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Played Heron Lakes two weekends as part of a group of 3. Both games were very enjoyable and pace of play excellent with little pressure from other golfers. Course staff are very friendly and courteous, pro shop is well stocked and bathrooms are CLEAN!! Golf carts were in good shape. There is no driving range but they do have a chipping/putting green.

The course is all par 3 and 4 holes with no sand bunkers. There are some long holes in this layout and most holes have a ditch or water to play a hazard and keep it challenging. The tee boxes are in excellent shape and the greens very well maintained. The fairways are pretty narrow in several spots and if you hook or slice much, you will need to work your game to keep in the open. Both games we played, we found more balls than we lost.

The owners renovated the course this past winter and did a very nice job. There are enough woods and angles to the play that it challenged an experienced golfer in our group. He was very pleased with the course too.

Overall, enjoyed playing here very much the past two weekends and will play again soon. My only regret is if they keep getting good reviews like this they will get very busy. ;)

Played this course on a very busy day but play moved along ok. Course is a full 18 hole course with narrow fairways and several water hazards. Two separate friends recommended playing here as a way to warm up for the season. Our mostly novice foursome had difficulty with many of the holes and lost balls in the wooded areas and water hazards, so got a bit more than we bargained for.

The tee boxes needed weeding but the greens were in fairly decent shape. There was little sand in the bunkers and the course had some soggy spots, but was much better than I expected for all the recent rain in the area.

There is a range that was mostly dirt on the tee off area and a practice putting green that was well maintained. The club house and pro shop were clean and there was a full snack bar/grill (did not try that). The course is a compact design such that many holes end very close to where the tee box begins for the next hole. The fairways are often directly adjacent to each other so we frequently had to wait for another golfer from another hole to retrieve their ball off our fairway before our play could proceed.

One good thing going for it though is there are NO houses on this course for the beginner golfer to hit.

Overall a decent challenging course (especially for novice golfer) and the the GolfNow price was right. We'll play this course again.

Reviewer disclaimer: we are fairly novice golfers with 1 year of lessons and play experience but have played from PGA to neighborhood/municipal level of greens.

Alvin course is located in a rural country area with quiet atmosphere relaxed setting. The layout is a 9 hole course you could play once and repeat for a full 18. Golf shop attendant was friendly and shop appeared well stocked. Bathrooms were clean and a snack bar is on site (did not go in though). There is NO practice range. We played 3 days after heavy rain in the area. Some parts of the course were sloshy but overall play condition was good (carts were path only but you could do 90 degree). Course layout is a back and fourth style with one fairway neighboring another. There are several water hazards and we lost a few balls having to hit over them at challenging angle (#8). Greens and tee boxes are bit bumpy; fairways had weedy areas but were wide with no houses or other major hazards to make for less stressful play (especially for a newbie golfer!). Trees dot the course with shady areas and drinking water available on many of the holes. There was little sand in the packed bunkers. Golf carts were in good condition; pathways were level and easy to drive. No course Marshall was seen in the time of our play. We had to wait for other golfers in front of us, and most parties were 3 to 4 people, so not much room to combine.

Overall we felt we got our money's worth (Golf Now regular price reservation) for 18 holes. Would recommend this course as an inexpensive course to play when you want a pick up game, a relaxed location to "get back" into golf after being out of the game for a bit. to keep in playing shape if close by, or to work out problem swings. It would not a place to work on your putting with the bumpy greens.

Disclaimer: Novice golfers with 1 year lessons/play experience but have played all levels of course (PGA to municipal level).

Columbia Lakes course is an 18 hole course that offers very interesting layout, some good challenging holes, but is saddled with lower end maintenance and is affected by wet conditions. The course winds through a housing community with large lots. Some holes were much wider fairways than others. There is a mexican restaurant located in the club house that appeared very popular with the local residents. Pro shop attendant was friendly and shop appeared well stocked. We played after the area received some very heavy rains and the course was very soggy in parts. Since we used the GolfNow Hot deal rate, we felt it was worth the long drive and could tolerate the conditions. Cart path only for the carts but could do 90 degree for most holes. Our cart had a brake issues and needed some work. There was little to no sand in the bunkers, greens were terribly bumpy and tee boxes could use a good weeding. Drinking water was available on the course in several spots. BUGS were very bad in the area probably due to rain or proximity to the Brazos river; don't forget the bug spray. We didn't have anyone on the course behind us or in front of us. A friend who has played here several times told us this was his experience most of the time and he liked it for the relaxed pace.

As the course has hosted some big tournaments in the past, you can see the real potential in it with some fun, challenging holes. I'd like to play again after less rain in the area to see if green maintenance would be better. I'd recommend this course for locals or those that want a course with relaxed play speed to work on their game.