Rio Grande Valley golf courses steeped in rich history

It’s almost spring, and for us, that means golf – even if you can play it nearly year round in the South Texas climate. Each spring we ask our readers to vote for their favorite gold courses. The Valley has many courses to choose from, and Winter Texans seem to try to catch them all while visiting the Valley.

This year, we wanted to delve into the history of our Valley golf courses. We hope you enjoy this bit of history and learning about the courses you visit and love. For the next three weeks we will feature a different part of the Valley. This week we will feature the Lower Valley gold courses.

Valley International Country Club

Golf in the Rio Grande Valley has a long tradition, tracing back to the mid-1840s when it is reported that soldiers from Fort Brown introduced the sport to what was then known as Brownsville Country Club – now named Valley International Country Club.

Over the years, the sport grew and the names to graze VICC included not just the best from the Valley, such as Al Escalante and Tony Butler, but also Jimmy Demaret and Hall-of-Famer Ben Hogan.

In the 1930s, the city and VICC hosted a driving contest. “It was an era when Brownsville was coming up in the golfing world. The game was so popular that the city had its own practice driving range located across the street from “The Terrace,” a miniature golf course on the main street of the city, West Elizabeth,” wrote Rene Torres in the Port Isabel Press.

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