FEBRUARY 26, 2025 www.wintertexantimes.com 16 WINTER TEXAN TIMES Place’s charm and what it provides – not just golf but a delightful golfing experience. A one-time bird sanctuary, the course is a 9-hole, par-36 trip on an ambitious golf course that has continuously maintained its beauty with well-groomed fairways. Be careful to not get too caught up in the magnificent scenery, or the friendly people – they can also be part of the challenge, but a friendly part at least. Treasure Hills Country Club is just pure joy to play. From wide fairways to elevation changes and strategically placed traps, it went from almost closing its doors to becoming a spot that offers as unique a layout as any in the Rio Grande Valley. Located at 3009 N. Augusta National Drive – doesn’t that alone make you want to play, it rings of nostalgia and prestige – Treasure Hills is a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design that plays anywhere from 5,230 yards at the red tees, to 6,960 yards from the blues. That difference is significant and will leave you with several options on how you attack the holes – grip it and rip it, swallow your pride and play smarter, or something in between? This course was built in 2000, given new life and has been off and dunning ever since. Located at 1901 Club De Amistad in Weslaco, Tierra Santa Golf Club offers golfers a paradise-like experience, from the renovated club house to delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner options at Tony’s Grill and to a layout almost unmatched anywhere around. Lush greens, stunning landscapes and top-notch amenities come together here to create an unforgettable golfing experience. It truly is a golfer’s haven and is designed to challenge and delight players of all skill levels. Get immersed in the beauty of this meticulously designed 18-hole golf course. With a perfect blend of challenging holes, scenic fairways, and strategically placed hazards, each round promises a memorable golfing adventure. You may want to forget that memory afterwards, or it may become your story of the ages. Tierra Santa, like many Valley courses, has invested in their operation and the returns have been terrific. They even flip-flopped its front and back nine at one point meaning No. 18 turned to No. 9. The good side is that even if you have a bad No. 9, you still have nine more holes to recover – and can make a stop at the clubhouse along the way. The pro shop has been remodeled as well as the restaurant. The course has been in immaculate shape for several years and the layout is fabulous. You could play this course over and over and never get tired of the challenges, or the beauty of several holes. It has 14 lakes; strategically placed sand traps and provides multiple shot selections for almost every hole. Par 3s are easily reached but where they land – even if on the green – can make the difference between a birdie and a bogey, or something else. While those three reign supreme, there are other Mid-Valley courses that are just perfect for about any golfer at any level. Tony Butler was the first golf coach at the University of Texas in 1927 and The Tony Butler Golf Course in Harlingen provides topnotch layout with municipal-like fees. Just don’t think you’re going to play at just any old muni – if it has Butler’s name on it, it’s going to be somewhere between very good and great. The city has gone all in for the 27-hole facility and the golfers have responded positively in droves. Completion of its multi-million-dollar revamp project has been so major that one may not even recognize it. Holes 1-18 went through the makeover of makeovers as the city looked to increase its position as a destination city, not just a connecting point at the airport to just go on to McAllen or South Padre Island. But the course’s impact on Rio Grande Valley golf remains great, if not greater than any other golf course in terms of Rio Grande Valley Golf. Tee boxes, fairways, bunkers, greens, lakes – it’s about as different as could be all the way to drainage upgrades. Management promised “it will be harder and completely different.” They delivered as promised. GOLF From pg. 15 Treasure Hills Country Club. Photo by Henry Miller Tierra Santa Golf Club. Photo by Anastasia Brunson Tony Butler Golf Course. Courtesy photo Tony Butler Golf Course. Courtesy photo
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