now. 18-hole public, 18-hole private. Green Fees: $125-$175

Black Horse Golf Club (Cypress, NE Houston) offers golfers 36 holes and has been ranked in the top ten of America's top 100 courses for under $100.  Green Fees: $40-$120

Wildcat Golf Club (South of Houston, Hwys 90 and 288) Home to two championship courses, Wildcat Golf Club is something of an oasis with its rolling fairways and terrific views of the Houston skyline and Reliant Park in the distance. Green Fees: $40-$75

Memorial Park Golf Course (Galleria/West Houston) 6001 Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77007 - 713-862-4033 Through the years, Memorial Park Golf Course has hosted many famous golfers such as Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. It was also the home of the Houston Open from 1951 to 1963... The design is fairly straight-forward, while the course uses the ancient trees and its length as defensesMemorial Park Golf Course is known as one of the best municipal courses in the nation and is visited by more than 60,000 patrons each year. 18-hole (Public) Green Fees: $25-$50

The Woodlands Resort (The Woodland, N of Houston)The Woodlands resort offers up two very good golf courses, Panther Trail and The Oaks both characterized by tree lined fairways and subtle elevation changes.Green Fees: $70-$130

Cypresswood Golf Club (Spring, NE Houston) 21602 Cypresswood Drive, Spring, Texas 77373 - 281-821-6300 http://www.cypresswood.com/ Situated on over 800 acres of rolling, heavily wooded terrain along the confluence of Spring and Cypress creeks, this 54-hole golf facility offers three unique golf experiences... Cypresswood Golf Club's Cypress, Creek, and Tradition courses were voted "Best Places to Play" by Golf Digest 2002-2005. 54-hole (Public/Private) Green Fees: $35-$70

Houston National Golf Club (Northwest Houston) No matter what your level of play, the Houston National Golf Club will seek to enhance your enjoyment of the game..Houston National boasts the highest U.S.G.A. course rating in the greater Houston area. 27-hole (Public) Green Fees: $59-$69

 Timber Creek Golf Club   (Friendswood, SE Houston) is a 27-hole golf facility that was literally carved out of Oak and Pine trees. One million cubic yards of dirt were moved in to create the rolling look found in South Carolina.

Meadowbrook Farms Golf Club (Katy, Texas) - off Fry Rd., Katy, Texas 281-693-4653 - A very good links course that has plenty of character. Some holes are distinctively links, while others meander through heavy brush...Locally considered the top golf course in the Houston area, Meadowbrook Farms was designed by the legendary Australian Greg Norman and opened in 1999. 18-hole (Public/Private)  This masterfully designed Greg Norman golf course is characterized by it's sod-wall bunkers with white sand that surround greens that are generous, subtle and approachable. Advance reservations of 30 days required: Green Fees: $60-$80

Old Orchard Golf Club - 13134 FM 1464, Richmond, Texas 77469 - 281-277-3300 - http://www.oldorchardgolf.com/ - Old Orchard is truly a treat to play. You feel like you are actually playing in a pecan orchard. It is built on the former site of the Lazy C Ranch, which was at one time one of the finest quarter horse ranches in the world. The layout is superb, and the three nines have distinctly different feels. The course also changes with the seasons, since the pecan trees lose their leaves in the winter. Green Fees: $40-$60

Senna Plantation - A player's course. The layout is superb and requires plenty of shotmaking. The greens are undulated and tiered, and the course can play very difficult depending on the pin placements. The course is unusually picturesque for the Houston area, as it winds through trees and marshland. For the price, Sienna Plantation is the best public course in Houston.  Green Fees: $55-$75

Some other notables for their novelty and/or costs:
 

Tour 18 (Humble, Texas) 3102 FM 1960 East, Humble, Texas 77338 - 281-540-1818 replicates famous holes. No, the condition of the course isn't the plushest in the area -- and suburban Humble hasn't come up with the crashing ocean waves over rocky coastline of Pebble Beach. But there's ample accuracy of design, whether it's the Blue Monster of Doral, or the challenges of Shinnecock Hills, Oakmont, Harbour Town (the course lost its signature lighthouse replica in litigation) or even Colonial. Augusta's Amen Corner is the most exquisite offering -- the ghost of Arnie can almost be detected, advising through the hush of the lush pine roughs. Green Fees: $60-$110

Augusta Pines, Spring, NE Houston) characterized by small, undulating greens and plenty of water, offers a solid test on heaving land framed by tall pines.


Woodforest - Carved through the majestic pines and towering oaks of Northwest Houston. Strategically placed bunkers and trickling Fish Creek meander through the course making shot selection essential. Experience the course designed by the PGA’s own Steve Elkington.

Wortham Park  (East of Houston) 7000 Capitol, Houston, Texas 77281 - 713-921-3227 - Gus Wortham provides challenges not regularly found in Houston. Elevated tees and uphill carries to greens make you use all your clubs. 18-hole (Public)

Hermann Park - (South of Houston, Near Rice) 713-526-0077 The Hermann Park Golf Course is located on 407 acres of Houston's loveliest gardens, parks, and public spaces. 18-hole (Public) Green Fees: $20-$30 

 Brock Park - (NE of Houston) 8201 John Ralston Rd., Houston, Texas 77044 - 281-456-1350 Although this inexpensive city course is seldom in good shape, it does have more hills and undulations than most Houston courses, so it provides a different sort of challengeThe tree-lined course plays to 6427 yards, and the elevation changes are unlike most courses in the area. Brock Park is quietly tucked into the northeast area of Houston, far from the noise, but less than 20 minutes from downtown. 18-hole (Public) Green Fees: $10-$15