Columbia Lakes Resort Stay & Play Review

If you’re looking for a great Stay & Play package, try the Columbia Lakes Resort and Country Club.

Wake up, grab a donut and cup of coffee, put on your golf shoes, and hop on your golf cart. Take a one-minute ride to the first tee box. Then play a very good golf course. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Nope, that’s not a dream. You can do just that with the Stay & Play Package at Columbia Lakes Resort in West Columbia, Texas. After a round of golf, you can drive the cart back to your room for a change of clothes. Play some tennis, jump in the pool, or have a drink and settle the bets. If none of those are your cup of tea, shoot some pool, shuffleboard, or darts in the sports bar. Or, just enjoy a good meal. And best of all, you can do it all over again the next day!

What Is Columbia Lakes Resort and Country Club?

We heard some good things about the Stay & Play Package at Columbia Lakes Resort and Country Club. So, as a part of a Thanksgiving trip to Port Aransas, we had to check it out on our way home to Cedar Creek Lake. Needless to say, it lived up to our expectations.

The resort comes with outstanding and friendly service, a fun 18 holes of golf on a reworked Tom Fazio course, tasty food, and spacious and comfortable accommodations overlooking one of the golf holes. All of this at a reasonable price! Plus, you get true Southern Texas hospitality at no additional charge.

Columbia Lakes Resort is located in West Columbia about 50 miles west of Houston. The resort sits on 2,000 wooded acres accented by lagoons and lakes. It’s also nested under huge sprawling stately oak trees with that eerie Spanish Moss hanging from long twisting and turning branches.

Prior to 2001, Columbia Lakes Resort and the golf course had been neglected. Golf conditions had degraded. New owners have spent a considerable amount of time, money, and effort renovating and remodeling the course and amenities. For example, new state-of-the-art drainage systems have been installed in every bunker. They returned the greens and fairways to excellent condition, and they resodded the sand traps. They also refaced the buildings. After receiving the TLC it badly needed, the golf course looked professional again.

Shortly after the new owners took over, Golf Digest awarded Columbia Lakes it’s Four Star rating in the “Best Places to Play” category! Bob Putt, a very friendly and service-oriented co-owner said, “We plan to exceed this Four Star rating and climb even higher in the rankings.”

We hadn’t experienced the before conditions, but can attest to the focus on improvements, the great conditions on the golf course, and a clean and comfortable cottage.

A Peak Into Our Columbia Lakes Resort Experience

We arrived at Columbia Lakes Resort late on our first night, checked in, and drove through those eerie trees to our cottage. We dumped the bags, popped a cold beer, played a game of dominos, and walked over to Mulligans just before they closed to scarf down some good food. That included a huge tasty cheeseburger. A few more rounds of dominos and drinks and we went to bed excited about seeing what Columbia Lakes looked like in the day time.

I awoke the next morning, shook out the sleepies, downed a cup of coffee and a donut, put on the golf shoes, and opened the door to hit some golf balls at the range. I discovered that two golf carts had been delivered to our front door. Now, that’s service! And it was a very nice touch.

I don’t know what happened, but the golf cart took me to Mulligans instead of the range. At least I enjoyed a good breakfast. Shortly after that, we loaded into the carts and got ready to tee off. Looking back on it, I might have played better if I had skipped that breakfast and gone straight to the range.

The Columbia Lakes Golf Course Design

Columbia Lakes Resort golf course was originally designed by Jack Mills in 1973. Later, they it was by Tom Fazio, one of the best golf course designers in the United States.

Fazio has earned the label of “America’s Greatest Living Architect.” He is clearly our favorite architect because every course he’s designed that we’ve played on has been fun and challenging but fair. They also featured some unique and interesting holes. Fazio did a good job at Columbia Lakes by creating a number of his signature steep, deep, and treacherous bunkers, as well as other hazards, to keep you on your game. All the fairways are tree lined, and if you spray the ball, you’ll be under that draping Spanish moss and facing a challenging recovery shot. I know from experience.

Columbia Lakes Golf Course has four sets of tee boxes plus a combo tee box and yardages ranging from 5,325 to 7,006. It’s no walk in the park with a slope ranging from 125 to 136.

All of the fairways are tree lined with stately oaks laced with Spanish moss which range from ample to pretty tight. Along the way from the tee box to the pin, you’ll pass some beautiful homes, strategically placed fairway bunkers, crystal clear lakes and streams, and enjoy some very fun holes. Rates are reasonable and the conditions are very good considering that Texas suffered a harsh winter, severe drought, and record high temperatures!

We rated Columbia Lakes 8.6 stars out of ten. Read our review of Columbia Lakes Golf Course to learn more.

