Texas Golf News

The Bandit - The Raccoon Nabs Strokes too

2009-07-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

Hill Country Golf - The Bandit - The Raccoon Nabs Strokes too

Luckily Keith Foster gave us four warm-up holes when he designed the Bandit golf course. The bad news is that the fifth hole is a brick wall you run in to. Appropriately named Courage Pass, #5 a demanding par-4 that is the first real challenge of the round. Summon up the courage on the tee-box and prior to your approach shot, you will need it to keep from walking away with a double bogie or worse. The fairway slopes very severely from right to left with the bottom of the slope being the creek. It is challenging to stay out of the creek and even if you manage that you may still be on the far left (low) side of the fairway, behind a tree. Aim farther right than your eye and brain tells you, and also fly the ball in the air as far as you can because contact with the ground and subsequent roll scoops your ball left. After you reach the green, remember that the strange gravity on Courage Pass still pulls all putts toward the creek -including those that "appear" to break away from the creek and especially those that look straight. Whatever you wind up shooting on Courage Pass, get over it and put it behind you as there is lots of golf left to play.

Holes 6, 7 and 8 were built with Foster looking over his shoulder and motioning to come-on, "Lets play some golf".

Number 9 "Pinnacle" is the next wake-up call, as this long par-4 (459 yards from the tips) is quite the challenge. There is beauty in the start to the hole as your tee-shot comes out of a chute of protection from the beautiful trees that line both sides of the tee area. The beast bares it's teeth when you prepare for your approach shot and realize that you are in an area that does not have a level lie anywhere around. Small mounds and swales undulate for the last 200 yards in front of the green. Challenging to say the least after slugging your ball down the fairway but still being a considerable distance from the green. Difficult green here too, but more about the greens later.

Bring your A game for holes 13 and 14.

The normally sedate par-3s come roaring to life on "Lake Breeze". A skinny green that runs perpendicular to the tee boxes gets extra small when you see the rocks and watery drink that fronts the green. There are two bunkers at the back of the green that are indeed good targets to shoot for as short shots are painfully lost and there is no apparent drop area, so reload and play better on the next tee swing.

The cussing is almost over, but you still have to sneak past the hole named "The Bandit" (14). This severe dog-leg right hole looks short on the score card, but tell me what you think when you write down the score. There is absolutely no bail-out to the right unless you bomb it 220+ and even then the prevailing wind wants to put your ball in the bunker just short of the green. The smart play is hitting a draw off of the tee-box and aiming for the 150 yard pole. Hit anything that you can draw, but know you need to get it out about 190 yards or more, otherwise your view is obscured for the approach shot.

Tomorrow I describe the greens, and there challenges. That discussion will start at #14 for reasons that will be obvious.

Hill Country Golf - The Bandit - The Raccoon Rewards

2009-06-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

The Bandit: Keith Foster designed a beauty of a golf course a few years ago. This award winning loop has matured well and provides golfers with a fun and challenging course. I used every club in my bag, and came away smiling.

The current dry conditions made the course play much differently than previous experiences at the Bandit. Hard and fast would be a sedate description of the golf course right now. While the course is in good shape, conditions give lots of run down the fairways. Well struck shots behave as you would expect with the exception of the runners that go the extra mile thru the turn or down into a crossing creek. To compensate for the hard and fast runners the greens were in extremely good shape considering the drought, very receptive while putting fast and true.

The Rewards

Keith Foster designs great golf courses. With other Texas winners like Texas Star and The Quarry in his portfolio, Foster knows how to provide Texan Golfers with what they want. Namely challenge, followed by rewards when conquering the challenges of the course. The Bandit is a great example of the challenge and reward scenario in the Hill Country of Texas. Each hole has an appropriate name to describe it, so I will use the hole names here to help paint a picture of the challenge and opportunity offered.

Lets talk about what the Raccoon (the official logo for The Bandit is a Raccoon) gives as rewards. Tomorrow we will talk about what the Raccoon steals away.

