Golf courses across the Valley offer an abundance of opportunities to keep the avid golfer busy while in the Rio Grande Valley.
The Club at Cimarron
The Club at Cimarron, 1200 S. Shary Road, Mission, is a private golf club but they allow Winter Texans to play every other Monday beginning in November. The last two Mondays for this season are March 3 and March 10. The fee to play is $38 with a cart. Call (956) 541-7408 for information.
Ebony Hills
Ebony Hills Golf Course, 300 W. Palm Drive, Edinburg, is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The fee for nine holes walking is $10 and with a cart, $15. The fee for 18 holes walking is $12 and with a cart, $21.75. The twilight fee is $10 walking and $15 with cart.
The course is rated as easy, and hole 18 is the most difficult. It is 185 yards long with a narrow fairway that is slightly elevated and has ebony trees that block the view on the side. If the ball is not hit right in the middle, it will roll to the sides.
Fort Brown
The Fort Brown Golf Course, 300 River Lee Drive, Brownsville is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Guests can play nine holes walking for $10 or nine holes with a cart for $16. For 18 holes walking it is $12, while a cart costs $14. Twilight fees are $8 for nine holes walking or $14 with a cart. Twilight for 18 holes is $8 walking and $18 with a cart.
Pro Robert Lucio rates the course as a medium course. He says that hole 18 is the most difficult due to the distance and small green. He adds that it is a great course to walk because of its distance.
Los Lagos
Los Lagos Golf Club, 1720 S. Raul Longoria Road, in Edinburg is open from 6:30 a.m. to dusk daily. It has rates of $15 for nine holes walking, $26 for nine holes with a cart, $22.59 for 18 holes walking and $28.99 for 18 holes with a cart. Twilight starts at 1 p.m. and it is $22 walking or $45 with a cart for 18 holes, or as many as can be played.
The course is rated at medium difficulty because it is mostly straight and flat but it has six water hazards. Hole number nine is considered the most difficult because it heads straight in to the prevailing wind and slopes to the right where there is a water hazard.
Martin Valley Ranch
Martin Valley Ranch, West Expressway 83, Mission, is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The fee for nine holes walking is $14.10, while it is $20.45 with a cart. For 18 holes the fee is $18.60 walking and $27.70 with a cart.
It is a full 27-hole golf course and golfers who pay for 18 holes can go the full 27 holes at no extra charge. The back holes, 19 through 27, are the hardest because they are 100 yards longer and have more elevation than the first 18 holes.
Meadow Creek
Meadow Creek Golf Course, 1300 Circle Drive, Mission, is known for the water hazards and narrow fairways that test the golfer. It is open from 6:30 a.m. to dusk. The fee for walking nine holes is $12.50 and $20.50, with a cart. For 18 holes walking, it is $20.50 and with a cart, $29.50. Twilight begins at 2 p.m. and is $18.50. A bucket of balls is $5 on the driving range.
Monte Cristo
Monte Cristo Golf Course in Edinburg is open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. To walk nine holes costs $14.50 while riding costs $20. Walking 18 holes is $19, while riding is $29. Twilight begins at 2 p.m. and costs $22 with a cart.
The course is ranked as medium difficulty because of the water hazards. The most difficult hole is number 12, which is on a peninsula. For information, call (956) 381-0964.
Palm View
Palm View Golf Course, 2701 South Ware Road, McAllen is considered to be a challenging course and is considered to be a premier golf course in the Rio Grande Valley. It is open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Walking nine holes costs $18.20 while riding costs $25.35. Walking 18 holes is $28, while using a cart cost $39.95. The twilight fee is $28.25.
The most difficult hole is number six, which plays against the prevailing wind on both sides of the fairway. The grass is a special feature not found on other local golf courses. The rolling fairways offer 419 Bermuda grass with greens of Tiff Dwarf Bermuda. For information, call (956) 687-9591.
Palms at Mid-Valley
The Palms at Mid-Valley is located two and a half miles north FM 491 in Mercedes. It is open from 7 a.m. to dusk daily. Walking nine holes cost $10.50 while using a cart is $18. Walking 18 holes is $16 and using a cart is $27. Twilight starts at 2 p.m. and costs $20 with a cart for as many holes as possible.
The back nine holes are the most challenging and a cart is suggested because of the length. Hole number five is considered difficult because of the length while number nine is difficult because it crosses water twice.
They are currently building a new clubhouse, which should be completed by the end of March. For information, call (956) 565-3211.
Rancho Viejo
Rancho Viejo Resort and Country Club. Located at 1 Rancho Viejo Drive, near Brownsville, is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. It offers Winter Texan specials of $45.05 for 18 holes and a cart.
It ranges from medium to challenging. El Diablo (number three) and El Angel (number four) are both long and have water hazards. For information, call (956) 350-4359.
Shary Municipal
Shary Municipal Golf Course, 2201 Mayberry Road, Mission, is considered to be a medium difficulty course. To walk nine holes costs $15, while using a cart costs $20. Walking 18 holes is $19 and using a cart is $30. Twilight starts at 3 p.m. It costs $13 for nine holes with a cart, $26.50 for 18 holes with a cart. Hole number 22 is the most difficult because of the elongated green protected by water. For information, call (956) 580-8770.
Tierra Del Sol
Tierra Del Sol in Pharr costs $13 for nine holes walking and $19 with a cart.
For 18 holes walking, it is $20, while 18 holes with a cart is $29. The Twilight fee is 18 holes with a cart fee of $24.
The course is considered to be of medium difficulty because it is mostly flat but has water hazards. Holes three and five are considered difficult because of the water hazards and playing into the prevailing winds.
They have recently installed a new irrigation system and new cart paths to improve the course. For information, call (956) 702-2320.
Tierra Santa
Tierra Santa, 1901 Club at Amistad, in Weslaco, is a challenging course because of the rolling fairways and the speed of the green. It costs $21 weekdays and $24 weekends for nine holes. Playing nine holes with a cart costs $28 weekdays and $31 on weekends. Walking 18 holes weekdays is $34 while weekends are $37. Using a cart for 18 holes is $46 weekdays and $49 weekends. The twilight fee is $25.50 for 18 holes with a cart.
Hole number five has a water feature on the left side that is 440 yards long. The course has 12 holes with water hazards, including a waterfall on hole 18.
A Winter Texan Appreciation Tournament is planned for March 17. It will be free to all Winter Texans. Call (956) 973-1811 for details.
Tony Butler
The Tony Butler Golf Course in Harlingen is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. It costs $11 for walking nine holes and $17 to use a cart. Playing 18 holes costs $13 walking and $23 with a cart. It is considered to be a challenging course because of the tree line. The most difficult hole is number four, which has a number one handicap rating. For information, call (956) 430-6685.