good luck with the long drive stuff. i went to the wrold finals in 96 and 99, and it was a blast. getting paid to hit a little while golf ball is always a good thing. i just wish i wouldn't have choked so bad in mesquite and vegas.

So I have been playing lots of golf lately and wondered if anyone knew of a good membership deal? I am currently considering signing up for BlackHorse membership but wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions on what the best value would be. Thanks in advance.

Houston Courses I have now played....Ranked:

Redstone Tournament - 4.5 Stars
Cypresswood Tradition - 4.0 Stars
Cypresswood Cypress - 3.75 Stars
Tour 18 - 3.75 Stars
Black Horse North - 3.5 Stars
Wildcat - 3.5 Stars
Herman Golf - 2.5 Stars

I played Blackhorse after it was beat to death by the rains so perhaps that isn't the most accurate indicator however, overall; the course wasn't that impressive. Redstone is phenomenal and Cypresswood Tradition is a close 2nd. On a side note Herman Park is probably one of the best values in the city. It's much better than I would have ever expected.

Anyone have any "must play" courses I need to venture out to?

I like Woodforest Golf Club at Fish Creek and Lake Windcrest. Both are pretty good values on the weekends. They are in the Magnolia area just off of 1488.

I've heard Fish Creek is fantastic but it's a bit of a drive. I'll definitely go check it out though.

Just played Magnolia Creek this past Saturday for the first time. Loved it. Hotter than blazing hell and no trees for shade cover, but it's in great shape... I may be biased since I haven't played in 2 months and fired a 79, but take my recommendation for what it's worth.

AN - I bet it was balls hot out there this weekend - who won? I haven't been able to make it out there the past couple of tourneys, but hopefully I can make the next one before football gets underway.

Thank GOD we teed off at 8 AM.

I left with two groups of 3 left out on the course... Wiley and I both shot 79s, with my 8 handicap beating his 6 handicap. But then, Parrish comes in with an effing 75 gross... his 8 gets him down to a 67 net. So I was sitting in 2nd with 6 guys left to come in. Haven't heard yet how it turned out, but I doubt anyone touched Parrish's 67 net. I probably got bumped a place or two simply due to the 20+ handicaps still out there.

It was a really great course; reminded me alot of my home courses in Lubbock. Wide open as could be, little trouble, and great scoring holes.

Parrish shot a 75? He must have sold his soul to the devil

He had five birdies! My most in one round, in my 22 years of playing, hovers around 3 maybe 4... but I don't think I've sniffed 5 in one round ever before. He was in the group right behind me and was all over the pin all day.

Recently played Houston Country Club

Playing Champions Cypress on Monday!

Whispering Pines on Thursday!

Who's playing where on this gorgeous weekend?

Wildcat Lakes Sunday -

Wife chose KU game for a girls weekend in College Station, so you can find me at Pine Forest from Saturday morning thru Sunday evening...

HATE the lakes course... too tricked up and too confining for me. It's few and far between when I lose a single ball over 18, but the last time I played the lakes, I shot an 84 with 4 lost/water balls. Needless to say, I don't like the course too much.

If you don't like the Lakes, then I'd think you'd HATE the Highlands course....lots of blind shots.

Played Bay Forest today in La Porte. Greens were super fast! Course is in nice shape right now. Shot 88.

AggieEyes, have you played River Ridge?

Heavens - haven't played River Ridge yet and I just heard about from some guys I played Memorial with.

I want to make the drive out there perhaps this coming weekend or even Friday. Wanna go out there with me and talk Aggie Sports and play a round?

Actually like the Highlands... weird, I know. Lakes just had this tricked-out feel to it that made me cringe. Highlands at least didn't force me to keep the G2 in the bag as many times as the Lakes did. Courses that force my hand on the tee-box don't usually rank high on my "need-to-play-this-course-again" list. Selfish?? Probably a bit, but I like hitting the long ball.

golferag2003, What was your opinion of HCC?

I like HCC. Fair course. Some open shots, some target shots. Greens are usually slick.

I enjoyed HCC - definitely challenging and a course that takes some getting used to. Several blind shots and sharp doglegs; shots that would be much simpler the second time around when you have a better idea of distances to certain spots. The greens were great - some severe contours in spots but decent sized. It sits on a great piece of property too - some surprising elevation changes throughout. The holes away from the clubhouse near the bayou were quiet and secluded - pretty cool considering the location.

