Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - No. 18
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Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - No. 18
The Golf Club of Houston's Tournament Course, home of the Shell Houston Open, has one of the toughest finishing holes in golf. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 3
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Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 3
The third hole on the Tournament Course at the Golf Club of Houston plays around a lake to a green that jets into the water. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 4
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Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 4
The first par 5 on the Tournament Course at the Golf Club of Houston is a good test with fairway bunkers and hazards down the left and right side all the way up the green. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 6
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Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 6
Water comes into play off the tee and on the approach on the par-4 sixth hole of the Tournament Course at the Golf Club of Houston. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 9
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Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 9
The par-3 ninth hole on the Tournament Course at the Golf Club of Houston can play 238 yards for the pros. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 11
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Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 11
The 11th hole on the Tournament Course at the Golf Club of Houston is a 440-yard par 4 with plenty of trouble. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 16
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Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 16
You don't want to miss right on the par-3 16th hole on the Tournament Course at the Golf Club of Houston in Humble, Texas. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 17
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Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 17
There's a drop-off on the left side of the green of the par-4 17th hole of the Tournament Course at the Golf Club of Houston in Humble, Texas. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 18
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Golf Club of Houston - Tournament Course - hole 18
The tee shot on the 484-yard, par-4 17th hole of the Tournament Course at the Golf Club of Houston is one of the most difficult in golf. Mike Bailey/GolfAdvisor
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The Golf Club of Houston's Tournament Course: Houston Open host is one of the best conditioned in the area

HUMBLE, Texas -- Home of the Houston Open, the Tournament Course at the Golf Club of Houston is one of the best conditioned courses in the Houston area.

Formerly known as Redstone Golf Club, the course is heavily overseeded in the winter to emulate agronomic conditions at Augusta National. For the most part, however, that's where the similarities end. The Golf Club of Houston has water on more than half the holes and is considerably flatter than Augusta.

Designed by Rees Jones, the course features many interesting holes, including the 18th, a 480-yard monster with water down the entire left side.

Mike Bailey is a former Golf Advisor senior staff writer based in Houston. Focusing primarily on golf in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America with an occasional trip to Europe and beyond, he contributes course reviews, travel stories and features as well as the occasional equipment review. An award-winning writer and past president of Texas Golf Writers Association, he has more than 25 years in the golf industry. He has also been on staff at PGA Magazine, The Golfweek Group and AvidGolfer Magazine. Follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeBaileyGA and Instagram at @MikeStefanBailey.
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The Golf Club of Houston's Tournament Course: Houston Open host is one of the best conditioned in the area