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Gotta love the complimentary Community Coffee in the clubhouse while waiting out the rain. Thankfully a variety of tee boxes to move up to. The greens dry fast. Good deals for Texas golfers.

The water was still and clear. Kathy my partner of the day had her ball retriever and put it to good use. Greens are slowly coming back from the arctic blast in February. Fairways have been tyned. Play was wide open on a Monday, we finished in three hours.

First few holes were a challenge putting my tee shot in the water on #3 where the pin on the par 3 was way over next to the water on the right. Four found the trap. On five my game clicked in, sank a 15 footer for par, Stayed left and hit two good drives on the par 5 6th a chip and a putt for another par. On 7 hit a good drive too far to the left and my hooded 4 metal caught branches. My. Approach on the par 4 was GPS accurate. Brian, one of the guys near the green told me to leave the putter in the bag.. I fixed the ball Mark a foot in front and picked up my ball a foot behind the hole for a par. On nine I yanked my tee shot left and skulled my approach right of the water. Another GPS eight iron to four feet...another scrambling par. Water grabbed my approach on 11 while a tell tale loud splash while putting meant a Wild Kingdom moment of gator vs herring. By twelve I was feeling the 90 degree heat and duck hooked off the tee. On 13, I chilly dipped a pitch, a sure sign that my game was spent. Moved up on 14 thru 18 and had enough for a couple of pars then bogeys. When it gets hot...hydrate. I should have consumed twice as much water as I took with me. That’s golf at 70.

I was joined by Ben, recently moved to Katy from Wisconsin. I was playing solo at my usual brisk pace of ready golf when Ben came roaring up behind me, hitting humongous shots on #2, catching up on 3. I went to wave him thru not wanting to slow him down when Ben mentioned this was his first time at Houston National. This course can have some surprises so I was only to happy to guide him., Ben hits from the tips, played in college so I was glad to join up.,The greens are much improved after the deep freeze last month.! We both liked the value, $35! Hot Deal in Golf Now.. the plumbing was fixed in the grill. Beverage cart was well stocked and helpful. I bragged on the upcoming two finishing holes and they didn’t disappoint. As a weatherman, couldn’t ask for a nicer day. We finished in just over an hour. My favorite course.

The severe cold last month must’ve set the greens back quite a bit. They were bumpy and slow with balls rolling unpredictably.

This course still shows signs of having to recover from the two hurricanes. Most traps are still with a clay base after having the wind scour all the sand. A few have had the sand replaced with high quality soft sand. Wind was howling at over 20 mph. First few holes are into the prevailing southeast wind. Being a senior, I found I had to move up to silver after three holes. The fairways are nice. The greens a bit unpredictable due to new grass coming in after the freezes. Rest rooms on the course were locked. No snack bar. No crackers although the cart ladies were frequently coming around. Golf carts have the GPS.

You can’t beat this course for best value on a Friday. Greens are small and require precision on approach shots. Layout is as a links course devoid of trees and open to wind with firm fairways. Traps have been sodded over. Greens were bumpy with transitioning warm season grass. Staff is very friendly and welcoming including the beverage cart young ladies. I had fun playing with two fellow seniors who brought out my best. It’s a 45 minute drive for me and we’ll worth the trip.

This course is a treat for me, worth the hour drive from Katy. There are only three tees to choose from. I chose the blue since it is just above 6000 yards. Since there was quite a bit of wind, I was grateful that the groundskeeper had the tees moved up from card yardage. That said, the last hole with wind from the left off water (Blue Monster Doral) was diabolical. Don’t be right of the green...that pitch is painful with a drop off to water. The Mickey Mouse long par three was too far...I should have moved up to white...water carry (Disney) Still difficult from the drop zone.. Also that Merrion hole on the back nine...very penal. All in all a great test of your golf game.

