Played Hidden Valley at 9:30 on 12/26 in 55*F and 20mph winds. Course is as fun and challenging as I remember with lots of elevation and risk reward shots. It just rained that morning so the conditions were quite damp. The fairways are thin but adequate. The rough was almost non-existent, having been cut down to almost the same low level as the FWs. The greens were excellent, most divots were fixed, they rolled true and fast with plenty of break.

I noticed they switched to electric carts which seemed brand new, so the previous comment re: the bad cart may be a 'one off event.' Staff was friendly.

At $52 with cart, Hidden Valley is a great bargain for what I'm looking for in a golf course. The only negative was the 5 hour pace of play, but I guess I can forgive that too since it was the day after Christmas and the wet conditions required cart paths only on this difficult layout. I always love coming here.

Just played Wolf Creek last Sat. Fairways in great shape, new white sand in bunkers on front 9 only, back 9 has same old lumpy dirt sand that used to be on both 9s, new greens very shaggy, slow, a bit bumpy, like you're putting on carpet.

I just gave myself gimmes inside 10 feet, except for birdie putts. Golf experience is as spectacular as always. I thought I was the only one crazy enough to make the drive up every time I come to Vegas, but I met a 4-some from Indiana who do the same thing. It's totally worth it.

As a bonus, the pro gives every player a $25 gift certificate for use in golf shop or restaurant to offset the slow greens. Classy move.

As an aside, I was paired with 3 twenty-four-year-olds who insisted on playing from the tips, even though it was their 1st time. They took some aggressive flight lines off the tee, some of which I never would've considered. From the #2 tee box with the wind at our backs, maybe the highest spot on course, we did just that and 3 out of 4 of us found the fairway within 100 yds from the green. That translated to 300+ carry! Scorecard said #2 measured 445yds. Now that was fun! (BTW, I can't fly my driver more that 250yds under normal conditions)

Man, I love this place.

Wolf Creek Golf Club Review
Mequite Nevada Golf Course Reviews

Played 12/29/11 at 1pm, course was very busy so it was a 4.5 hour round. Greens are sparse, blades of grass not very dense so there's some inconsistency in the roll from hole to hole. Seems as if they may have chintzed on the winter seeding to save a bit of money. I've seen better greens at Memorial Park, the busiest course in the city.

Fairways are hardpan, what you would expect from winter conditions, esp. after the drought we had this summer. Bunkers were unkempt, probably due to the copious rain we had the week before... still, they had a week to get them back into shape. Our group decided to call all bunkers ground under repair.

Customer service was great, bag boy would drop off cart as you are parking, cart girl stopped by 4X, cart boy cleaned your clubs as you finish putting on 18th green. It's a decent value at $49 twilight rate, 1pm, but I would not pay full price b/c of the mediocre conditions.

Meadowbrook Farms Golf Club Review
Katy Texas Golf Course Reviews

Came out on a Thur morning, tee time (at) 8am but there were already 4somes and 5somes stacked up on the course. Regardless, we finished in 4.5 hrs even after getting waved through by one group. This course is very popular, so be sure to inquire about that when you make your tee time.

As for the conditions, everything was fair -- not spectacular but not bad either. I really enjoy this layout so much. Definitely worth the hour drive for me to reacquaint myself with Tour 18 again.

Just played the course yesterday morning. Read previous post for details on the course that I won't repeat here. Here are the comments on the current conditions.

Greens had been aerated/punched recently, but besides for being slower than normal, I really couldn't tell as my putts did not lose their line by much. Seems like they took the extra step of rolling the greens after they punched them. FW and rough are in good conditions, greener in the rough than it was in Jan. My only complaint (and this is minor nitpicking) is that the teeboxes are not perfectly flat, so you may have to be careful where you tee up your ball.

Still love the layout and amazingly fast pace of play. Always worth the trip.

This golf course is a hidden gem, 35min east of downtown Houston, near Baytown. They have a lot of land for the site and put it to good use. There are no houses on the course, the driving range is nice, with a nearby pitching green and bunker for practice near the entrance of the facility. In front of the clubhouse are several practice putting greens.

The layout can be a bit tricky for 1st timers, as some fairways slope severely enough to bounce your ball into a hazard if you don't hit the correct side of them. #1, #10 #17 are good example of this. There are also some severe doglegs, as much as 90 degrees where a good teeshot can run through the FW. Some of the greens can have steep slopes as well, so be careful to place your approaches in the correct spot.

Best part of this course is the bargain basement price, the sincere staff, and the layout in above avg conditions. I would not hesitate to come play again.

