Houston National Golf Club Review

March 21, 2022

Kathy and I were able to get in a second round of golf while we were in Houston. As we were looking to book a course we thought we were making tee times for Sterling Country Club, but ended up booking Houston National Golf Club by mistake. Both courses share the same clubhouse, and practice areas, but Sterling Country Club is a private course and Houston National Golf Club is public.

Before I talk about Houston National Golf Club, I have to mention that both Kathy and I played a great round of golf.

Kathy played her best round ever, breaking 90 with an 87!

I also played one of my best rounds of golf – shooting a 77!

Isn’t it funny, when you play well it seems to mitigate any misgivings the course may offer?

So……rating this course is a little harder than previous ratings for me – but I promise I will do my best to give a fair and honest review! Houston National Golf Club has everything you need to play a round of golf. The clubhouse has equipment and collectables that get you on the course and have a memory of being there. The staff was friendly and wanted to get you on the course. However, the other regular things that you might expect ended there.

Once we arrived at the first tee, we realized there was no starter – so there was no course briefing and no one responsible for the timely movement of starts. Nor anyone controlling the number of players in each group to make the rounds flow a little better. This impacted us throughout our round due to there being a group of four, and a group of two in front of us. Although the round was a normal 4.5 hours, at times it moved very slow and we found ourselves waiting for our next shot quite often. And the closer we got to the end the slower it got.

I even hit into the group ahead of us twice.

I wasn’t trying to push them – It was just a good shot.

The course needs some TLC everywhere. Some of the tee boxes were in good shape and some were pitted with divots. I believe just shifting the tee off position would have fixed that problem easily.

The “Needing Some TLC” theme repeated itself all over the course. Some of the fairways were nice and some had large bare spots.

The same on the greens. They had bare spots and small weeds mixed in the mowed grass. Unfortunately the only thing that was consistent on the course was the bunkers – they were shallow, hard and not raked.

With all of that being said, Houston National Golf Club has the potential of being a great course. The layout is nice, with open fairways inviting you to easily land them for a good approach shot, leaving you a good shot to the green.

The greens are where the skill comes in. They are all elevated and guarded by hills that will roll your ball right into a tough position. If you land the green or at least inside the hills posing as keepers of the gate, you will score well.

The bright spot of the course was Katie, the Beverage Cart Attendant! She showed up a few times during our round….making sure not to be in the way of play when she drove by. She arrived with a big smile and a cart that was full of the usual snacks and beverages. Her prices were reasonable and she wanted to make sure you got what you needed.

It was a fun day with low scores!

Kathy and I were glad we got to play Houston National Golf Club. We both enjoyed the course, but often found ourselves distracted seeing the work that is needed to make Houston National Golf Club as good as it could be. Even though we both played great rounds of golf, I don’t think we will be back. There are other courses in the area that we want to play the next time we are here. Knowing there are better courses for the same price range, pushes me towards choosing somewhere else.

This was a hard rating for me.

I have to give it a bogie.

I often think that it is a bit harsh to do – after all – we are amateur golfers, who are not being paid to play this game we love…. but it is what it is. There just seems to be a lot that has to be improved through out this course before I could give it a par score. Fortunately all of it is obtainable. I did ask some regulars if the course was always like this and they said it is getting better. It is nice to know they seem to be moving in the right direction.

Fairways and Greens – We are 18 Holes and Counting.

Written by Marc Festa

COURSE REVIEW SCORE CARD

Course: Houston National Golf Club

Type: Public Course

Date Played: 10 March 2022


HOLE	PAR	SCORE	COMMENTS
1 – Tee Time Availability	4	3	We called the day we wanted to play and received the time we requested.
2 – Cost of Green Fees	4	4	Green fees are the same as the other courses in the area. We did receive a 50% Veteran’s discount.
3 – Condition of Tee Boxes	4	5	The tee boxes were hit or miss. Some were pitted and divot laden.
4 – Condition of Fairways	5	6	The fairways had large bare spots and needed lots of attention.
5 – Condition of Greens	4	5	The greens were mowed well, but had bare spots and other grass and weeds growing in the mix.
6 – Length of Course	5	5	The course design was good. There is a lot of potential here.
7 – Hazards	4	5	The bunkers needed sand and grooming.
8 – Starter/Marshal	3	4	There was no starter or marshal on the course.
9 – High Handicap Friendly	3	3	The course design puts higher handicap players in good tee positions without insulting their ability to play.
OUT	36	40
10 – Practice Area	5	5	There is ample practice area. Driving range, chipping area, and putting greens are all in good shape. There is plenty of good area for instruction.
11 – Locker Rooms	3	3	Locker rooms, bathrooms, and changing areas were clean.
12 – Pro Shop	4	3	Pro Shop had everything you need for golf.
13 – Location	4	4	Houston National was easy to get to and didn’t feel like you were in the city.
14 – Rental Equipment	4	4	They have clubs, bags, carts and buggies.
15 – Restaurant/Food Cart	4	3	There was a restaurant. The real gift on the course was the beverage cart. Katie was efficient, polite and had a great smile with great service.
16 – Club House	4	4	Nothing special here. Clean and open area.
17 – Parking	3	3	Plenty of parking and easy to get in and out.
18 – Customer Service	5	4	Great customer service. Friendly staff willing to help get you out on the course.
IN	36	34
TOTAL	72	74	PLAYER: Marc F. ATTESTED BY: Kathy F.