Lodging at Columbia Lakes Resort

Scattered under those huge oaks with draping Spanish moss are the 38 cottages that are a part of the stay and play lodging for Columbia Lakes. The cottages are a combination of:

• Standard four-bedroom cottage suites with a living room and wet bar. Each of the oversized and spacious bedrooms have a private entrance, two queen-sized beds, desk and chair, armchair, and TV. Plus, private bathrooms.
• Standard two-bedroom cottage suites have the same oversized rooms as the four-bedroom unit. However, the living area has a sliding glass door and patio, a mini-refrigerator, and microwave.
• Standard king cottage suites have two bedrooms with one common entrance into the central living area.
• Executive cottage suites have the same floor plan as the standard cottage suites, but all of these cottages have been completely renovated. They have new flooring, granite countertops, bath and bar fixtures, light fixtures, and patio doors. They are lavishly furnished with leather, plush area rugs, ceiling fans, microwave, refrigerator, and big flat screen TVs.

We stayed in the standard four-bedroom cottage suite and found it very clean and comfortable. Each of the bedrooms were spacious and had a private bathroom, ceiling fan, and dresser. Two of the four had TVs.

Our cottage had a large living area with a sofa, loveseat, and dining table with chairs. The kitchen included a range, microwave, refrigerator, and coffee pot. It’s perfect for a golf outing or getaway with family or your golfing buddies.

Our patio also overlooked a common green area. We could have caught some fish in the creek running several yards in front of our patio. Some of the cottages overlook the 15th hole. You can sit on the back porch and heckle the golfers, catch stray golf balls, or dream about how you’ll par that hole tomorrow!

Mulligan’s and The Brazos Room: Good Food at a Great Price

Mulligan’s stands within a five iron shot of our cottage. It’s the perfect place for a meal or drink on the outdoor patio under the sprawling oaks. You can enjoy breakfast before you start the day, lunch at the turn, or a burger or pizza for dinner. Before our first round of golf, I loaded up on the Sausage Plate: two sausages, two eggs, two pancakes, toast, and hash browns. The price was just $6.25, but I paid $21 for a smaller breakfast at a resort in San Antonio!

All those carbs didn’t help my score one bit (or maybe they did and my score would have been even worse without it).

During our stay, we also enjoyed some wings, pizza, a huge delicious burger, and Frito Pie with chili and cheese at Mulligan’s. We also had a Chef Salad over the next couple days. All of it was good and didn’t break the bank.

The Brazos Room is where Chef David Vasques serves creative American Southwest and Gulf Coast Seafood as well as many other tantalizing signature dishes. Too bad it’s on weekends only. The restaurant was closed when we visited, but I did talk to the chef and checked out his dinner menu. He makes appetizers like chicken quesadillas, homemade crabcakes, and shrimp cocktail, as well as several salads. He also has plenty of entrees like Chicken Marsala, Grilled Tuna Steak With Pineapple Relish, Snapper Pontchartrain, Steak Diane, and a 12-ounce ribeye. If you still have room, there are desserts like Banana’s Foster, Molten Chocolate Cake, and Ice Cream Pecan Ball. Yum, Yum, Yum. All good stuff and reasonably priced!

Each Sunday, there is a Sunday Brunch with everything from Belgium Waffles to omelets and Eggs Benedict to Pan Seared Snapper or Chicken Bearnaise!

The Sports Bar is Cozy and Nice

After dinner at Mulligan’s, we stopped at the Sports Bar for a nightcap and tried all the games. Shuffle board, pool, darts, and ping pong were all available. Just like at golf, I lost each one and ended up buying drinks all night. Next week, I’m heading to the range and the local pool hall to practice.

The Sports Bar is a cozy spot with flat screens, several games, a juke box, and a dance floor. I heard that the Sports Bar was home to a Columbia Lakes IDOL contest the week before we arrived. Of course, there were some talented singers! On several weekends, you can catch live entertainment or Karaoke.

In addition to a fun Fazio golf course, some of the amenities at Columbia Lakes Resort that you can enjoy during your golf stay and play include:

• A new fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment including treadmills, super bikes, stair steppers, and other fitness machines.
• A recently renovated swimming pool.
• Helipad, just in case you decide to fly in rather than drive like the rest of us peons.
• Sand volleyball court and horseshoe pits.
• 300-acre lake stocked with trophy bass.
• Chipping green, putting green, and driving range where I wish I had spent more time.

Columbia Lake’s Clubhouse overlooks the putting green and ninth hold. It includes men’s and women’s locker rooms, a card room, several meeting rooms, and a day spa with a variety of services. The Sports Bar and Brazos Room Restaurant are also right there along with a well stocked pro shop. The pro shop has everything you need to look good and play well.

Columbia Lakes Resort also has a conference hall with more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space for weddings, reunions, corporate events, and golf tournaments.

Bottom line, Columbia Lakes Resort and Country Club is a great place for a weekend or longer of golf with outstanding Texas hospitality. You’ll enjoy good food, clean and spacious accommodations, and a fun and demanding 18 holes of golf. And it’s all at a very reasonable price.