List of Valley Golf Courses

Weather-wise, the Valley is truly a golfer’s paradise, one of very few places in the country where the game can be played year ’round. Situated along the same latitude as the Florida Keys, the area really has only two seasons, summer and “Maybe I’ll bring a jacket,” so golfers can look forward to 12 months of tee times. In fact, as far as the weather goes, there are probably more golfing days per year in the Rio Grande Valley than just about any place else in the nation. Even during the warmer days of summer, golfers can count on a cooling Gulf breeze to take the edge off the heat.

Those gentle and not-so-gentle breezes do more than provide relief from the heat. Valley golfers hone their skills playing against the winds from the Gulf of Mexico.

Golf in the Valley isn’t just about the weather. Golf courses designed by some of the top course architects in the country exhibit a wide variety of styles, themes and levels of difficulty. Palm and mesquite tree-lined fairways guarded by lakes, sand traps and creeks—all encircled by the rich natural vegetation—stand ready to challenge golfers at any level of expertise.

The weather also provides another advantage for Valley golfers. Our long, sunny days and warm temperatures are just about perfect for growing Bermuda grasses. Hybrid Bermuda grasses such as Tilway 419, apparently no longer reserved exclusively for private clubs, have found their way onto some of the public courses. Forming dense turf with medium-fine texture, this grass holds up well in high traffic areas and is probably the most rugged and wear tolerant of all the Bermudas.

Other types of thinner textured Bermudas such as Tildwarf, Tileagle and Champion, which form even denser turf, are perfect for putting surfaces. These hybrids permit a much more enjoyable golf experience, but they also tend to require a higher level of maintenance. Just as savvy consumers keep retailers on their toes, knowledgeable golfers are ensuring that Valley golf courses continue to push forward with diligent grass keeping and highly qualified superintendents.

The Rio Grande Valley stands ready to go toe to toe (or tee to tee) with any first-rate golf region in the United States, and at a much better price. Many of our golf courses and country clubs are either in the process of or have recently completed major facelifts as they compete for greens fees and membership dues dollars. With the explosive growth of the Rio Grande Valley, some of our private clubs, as well as our city golf courses, have spent large sums to bring area golf courses up to the standards of courses in San Antonio, Austin and Houston.

Landmark Development is owner and manager of the South Padre Island Golf Club, a new 18–hole resort facility that plays host to two major area championships, the S.T.P.G.A. Southern Championship and the Texas Senior Open. With several of the holes bordering the Laguna Madre, South Padre Island Golf Club has become one of the best facilities in the Rio Grande Valley.

McAllen Country Club recently completed a $900,000 state-of-the-art irrigation project, including the installation of new lines, a new pump station and a weather system that monitors temperature, soil moisture, humidity and other climate situations that affect plant growth. This has allowed the golf course superintendent to more effectively distribute water and greatly improve the condition of the course.

The Club at Cimarron recently began a successful membership program, allowing the members to spend $1 million over the next five years. The Club resurfaced all of the greens in the spring of 1999, replaced all bridges on the golf course and built a new pump station to allow a million gallons of reclaimed water from the City of Mission to be used for irrigation.

McAllen has spent more than $4 million completely redesigning the Palm View Golf Course. The existing land was entirely re-landscaped, and many mounds, lakes and greens have been constructed. A state-of-the-art practice center was installed, and many new trees were planted. The irrigation system is similar to the one installed at McAllen Country Club.

The City of Edinburg’s $6.2 million facility, Los Lagos Golf Course, was designed and constructed by world-renowned golf course architect Robert Von Hagge. It is being touted as the best golf course in the Rio Grande Valley.

The City of Pharr has also upgraded its golf facility. Tierra Del Sol’s irrigation system has been upgraded and expanded, the grasses on both the greens and the fairways changed and 25 new bunkers installed on the golf course. Click here for an alphabetical list of all Valley courses with full descriptions of their facilities.