The first two holes offer fair warm-up par-4 and par-3 holes, allowing you to get the lay of the land (moderate elevation changes while hinting that more elevation changes will be coming). Then #3, "Make Hay" is a par-5 giving you an opportunity to score early. A very forgiving fairway off of the tee box, and then a down-hill funneling fairway to the green gives you a great environment for getting home in two. Just don't miss left with your approach shot as the oysters in the little pond short and left of the green wouls love to "kiss" your wet ball. The green actually tilts from back to front in order to help you get the ball stopped on the green.

Strike while you are hot, by scoring well on #4 "Spanish Dagger". Every step of the way is downhill on this narrow par-4 hole. Use the steel electrical tower slightly right of the mid-point of the fairway as a target because even a little left is a quick step into jail. The elevation probably drops 100 feet (ever so gradually) from tee to green so long hitters can easily hit a hybrid or 3-wood off of the tee-box. I smacked a driver (I am not long) and still wound up with 80 yards to the hole. The green slopes hard left to right, and being below the hole here definitely has its advantages. I walked off with a birdie after making a smoking 25 foot putt (uphill - I told you !).

#8 "Sunset" is the first of two holes where you launch your tee shot from a high and scenic elevation. The mound where the tee boxes are located is the highest point on the golf course and the highest point in the area, offering a great view of the rolling hills and treacherous path that Long Creek makes as it negotiates though the course. Hit a slight draw down the right side of the fairway to get to the promised land, as hazardous sand traps are more numerous on the left side than the single trap you need to clear down the right side. Hitting your second shot from the right side also makes it easier to clear the creek in front of the green and settle safely on the green that is running long-wise to your right side location. A pretty easy par of a very scenic hole.

#11 "Pecan Pie" is the first really loveable Par-3 you will encounter. Usually the wind is helping slightly, and short is more fatal than long on the 163 yard hole.

Loved it, and the beverage cart girl was there to offer some Ice Cream on the Pecan Pie - but in reality she needed to sell us Gatorade Ade or water to prep us for the upcoming rewards.

#15 "Blame Lu" is a par 5 for loving, not hating. Blister your drive down the pipe, 320 yards will still leave you a hair short of Long Creek, but left with choices in getting to the green. Most of us will want to hit a 6 iron then a 9 iron to be in the middle of the green. The bombers have options. This hole has been updated from it's original design, which was prone to washing away right in front of the green during those fall floods that appear on a 5 year cycle. Instead of a creek meandering in front of the green, there is now just a low place that is rarely holding water; giving the bombers a safe landing spot for second shots that don't make it to the green. There are a couple of ways to come away with a birdie here.

Finishing up with 17 and 18 gives everyone an opportunity to walk away as a real golfer.

"Stonewall" is a 148 yard par-3 with a 50 food elevation change from the tee-box to the green. Long Creek runs deep and wide in front of the green, so short is very painful and long is a lot more palatable as two traps can catch any shots where you didn't account for the elevation drop. Make birdie here and keep your noggin in gear for decision making that is needed on #18.

"Long Creek" is the finishing challenge. The creek actually runs down most of the right side of the fairway. This par 5 gives you multiple different ways to play it, but the choices start out with the same winning move - a straight tee shot that either draws slightly or is straight. Hitting a fade off the tee-box is the kiss of death as the fairway runs downhill from left to right and forces fades to disappear into the "heather" and the creek.

This long par 5 offers it all. From the mid-point of the hole, you are going to have to cross over Long Creek, and the scenario described reverses itself - everything on the approach and near the green leans to the left, fairly hard, into Long Creek. The locals always play more club than the yardage calls for because the approach shot is uphill and they know (local knowledge) that the side of a hill on the backside of the green acts like a backstop to keep your ball in play and thus closer to the hole than misses that are short or far left. Slightly long is your friend as you come onto the green.

Tomorrow - The Bandit - What the Raccoon "steals" away.

Content is King - Blog Update

2009-05-25T07:46:00.001-07:00

Freshening up the Texas Golf News Blog.

Actually consolidating the recent content.

http://twitter.com/nativetexancb/

Oh, I had a hole-in-one about a month ago. Make comments or email me if you are interested in the details.