I haven't played this course since the remodel 12 yrs ago. I think they did a great job. The new clubhouse is open, airy and has a nice fireplace w/ lounge chairs and cafe, like a great room in a McMansion. Staff was very courteous. There was still lots of standing water on the course the day I played so it was cart path only. I paid the princely sum of $14 to walk at 1:20pm.

The designers added water to some of these holes, so be prepared to use your 3 wood:
#13 par 5 458yds- man made pond put in 280yds from the back teebox
#5 par 4 379yds- another pond in front of the green 270yds from back tees
#15 par 4 375yds- pond is reachable, 280yds from back tees
There are others, but those are the ones I remember.

The layout is not too difficult, holes run counter parallel to each other, so if you miss it bad enough, you have a clear shot to the green from the adjacent fairway. Greens were wooly, hairy and slow on this day, definitely subpar. Fairways are dormant and mostly tight lies. Teeboxes are small and pockmarked w/ unrepaired divots.

The driving range looks decent enough and there's a large practice putting green next to the 1st teebox.

In general, come here w/ the low expectations for a muni and you won't be disappointed. I do have to say that Hermann is much improved now vs what it was before.

Played Greatwood 3 days ago, after a week's worth of rain in the Houston Area. Course is in decent shape:
Greens - 9-10 on stimpmeter, lots of spike marks (no surprise there b/c of the soft conditions). Some of the pin placements are so severe (#9 & #18) on a sideslope that unless you are below the hole, there's no way to keep the ball w/in 15 feet of the hole. Watch out!
Fairways - dormant, brownish, w/ packed mud/clay beneath. Most were tight lies
Bunkers - have always been subpar w/ heavy, coarse sand and inconsistent in density. The maintenance crew does rake them though.
Tee box - lots of subtle humps and bumps but serviceable.
Layout - demanding and penalizing if you don't keep your tee shot between the houses.

Value - This is a good bargain course w/ a difficult layout. Conditions are about as good as Memorial Park, the busiest course in town. I would come back, no problem.

I just finished playing this afternoon in ideal weather (0-5mph, 60*, dry and sunny) and I cannot wait to go back. The condition of the course was stellar. Greens are slick (10-12 on the stimp), highly undulated and large. The fairways are wide and generous w/ the landing areas. Many of the greens are quite large, sometimes 30-40 yds long, but there are lots of swales, humps, multi-tiers that narrow down the landing area. Land your approach on the wrong tier and you will find yourself w/ a putt worthy of a major league roller coaster. If you are above the hole, a 15 foot lag can leave you a 15 foot comebacker... crazy scary.

There are some fairway bunkers but usually only on 1 side of each fairway, so with some course management, you can avoid going near them w/o much effort. The course ratings reflects this. I was able to pull out my driver on nearly every hole.

The layout is fun, more visually intimidating than actually penal. There's much more bark than bite to this course, tee to green. The green complex is another matter, however, w/ a heavy dose of undulations on the greens and lots mounding around them. I didn't get a chance to test the bunkers today, but they definitely are huge.

There are 2 practice putting greens and the practice area is large and very nice. I teed off at 1:20pm as a single, was joined by another golfer and we finished by 4:30. The front desk girl said they were booked solid from 12-1:00, so that's a "Wow."

I drove over an hour from Houston to play here. The quality of the course conditions surpass all the but the best public course in Houston, equal to Woodforest, just behind Redstone. I can't wait to go back. It was definitely worth it.

I just played Meadowbrook today, after a week's worth of on again, off again rain.

I regret to say the conditions were subpar:
Greens - 1/3 of them we so sparse and bumpy that you had no hope the ball would hold its line when the ball decelerates. Greens were soft and held approaches well, but when you had to putt on them, it was quite disappointing.
Fairways - not overseeded for the winter, which is understandable b/c it's so costly, but there were many damaged areas, ground under repair type surface, right in the middle of the fairway and around the green complex. Didn't look like many of the old divots were sanded in either.
Bunkers - were raked but b/c of the recent rains, they were a bit inconsistent, some hard packed, some fluffy. I did not deduct any points for the shape of the bunkers on my rating b/c of the recent wet weather.
teeboxes - were the only good part of the course, mostly flat and verdant

I regret to inform you that management is definitely starting to let this place go, which is quite a disappointment since it's one of my favorite layouts in town.

I played Falconhead (at) 9:30am Sat morning, 2 days ago and was quite impressed. We could not get a tee time for Barton Creek b/c of a tournament there, so we decided to go to Falconhead. At $80 for the weekend, it's half the price of Barton but the enjoyment was just as good IMHO.

