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Mid-Valley Golf Courses go from potential to greatness

Spring is just around the corner, and for us, that means golf – even if you can play it nearly year-round in the Valley climate. Each spring we ask our readers to vote for their favorite golf courses. The Valley has many courses to choose from, and Winter Texans seem to try to catch them all while visiting the Valley.

This is the third part in our series. This is your last week to vote for your favorites. Be sure to go online to www.wintertexantimes.com to vote for your favorite course in each area. If you have any special words to say about a course, email us at news@wintertexantimes.com.

20180208 Tony Butler Golf Course 09 webTony Butler Golf Course

Tony Butler would be proud.

The Tony Butler Golf Course of today isn’t the same as yesteryear. In fact, come this October, when the city is done with its multi-million-dollar revamp project – you may not even recognize it. Currently, holes 19-27 remain open as 1-18 goes through the makeover of makeovers as the city looks to increase its position as a destination city.

But the course’s impact on Rio Grande Valley golf remains as great, if not greater than any other golf course in terms of Rio Grande Valley Golf.

The course is re-doing everything – tee boxes fairways, bunkers, greens, lakes – it’s about as different as could be – and management promises “it will be harder. And completely different.” The city is also making heavy improvements to drainage, including installing a new pump station.

The Harlingen public golf course bears the name of the man, Tony Butler, who helped bring some of the sport’s greatest athletes to the Rio Grande Valley for professional tournaments during the Great Depression. The public Tony Butler golf course is much like the man, requiring a sharp strategic mind and the ability to play consistent golf.

Tony Butler Golf Course is located at 2640 South “M” Street in Harlingen. It is a 27-hole course that meanders through the natural South Texas terrain and is extremely easy to walk if you choose. The 18-hole course has a championship layout measuring 6,400 yards (par 71).

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