Dang: Headline reads 'Shrinkage in Jersey Village'

2008-03-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

Actually it is a sub-heading in the Houston Chronicle Golf section:

Northwest-area golfer has to be ready to travel

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/glf/5611726.html

Well for sure you will want to travel and get out of the local neighborhood if you are affected by shrinkage.

Chron always picking on the golfer.

C

January's Best Greens ?

2008-01-16T16:38:00.000-08:00

Anybody should be able to grow great grass in the moderate January weather we are having.

Where are the best greens in the Houston Area ?

Anybody been to River Ridge lately? Would like a report.

How about Meadowbrook Farms ?

Some golf course is going to win the coveted Best Greens in Houston award for January ! Help me find the best greens,.

- C B

Photos of the 2006 Nevada Golf Trip

2006-11-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

Big Sky Tournament 2006

2006 Big Sky Golf Tournament

Back from Nevada

2006-11-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

The golf in Mesquite NV was fabulous !

The golf outting to St George Utah was even better.

Go practice putting on your kitchen floor as a warm-up for the speed of the greens. The Ledges Golf Course - It is beautiful.

Off to Nevada for Golf

2006-10-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

There are some great golf courses in Texas.

There are many beautiful ones in Nevada and Utah.

So I am off to experience some beautiful ones.

Hello Mesquite Nevada.

Golf at

Palmer Course at the Oasis Golf

Canyons Course at the Oasis Golf

The Ledges Golf Course in St George UT

..... and then the big finish ....

Wolf Creek - Nevada's Ultimate Golf Experience

AMEN !

Wish me Luck, and yes I will be reporting on the greens and conditions at the courses !

The Big Sky Tournament 2006 is on !

Connie

I would like your input: Best Putting Greens in Houston

2006-08-31T19:08:00.000-07:00

From now until the end of the Labor Day weekend, nominate the golf course of your choice for the best greens in the greater Houston Texas Area. Add a comment below and tell me where the bet greens are.
-Connie

July 2006 - Best Greens in Houston Award

2006-08-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

Great timing paid off for the groundskeeper at MeadowBrook Farms last month.

The greens at Meadowbrook Farms (Katy Texas) are fabulous.

Early in the month they punched and sanded the putting greens. They were barely complete with the verti-cutting when the rain rolled in. And rain it did.

The wet weather for the next three weeks combined with Houston's hot weather made for excellent grass groing conditions.

That made for excellent putting greens; the best putting greens in Houston in July.

9 stars for being receptive
10 stars for speed (fast) and rolling true.

Keep up the good work, we all benefit from great greens!

If you know of some really good greens in Texas this summer, please leave a comment !

Best Greens in Houston: Award Winner for June

2006-07-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

They do a lot of the right things at River Ridge golf club (Sealy)

And the greens are a the top of the list for a golf course done right. The greens in June were receptive and rolling fast.

The River Ridge greens are like a comfortable glove.... they just seem right and compliment the golf experience instead of being a golfing hurdle.

June's Best Greens in Houston award go to Sealy's River Ridge Golf Club, on the banks of teh Brazos River.

Keep up the good work.

May's Award - Best Greens in Houston

2006-06-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

May 2006: Best Golf Greens in Houston

Pretty easy pickins this month.

The greens at Cypress Lakes are head and shoulders above the rest I have played in May.

Smooth and fast. Rolling true.

You need to be below the hole to make a putt of any length.

I flashed back to the greens at Rio Secco (Las Vegas) for a moment..... they were that fast, almost.

Congratulations to the superintendent and grounds crew at Cypress Lakes golf course. Please keep up the good work.

Best Golf Greens in Houston - April's Best Greens

2006-05-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

What a competitive area in April, there are lots of good putting greens in Houston right now.

With all of the golf I played in April I did not encounter any poor greens...

Some are better than others, but no bad greens this year. No fungus, no crud, no recovery from punching and sanding.

The award of best putting greens in Houston for April goes to

BLACKHORSE Golf, near Cypress Texas.

Fast and not furious is the best way to describe them. Very receptive to approach shots,

but rolling fast and true. So fast that a blown putt usually rolled 4 feet past the hole.