For $5, you get a token for ~50 range balls where you get to hit off grass (nice turf, too, not the scraggly junk I normally see at public driving ranges). There's a pitching/chipping green and big practice putting green thru a tunnel on the other side of the road from the club house. Very impressive practice facility.

It was 50-60* but quite windy (20-30mph) that day. Wintery conditions means lots of roll on the fairways and the rough is a nice amber brown, easy to hit out of. For example, the 1st hole is par 4 380yd downhill tee shot downwind. My 3W left 63yds to the hole. talk about roll! Against the wind, I had to club up 3-4 clubs, but if I kept the ball low, I could roll it down the fairway w/ my teeshot quite a long distance, due to the dormant grass. The fairways were in good shape.

Greens were in great shape, 10-12 on the stimpmeter, I would guess, and quite smooth. There are some nice undulations from hole to hole, tighter on the front 9, more open on the back 9. Falconhead's biggest defense is their small, fast greens. They are indeed hard to hit, esp w/ long irons, but the breaks are not very severe. Many of my putts were straight or nearly so.

Bunkers were nicely raked throughout the course, very consistent in fact, w/ fluffy top layer and packed wet sand below.

Pace of play was good. A courteous marshall made sure we were keeping pace.

Food was surprisingly good. In the clubhouse, they grill their burger patties in the morning to get a slight char and smoke flavor, then when you order it, they microwave it b/f putting it together for you. May sound strange but it's fast and quite flavorful. The hotdogs were big and the drinks were quite stout. Both cart girls were cute as well.

As for the layout, most of the course is self evident, but there are a few blind shots, so it helps to play it more than once. Their signature par 3 17th hole is indeed beautiful. You hit onto a green that is built out like a giant shelf, w/ water in front and directly below the hole. It's a short iron slightly uphill to the green, so the shot is semi blind, but very picturesque.

All in all, we had a great experience and saved quite a bit of money by not playing Barton Creek. Falconhead has to be one of the best values in town if you are looking for an upscale golf experience.

Dear Wolf Creek, I'm sorry I lost my mind momentarily and said some other course was my 'new fav.' In this case, I was so mesmerized by the zero wind, fast conditions, caddy assisted round I experienced this summer at Arcadia Bluffs, Michigan's top rated course, that I had the audacity to call it my 'new fav.'

I visited Wolf Creek on Thur morning, teeing off solo (1st time they ever let me tee off solo) at 7:20am, 40*F, no wind. Sure, I froze my booty off the 1st 6 holes, but as the sun warmed up my bones and dried off the morning dew, I experienced the Wolf on what must be one of the most ideal days of the year: mid 70s, no one in front of me, 4-some behind me, and not a hint of a breeze for the 3 hrs it took me to finish my round. The final 12 holes were like playing indoor virtual golf but 100 times better!! Why, you ask?

I'm not a long hitter, but I averaged 300+yds off the tees, counting only FW hit w/ my driver. Now that's ego boosting fun! As usual, the shorter holes proved the most treacherous as the greens are smaller and more undulated. Miss on the short side of the green on these shorter holes and be ready for the 40 ft par saving putt. The multi-tiered greens are also more severe on these shorties. The elevation changes required 2 extra clubs uphill and as much as 3 less clubs downhill, but wow, if you guess right and hit a good shot, the feeling of accomplishment is nonpareil. Remember that I played in zero wind, so if I calculated wrong or didn't hit one well, it's all on me. No excuses. On the par 5 #1, I hit my 225yd club from 200yds out going up hill to reach the green in 2. On the par 3 #11, I hit my 160yd club from 193yds above the hole. now that's my idea of fun.

The greens were rolling only 9-10 on the stimpmeter, but they rolled true. The only reason why I didn't give them a 10 rating is b/c of the many divot scars left by previous golfers, not the course's fault.

The fairways were dense and a bit soft, no doubt due to my early teetime. The staff was exceptional, treating me as if I was their only client, lots of smiles and greetings every time I made eye contact. The cart guy said the winds were howling 40+mph just the day before, so lucky me. He also suggested that the 9am teetime may be the best b/c the ambient temperature changes 30*F from dawn till 9. I didn't mind making the adjustment to the distances required as the temp warmed up.

As I packed my clubs in the trunk, the rush hour of golfers arriving in their rental cars put a smile on my face. If they only knew how amazing the next few hours were going to be for them at this mecca of golf, they too would be smiling.

In summary, I don't know what came over me but my recent experience at Wolf Creek re-indoctrinated me to the church of "Holy Cow, Wolf! You are the one and only -- best of the best!" Worth every penny.