Played Highland Pines last Thursday during spring break....me, wife, and kiddo. Overall, I really liked the course. Paid $100 for adults and $45 junior. Includes cart and range balls. Here are my notes:
--it's a player friendly course. Everything is right there in front of you. Not overly difficult
--layout is really nice with good elevation changes by taking advantage of being near the river. Sometimes hitting uphill and sometimes down which is a rarity in the houston area
--I was a little surprised being spring break that the tee sheet wasn't busier. As non-member could only make tee time 5 days in advance and even the staff there told me it would be no problem getting a tee time a few days prior and he was right
--We played in just under 4 hours. And the 2 marshalls we talked to both talked about pace of play so sounds like they'll stay on that which is good
--I've played the zoysia at CW-Fazio and it was incredible. This zoysia needs a couple of years to really develop. Hopefully they bring in enough cash flow to get it there
--Grass from tee thru green was in really good shape especially considering how dry it has been this spring. Rough was in decent shape too
--Greens were rolling 11-12. Before we started shop guy said leave ball below hole and greens were FAST. He was spot on and they rolled true. Too hard for any ballmarks to develop.
--only houses around a few holes but I expect more to be built but no way they cover the whole course which is nice. It was downright quiet on many holes
--building a clubhouse now and they don't have a bev cart yet (supposedly next month). No coolers on carts so bring a small cooler if you want or they have those thick bags for iced drinks. They have little snack desk in the temporary clubhouse but all they have are drinks and snacks. Nothing like hot dogs or sandwiches so bring food. The lady there said they were about to go out and get the sandwiches and be back. Spent $45 incl tip on 3 beers, a double bloody, one soft drink, and 2 snacks.
--carts don't have GPS which I didn't mind as have range finder. sprinkler heads were marked regularly and marked accurately which helped too
--it started raining our last couple of holes and it wasn't a hard rain but you could see the accumulation in the parking lot. With the development there plus being near the river it will be interesting to see how it drains/holds water.
-A couple of porta potties mid way thru each 9. Not sure if they are going to eventually install bathrooms but would expect they' will
-and some rednecks did drive 4 wheelers on a couple of holes and tore up grass. It had clearly been a little while but had been repaired well as ball did fine on greens even crossing tracks.
We don't get time to play a whole lot and we live 30 minutes away. When we do look to play I'll certainly consider here. Will be interesting to see how the grass does over the next 2-3 years and if it they get it to the level it can be, it will be REALLY nice
--it's a player friendly course. Everything is right there in front of you. Not overly difficult
--layout is really nice with good elevation changes by taking advantage of being near the river. Sometimes hitting uphill and sometimes down which is a rarity in the houston area
--I was a little surprised being spring break that the tee sheet wasn't busier. As non-member could only make tee time 5 days in advance and even the staff there told me it would be no problem getting a tee time a few days prior and he was right
--We played in just under 4 hours. And the 2 marshalls we talked to both talked about pace of play so sounds like they'll stay on that which is good
--I've played the zoysia at CW-Fazio and it was incredible. This zoysia needs a couple of years to really develop. Hopefully they bring in enough cash flow to get it there
--Grass from tee thru green was in really good shape especially considering how dry it has been this spring. Rough was in decent shape too
--Greens were rolling 11-12. Before we started shop guy said leave ball below hole and greens were FAST. He was spot on and they rolled true. Too hard for any ballmarks to develop.
--only houses around a few holes but I expect more to be built but no way they cover the whole course which is nice. It was downright quiet on many holes
--building a clubhouse now and they don't have a bev cart yet (supposedly next month). No coolers on carts so bring a small cooler if you want or they have those thick bags for iced drinks. They have little snack desk in the temporary clubhouse but all they have are drinks and snacks. Nothing like hot dogs or sandwiches so bring food. The lady there said they were about to go out and get the sandwiches and be back. Spent $45 incl tip on 3 beers, a double bloody, one soft drink, and 2 snacks.
--carts don't have GPS which I didn't mind as have range finder. sprinkler heads were marked regularly and marked accurately which helped too
--it started raining our last couple of holes and it wasn't a hard rain but you could see the accumulation in the parking lot. With the development there plus being near the river it will be interesting to see how it drains/holds water.
-A couple of porta potties mid way thru each 9. Not sure if they are going to eventually install bathrooms but would expect they' will
-and some rednecks did drive 4 wheelers on a couple of holes and tore up grass. It had clearly been a little while but had been repaired well as ball did fine on greens even crossing tracks.
We don't get time to play a whole lot and we live 30 minutes away. When we do look to play I'll certainly consider here. Will be interesting to see how the grass does over the next 2-3 years and if it they get it to the level it can be, it will be REALLY nice