Also, played in the Small Steps tourney today at Champions Cypress. What a course. Jack Burke gave a 30-minute clinic before the round on the driving range, and I ran into him in the clubhouse before the round and we chatted for a bit. Nice guy - loves golf and loves to share little bits of wisdom he's gained over the years. He's 84 years old and striped that ball down the middle of the range EVERY SINGLE TIME. He was hitting his new TP TaylorMade Burner driver deep - prob 270.

The course was AWESOME. Love the monstrous, and I mean monstrous greens. It was rare to have a green that was less than 45 yards deep, most were 50 plus, with some over 65 yards from front to back! My playing partner drained one 80-footer for eagle on 13, I made a lone-birdie on 11, the 460-yard par 4 dead into the wind today. Hit driver, 5-iron from 190 to 4 feet. The pin was 4 paces from the back of a green that I think was 55 yards deep.

All in all a great round - the weather could not have been better.

Whispering Pines on Thursday!

Let us know how Whispering Pines goes!

Playing Clear Creek on saturday. It is not the best course but a good location for everyone golfing.

Creek was in decent shape. Great weather and cold beer. Good times.

Whispering Pines was incredible as usual. Greens were running 12 to 13 on the stimp, and some pin placements were truly horrific. It's still my favorite place to play golf.

Phil Garner and his son Ty (former Ag baseball player) were in the group in front of us and we chatted with them for a bit afterwards. Phil's just enjoying his "free time".


Played Blackhorse South yesterday and it was in as good a shape as any course could be. IMO it's a top 5 public course in the Houston area along with High Meadow Ranch, Meadowbrook Farms, Memorial, and Cypresswood Tradition.

Played Memorial on Sunday - recently overseeded, so the greens were still bumpy/seedy, and very wet due to watering in the seed - it was in pretty good shape though and once the overseed takes it will be great.

played galveston country club a few weeks back for a charity event. its in much better shape than its ever been.

the municipal there is supposed to be unbelievable after it is finished. 10 million bucks will help you redo a place quite nicely.

Does anyone know what kind of shape Greatwood is in right now?

My buddy and I had a time at Evergreen Point, but they apparently had a mix-up with their on-line tee-times and we were allowed to schedule on top of a tourney...the new time isn't doable.

Should we play Greatwood or look for somewhere else?

--Updated Rankings--

Houston area courses I have played, with my personal rankings on a scale of 1 star to 5 stars:

PUBLIC:
High Meadow Ranch ****
Blackhorse South ****
Meadowbrook Farms ****
Cypresswood Tradition ****
Blackhorse North ****
Memorial Park ***1/2
Cypresswood Cypress ***1/2
Woodlands Resort - Panther ***1/2
Wildcat Lakes ***1/2
Falls Golf Resort ***1/2
Greatwood ***
Cypresswood Creek ***
WindRose ***
Southwyck ***
River Pointe **1/2
Treeline **1/2 (closed)
Hermann Park **
Bear Creek Masters **
Jersey Meadow **
Sharpstown **


PRIVATE:
Whispering Pines *****
Champions Cypress ****1/2
Champions Jackrabbit ****
Houston Country Club ****
Kingwood CC - Forest ****
Pine Forest ***1/2
Sugar Creek Country Club ***1/2
Sweetwater ***1/2
Raveneaux CC **1/2



* = avoid at all costs
** = play if you've got the bug, probably cheap
*** = a good value, in decent shape
**** = worth the price, very good shape
***** = don't pass up the chance

Played Bay Forest out in La Porte last saturday. Greens in pretty good shape. Not a bad deal for $30. Thinking about playing Windrose or Evergreen Pointe this saturday. Any thoughts on which one we should play?

[This message has been edited by Ags #1 (edited 1/2/2008 10:09p).]

Played Memorial last Thursday - 52/39. How annoying - i couldn't throw the ball in the right direction on the front, but threw down 4 pars and an eagle on the back.

Hey all,
I've joined a local handicapped stroke league and we are looking for some more regulars... we play(normally) 2 tournaments a month with a 2 day championship @ the end.(in October)

We pay out for 1/2/3rd place in 2 flights as well as most birdies/nine and closest to the pin on each par 3. there is also an optional skins game...

We play @ Cinco Ranch this weekend and other great places all over Houston!

anyone interested should check out

http://www.littlejohngolfleague.com/GolfLeague/Default.aspx


or email me @ shaun-roberts (at) sbcglobal(dot)net