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David A. Dodson When rating a golf course, several factors have to be taken into account: location, price, course maintenance, amenities, staff, and degree of difficulty are only a few of the items that need to be taken into consideration. Any one of these can sorely affect the entire experience if not up to snuff. Ideally you would want to find a course that is close by, well kept, reasonably priced with a courteous and knowledgeable staff and offers just enough of a challenge as to be a true test of your skills. Luckily for all of us, such a place exists. At Greatwood Golf Club in Sugar Land, TX all of these elements have come together to create a near perfect golfing experience. Designed by Carlton Gipson, the 18-hole course weaves seamlessly throughout the scenic Greatwood subdivision just outside of Houston.
From the first hole you'll realize that this course rewards accuracy over power. A lesson soon learned if you try to punch it up to the green via the left side of the fairway. Hole number two is also good for slow starters; just get it in the fairway and your second shot has a good chance at the green on this short par four. There's no shame in hitting from the drop zone on number three, the ditch in front of the tee box serves as a mass grave for many a good ball. If you reach this point in pretty good spirits, hole four has what it takes to turn that around; a cruelly tiered green guarded by water and sand, this particularly vicious par three is generous with the double bogeys.
If your drive on hole five stays out of the left or right bunker, think long and hard before trying for the green in two. Any mistake will send you to either one of two very challenging greenside bunkers or a watery grave on this wicked par four. Hole number six is a great opportunity to get one back. This unassuming par five plays wide open and is quite reachable in two if you can avoid the four bunkers surrounding the carpet. Number seven treats you to a straight drive to an elevated green; no trick to it if you can keep it out of the particularly nasty right greenside bunker on this par three. If you can keep your drive dry and out of the sand, your second shot has a pretty good chance on number eight. A wickedly sloped green is this hole's great equalizer, though. The fairway on number nine is fairly forgiving until you approach the green. Water on the left, sand on the right and a steeply graded green add some excitement to this par five.
Starting the back nine is hole number ten, one of the most visually stunning holes on the course. Both your drive and second shot on this par four are over water, and all puts on this particularly unforgiving boat-ramp of a green are the stuff of nightmares. Number eleven offers up another opportunity to drive the wet stuff, after that it's merely a matter of avoiding the lake to the left and the five bunkers on this short par four. With three bunkers guarding the green on number twelve, a long and steady drive is the only sure way to the dance floor on this menacing par three. Again, drive placement is key on hole number thirteen, a par four with a stiff dog-leg to the left and plenty of sand. The green on hole fourteen is awfully tempting on your second shot, but beware the angle of the carpet. It very efficiently feeds the pond guarding it. If you can ignore the ditch off the tee box on this par three, then hole fifteen is not nearly as tough as it looks.
Another dog-leg par four, hole number sixteen
has plenty to keep you busy with its ditch off the tee box,
multiple bunkers and undulating green. One of my favorite holes
of any I've ever played, hole number seventeen is as pretty
to look at and as fun to play as they come. Driving over a watery
inlet to a sand-spotted plateau, everything from that point
on plays downhill. Keep your eye on the ball as you attack the
cup, you may be surprised what this hillside monstrosity has
planned for it. The finishing hole at Greatwood is a lazy par
five punctuated with an island green. Show some respect to the
magnificent pecan shading the pin; it's over one hundred years
old.
Also present are all the amenities and extra touches that make playing there so nice. The carts are equipped with on-board computers that act as range finders, a GPS, offer up advice on each hole and keep score. They also come stocked with rain hoods for your clubs when the Texas weather does its little two-step. Everyone we met
from the starter to the course marshals to the head pro was
the very definition of courteously. They take the responsibility
of customer service quite seriously and execute it without
flaw. Speed of play is very much the primary rule of Greatwood. A round of golf is limited to four hours and twenty minutes maximum, and it is strictly enforced. If you have a busy afternoon planned and want to get in a quick eighteen in the morning, rest assured you will make it out in time. If, however you are just picking up the game and have a hard time finishing a par four in under fifteen minutes, you might want to wait a while before playing this course.
A round of golf at Greatwood will run you anywhere from $25 to $45 depending on the day of the week, time and season. They have numerous tournament and individual packages which will accommodate your every need. From the practice facility, wonderful golf course and a beautiful clubhouse, your tournament will be enjoyed by all of your participants from beginning to end. The Master Chef will prepare one of our four tournament buffets and customize it however you want. All
in all, if you are looking to test your game on an amazing
course, then Greatwood is definitely for you. For more info
or to reserve a tee time, call them at 1-888-343-4001 or go
to www.greatwoodgolf.com.
If you live in the Houston area, stop by 6767 Greatwood Pkwy
in Sugar Land (just off of highway 59 at the Grand Parkway,
Crabb River Road exit). Play it once and you won't wait long
to go back.
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