Spring Valley Golf & Disc Club

Review and Rating of Spring Valley Golf & Disc Club in Spring, Texas

Spring Valley Golf & Disc Club is unique in the golfing industry, it’s both a 9 hole par 27 golf course and a 29 hole disc golf course.  The golf course was built by an individual for his exclusive use in 1984 and over the years has changed hands a couple of times.  In 2004, Ande and Don Young took over ownership of the golf course, primarily because of their passion for disc golf.  Ande is in the Disc Golf Hall of Fame and over the years she has contributed a lot her expertise and help to the disc golf industry, including designing and consulting for disc golf courses.    And she has designed a very good 27 hole disc golf course of which 18 holes plays around the densely wooded perimeter of the golf course and the other nine are concurrent with the golf course.

Spring Valley Golf Course is a par 34 (3 par 3s, 5 par 4s, and 1 par 5) 2081 yard course with three sets of tee boxes.   The course plays through a shallow valley with tight towering tree-lined fairways that put a premium on accuracy – miss the fairway and you’ll most likely be lost in a dense forest of trees and brush.  Most of the holes are straightforward and you can typically see the pin from the tee box.  However, on #8, a 249 par 4, there is a small pond hidden from view on the right side of the fairway about 60 yards in front of the green – it's just waiting to swallow your golf ball.  In addition to some tight fairways, there are three bunkers you need to avoid as well as the water that can come into play on 4 holes.

There are three tee boxes, but only two are listed on the scorecard.  The yardage from the back tees is 2081 yards and from the forward tees the course is 1835 yards long.  Several of the par 4s are drivable, ranging from 217 yards to 281 yards but if you overshoot the green or spray it left or right you’re in trouble – best to play for accuracy, not distance and leave the big dog in the bag. 

The conditions at Spring Valley Golf Course are a little rough thanks to floods, a lack of irrigation, and several weather (hurricane, severe rain) and man-made issues, like runoff from nearby new road and house construction.   Ande is doing the best she and her staff can due under some tough circumstances, lack of funds, and limited equipment and experience.   That said the fairways and greens are rough but still very playable and you can have an enjoyable and fun round at a very reasonable rate. 

Some of the holes we liked included:

• #1, a 409 yard straight-ahead par 5, gives you a sample of what to expect during your round – a slightly elevated tee box, a tight tree-lined fairway with a fairway bunker and some fairly challenging rough,  and a relatively small green with a right-side bunker
• #8 eight is a fun 249 yard par 4 that takes a right turn at 140 yards out (be careful not to overrun the fairway),  some thick grass (a grass bunker?) at 120 yards out, and a hidden lake on the right 60 yards in front of the green – it’s not surprising that this is the #2 handicap hole
• #9 is only 123 yards but a pond stretches across most of the fairway 50 yards in front of the green

The Spring Valley Golf Club greens are small to average and the first few greens have some weather damage – the rest are in fairly good shape.  The greens are relatively flat and were running true but very slow (6 to 7) when we played.

The sand in the bunkers is pretty thick, a little crusty, but easy to hit out of.  The lips are small and you may get lucky and run in and out of the bunker. 

The fairways at Spring Valley are tight and tree-lined with a dense rough.  They are a mixture of Bermuda grass, some weeds, and some bare spots thanks to the tough winter and spring weather.  The fairways are still very playable but cut a little thick so don’t expect much roll.