For my public guide to golf in Houston, I am listing my top 15 public courses in the area. I checked the scene and this is easily the most comprehensive and honest assessment of public golf in the Houston area. We are keeping it simple and straight forward and I am listing the top 15. I have personally played every golf course on this list and I found each course compelling in some way. Like many other areas, the top courses in the area are gonna cost you a little more but there are also some values to be found. Almost all of these courses are within a short 30 minuted drive around the city. I threw in several courses outside of the city for those those with an adventurous spirit.
Please enjoy my favorite public golf courses in the Houston area.
#15 - Links at West Fork - Conroe, TX
Our list begins with one of Houston’s lesser known spots. Located about 40 miles north of downtown, The Links at West Fork requires a bit of a drive. Fortunately, you will find a green fee that puts this course on the edge of being considered a hidden gem. Most of the holes wind through the trees with several ponds that keep things interesting.
#14 - High Meadow Ranch - Magnolia, TX
My favorite thing about High Meadow Ranch is that the golf course is configured as 3, 6 hole loops. This feature allows for a quick round of golf for those that don’t have the time for 9 holes. The “Forest Loop” plays through the trees and the “Pine Barrens Loop” brings in some waste areas that make it feel like you might be in North Carolina. The “Signature Loop” makes an ode to Oakmont’s church pew bunkers before finishing with a tough par 4 featuring a green built on top of a brick wall.
#13 - Hermann Park Golf Course - Houston, TX
Located right next to the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, there will be no shortage of ambulance sirens during your round of golf at Hermann. The pros will learn to drown out the noise and play it cool. There are an abundance of trees lining just about every hole at Hermann Park and the firm fairways make it difficult to keep your ball in the fairway. The wise golfer will play the straightest club in their bag in order to provide plenty of opportunities to putt for birdie. I ended up punching out sideways for the 1st 12 holes, before I learned my lesson.
#12- Oakhurst Golf Course - Porter, TX
A rare King Fisher sighting might have bumped this one up the rankings, but you won’t be able to argue with the fact that Oakhurst delivers a pretty solid value. The conditions are decent, the golf is solid and if the lighting shows up just right, the photographs are also glorious. Oakhurst is about a 30 minute drive north of downtown and should be on the radar for value seekers.
#11 - Wildcat Golf Club - Houston, TX
Most Houstonians will recognize Wildcat as one of the most obvious and convenient places to play golf in Houston. Located just 10 minutes from downtown, there are 36 holes to enjoy at Wildcat. The Highlands course and The Lakes course offer different experiences. The Highlands course is built on top of an old landfill site and presents a links style experience with views of the city. The Lakes course offers more… lakes.
#10 - Tour 18 Golf Club - Humble, TX
Tour 18 takes some of the most difficult holes “on tour” and replicates them. You have the island green at Sawgrass and even a complete recreation of Amen Corner at Augusta National. I was fortunate enough to have played every original design replicated (except Augusta) at Tour 18. As expected, I found every replica to be inferior to the original, with the exception of the Bay Hill hole.
Gimmicky as it is, these are still great golf holes and it was a lot of fun to play them. Even if they aren’t as great as the OG’s, they still remain thought provoking and worthwhile. If you can throw the snobbery out the window, you are guaranteed to have a good time.
#9 - Augusta Pines Golf Club - Spring, TX
It’s not Augusta National and it’s not Pinehurst. However, Augusta Pines draws inspiration from both courses to bring us a mighty fine offering for public golf in Houston. The most notable aspect of this inspiration is the Augusta like clubhouse that appears on the Masters champion’s trophy every April. It provides a great backdrop for the course’s 9th and 18th holes.
#8 - Gus Wortham Golf Course - Houston, TX
After a major course renovation in 2018 led by the Houston Golf Association and architect, Baxter Spann, Gus Wortham surged in popularity. So much so that the city had to install updated netting to prevent the increased volume of errant golf balls raining down on cars over Wayside Drive.
The first few holes will give you an idea of the new and improved netting as you make your way around the perimeter of the property. The course quickly turns inward and delivers some serious bangers. This is some excellent muni golf and the 8th hole in particular is one of Houston’s finest.
#7 - Blackhorse Golf Club - Cypress, TX
Similar to Wildcat, there are 36 holes to enjoy at Blackhorse. The course is a 30 minute drive northwest of downtown and you can’t go wrong with either 18. The south course provides a bit more drama with several holes winding around large lakes. Both courses provide plenty of straightforward golf to enjoy.
Fun Fact: I first visited Blackhorse on my record setting RGV Tour 2.0. The south course was course #103 out of 580.
#7B - East River 9 - Houston, TX
Unlike the rest of the courses on our list, the East River 9 is a short par 3 golf course that is best enjoyed in the evening under the lights. Coming in at 7B, I would include this beauty on any respectable Houston golf itinerary. The vibes are great, the food and drink is delicious and the good times roll hard at the East River 9.
#6 - The Wilderness - Lake Jackson, TX
When I mentioned adding some out-of-towners to the list, The Wilderness was my premium pick. You will need to drive an hour south of Houston to find this beauty in Lake Jackson. There are no homes on the golf course and as the name suggests, you are amongst the wilderness.
The folks that already know about this one, won’t be happy to see it on the list. They like to keep this gem hidden.
#5 - Cypresswood - Tradition - Spring, TX
There are 36 holes to play at Cypresswood and I would urge the visiting golfer to pay a visit to the Tradition first. The course winds its way through the forest but provides plenty of width that the average golfer is still going to enjoy themselves. The holes are varied and unique. This is easily a top 5 place to swing it as a public golfer in Houston.
#4 - Gleannloch Golf Club - Spring, TX
There are 27 holes to play at Gleannloch and the experience on any combination of the three nines is going to be very similar. Like several others on this list, Gleannloch is about 30 minutes north of downtown in the small town of Spring. Due to a public membership deal they offered in 2026, Gleannloch is a popular spot and the course is always pretty busy. Fortunately, the golf is good even as the course winds it’s way through the local real estate.
#3 - Highland Pines - Porter, TX
The green fee at Highland Pines is a bit on the high side. However, our foursome played the front nine in under 2 hours on a Saturday morning. Afterwards, we all agreed that the price point did a great job of scaring away the 5 hour round crowd.
Highland Pines pioneered the use of Lazer Zoysia grass on putting surfaces, marking a technological breakthrough in Texas golf. Fittingly, the greens are usually in great shape and make this course a pleasure to play.
#2 - The Golf Club of Houston - Humble, TX
The former host site of the Houston Open won’t let you down. Even with Houston’s premier tournament making a departure in 2019, The Golf Club of Houston remains a popular place to play. Designed by Rees Jones and David Toms, this championship layout provides a high level experience but also brings one of the highest price tags in Houston.
A rare instance when I did not bring my camera to the golf course leaves us only with Doak’s master plan for the renovation that he did in 2019. That renovation set the stage for the Houston Open to move to Memorial Park in 2020.
The result is Houston’s most celebrated public golf course. Designed in conjunction with Brooks Koepka, the holes provide a wide range of interest and were not necessarily designed to protect par, but to provide great opportunities for exciting lead changes and compelling tournament golf.