Pipes were yet to be repaired after the bad freeze so no grill or rest rooms at the Houston National pavilion. Fortunately next door the Sterling Golf club’s facility was unaffected. I did miss an uphill 20 footer for a par on 18! which would’ve broken a 90 for me but no complaints on the greens which rolled true. The last couple of holes crisscross a creek and they are my favorite holes.

The ravine begins 100 yards out from the green. If your tee shot does not clear the fairway traps, one should lay up and play it as a par 5. Cinco Ranch has the best Narshall. He will match you up into a fun group of similar golfers. Pace of play can be an issue. Allow for 4.5 hours on planning a round.

Lightning fast greens. Always appreciative of the senior rate offered on 1250 pm tee times. My only slight complaint was that the 18th white tee was pushed back as far as possible. Totally understand as the wind had veered to the southeast a head wind. I’m sure when they set up early in the morning, the northeast wind was blowing. Still my favorite course.

Played my round in just over three and a half hours in a twosome with twosomes ahead and behind. Never had to wait more than a couple of minutes between shots. Greens were lightning fast. This is a tough course from the 6500 yd white tees in a moderate wind. Being a senior I find #15 most challenging at 433 yards a par 4 with a trap guarding the left front of the green.

I’m 70 and thought I could play the white tees on a day so gusty I had to put my floppy hat in my bag. The silver tees ended up a better choice after seven holes. The greens are well kept and the fringes are shaved with slopes resembling a U.S Open course. If you don’t pitch a ball on to the green, you risk your ball rolling back to your feet. You also risk putting beyond the hole and down off the green. This course is in the process of a makeover as far as clubhouse facilities. The marshalls are great.

Marshall was on top of his job,, reorganizing groups on the fly to get groups off. He also broke up a sevensome that was slowing our play down. Nice clubhouse facility. I’ll be back.

One of my playing partners put his tee shot into a fairway bunker on number 4. This trap is close to the center line of the fairway, not so rewarding of a good shot. That said, I felt good about making a sand save out of a green side bunker on the same hole. A Marshall might have been helpful on the back nine to speed up slow play over the last four holes. I did like the clock reminders for pacing. Round took us four hours and forty minutes. Last hole was played in the dark.

The two singles I eventually joined up with were fun golf companions. One was in his late 70s, the other in his mid 20s. The new green on the back nine (Grove) was great. The grass in front was like moderate rough and stopped my iron shot so short I had to wedge to get to the green which was large and rolled true. That said, my only three putt led to my only double bogey ( just missed my four footer bogey putt). That said, I had my best round in a month, shot 84.

The Marshall quickly put together our foursome of strangers for a harmonious and fun outing. Greens were in great shape. The layout is harsh on a couple of holes...a sharp dogleg left with a blocking tree on the left and a huge water carry. The 18th has trees on the right that put you in jail going for the green. Trying to safely go left on approach 50 yards from the hole leaves you with an overhanging tree canopy and a trap to get over. This hole is not fun.

Skipping over the sometimes fairway pond on number 12, this course has the best drainage of all the courses I play around Houston. The course was soft as you would expect, but the greens were smooth and fairways and rough had been cut. The second, ninth, 12,, 17 and 18 are all favorites of mine. The 13th green is large, multi tiered, and undulating...a true challenge.. The grill is a great place to hang out with friends or to wait out a rain delay...with a nice open porch. This is my favorite golf course.

Cutting dogleg corners will bite you. They let the fescue and the rough grow, if you find your ball it will be held up. This place is like playing a British Open links course. The greens are improving. The traps are being sodded over. Tough par three holes. Good value.

I was pleasantly surprised that golf now had a convenient tee time with an option for seniors. Greens were excellent fairways were superb, this is currently my favorite course but it might not be for everyone since it is a links course where the wind must be played well. Clubhouse is well stocked, the grill pavilion has a no ce covered porch. This time of year the weather can often give you a chamber of commerce day like today...clear skies light winds, 81 degrees with humidity down around 40 percent. If you choose to play on a Friday, better allow four and a half hours of daylight. A threesome waived me through so my round took less than three and a half hours.