Get out and enjoy the great greens before the heat rears its ugly head.

Just a side note: I find Russel Roten and his staff at Blackhorse to be some of the most professional and well prepared in the whole state. Golfing there is always a pleasure. They are very good at expecting the unexpected, handling large groups well, and making tournaments there special and memorable.

- Connie Black

Best Greens in Houston : March 2006

2006-03-31T17:27:00.000-08:00

You are going to laugh if you haven't played there lately.

March's award for Best Greens in Houston goes to Wildcat golf course.

I found the Highland's course green sto be fast as owl STUFF and tremendously fun to putt.

They have already top dressed them (a benefit from no winter, and no trees) and the greens have recovered from the attention.

Approach shots stick and putts are challenging but true.

Wildcat - You win it !

Dallas Morning News Golf Special Section

2006-03-12T11:02:00.000-08:00

I love these guys. They ask some solid and some off-the-wall questions and then summarize and make a special section. Truly a north Texas bias to the column on the best golf course in Texas. No 1 Course in Texas

2006 Dallas Golf Section

Overall a good read,
Connie B

Best Greens in Houston for February

2006-03-12T10:57:00.000-08:00

WHO HAS THE BEST GREENS IN TOWN?
Trying times for grounds keepers in Houston so far this year. The winter grass is not doing very well, it is spring-like already. Temperatures are high but rainfall is invisible.

The February award for best greens goes to Black Horse golf club near Cypress Texas. Both the north course and south course have really fast greens that are in great shape. Seems like the north course greens were a little faster, but both putted true and looked better than averaged for this time of year.

Month of shame: What happened Cypress Lakes? Crusty and baked the day I played. So hard that nothing was staying on the green from approach shots. Looked like they were a day or two away from being dead.

Best Golf greens in Houston - January 2006

2006-03-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

A good, hard battle this month.

River Ridge golf course has the best greens in the Houston area for the month of January.

Pretty challenging month for all greens keepers, no winter weather and no rain.

It probably didn't help that the wind blew all month (at least the weekends).

Congratulations to the grounds keeper and staff at River Ridge, keep up the good work.

River Ridge has 27 holes on the banks of the Brazos River near Sealy Texas.

Best Greens in Houston 2005

2006-03-12T10:51:00.000-08:00

2005

Annual Award for the best greens in Houston:

This was an easy one - Cypress Lakes Golf Course.

Congratulations to Willie Plowman on his hard work.
He has the right attitude,

“When I ride my course in the morning,” Plowman said, “I look at it like I’ve
just paid $59, and my demands are a lot greater than the average player’s.”

Champions Bermuda greens

Cypress Lakes is adjacent to Hwy 290 in far Northwest Houston.

Best Greens in Houston - November Green Competition

2005-12-28T20:07:00.000-08:00

Pretty Easy to pick the superior putting surfaces for Houston, in November.

Awesome greens at River Ridge golf course.

They went through overseeding quickly and without incident,

transitioning to fast true rolling greens in record time.

My recent golfing partners described them as slick and quick.

I summarize the River Ridge greens as being sweet !

River Ridge is a few minutes west of Houston, on the Brazos River near Sealy Texas.

Memorable finish at Wolf Creek Golf Course.

2005-10-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

You need two good swings to make birdie on 18. I know, it was my only birdie of the day. SWEET !

Wolf Creek #14 - My favorite golf hole

2005-10-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

I love this golf hole. Beautiful and all of the trouble is right out in front of you - for you to avoid and bask in the success.

Concentrate on the beauty, not the hazards.

2005-10-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

Look out into the green stuff and give it a rip. What water ?

More hazards to navigate.

2005-10-29T15:37:00.000-07:00

When the traps, rough and water are easy to navigate they rocks and boulders into the mix to avoid.

Al leads us off the tee box

2005-10-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

Challenging par 3.

2005-10-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

OK, doesn' everyone have a go-to shot from 209 and there is water on 3 1/2 sides of the hole. The bail-out area is the cart path for those weak in the knees on the tee box.