Cimarron Country Club

Review & Rating of Cimarron Country Club in Mission Texas

Cimarron Country Club is a 6821-yard par 72 layout with 4 sets of tee boxes and it was designed by Dave Bennet and opened for play in 1983.  Cimarron is now part of the portfolio of more than 200 Club Corp owned or operated golf and country clubs, business clubs, sports clubs and alumni clubs in 28 states. What a fantastic course and clearly one of the Best in the Rio Grande Valley.

Cimarron Country Club has a layout that can be characterized by it's:

• big nasty (steep faced) bunkers, most of which guard the greens
• greens that range from skinny oblong to small, all are well guarded by bunkers, are fast, and have plenty of contour and slope
• lakes and ponds and a drainage ditch that comes into play on several holes

As such, Cimarron Country Club puts a premium on your approach shots, your ability to deploy some excellent course management and putting skills, take a few risk-reward shots, and avoid the water and bunkers.   The yardage ranges from 5374 to 6821 yards, a tad short but the rating is 128 to 139 – it's not the length but the challenging green complexes, water, and bunkers that make it demanding. Don't let this scare you – choose the right set of tee boxes and maybe move up a set – and play smart and you'll have a fun and enjoyable round.

Some of the holes that we really liked include:

• #1 sets the stage for what you'll encounter during your round – it's a 532 yard par 5 with a 90 degree dog-leg left, a pond at the end of the dog-leg that could capture long hitters tee shot or short hitters second shot, a tight fairway after the dog-leg, and a long skinny oblong green guarded by 3 nasty bunkers
• #6 is the #1 handicap and it's a beauty – you can let it rip to a wide fairway but then you need to avoid a ditch crossing the fairway at 200 yards out and a pond at 100 yards out that encroaches into the fairway, and you need a precise shot to a tiered sloping green guarded by back and front bunkers
• #12 is fun – a 348-yard par 4 that horseshoes around a lake and offers a great risk reward shot off the tee if you want to try and carry more of the lake to shorten the hole
• #18 is one of the best holes we've played in a long time – a 512 yard par 5 with a lake on the entire left side of a fairly tight fairway, a second shot that offers a great risk-reward opportunity to try and carry more of the lake to shorten the approach shot or for long hitters off the tee a risky shot at the green, and the approach shot needs to avoid  3 bunkers guarding the green and a tree that can block your shot to the green

The fairways at Cimarron Country Club were in very good conditions but obviously dormant when we played in January.  Generally speaking, they are flat and firm with some contour – resulting in lots of extra roll – and they range in size to average to fairly tight.  The rough was dense and cut short  – generally, the ball sat up and was very playable  Some very nice homes line one or both sides of the fairway and could come into play if you really spray the ball.  There were a few bare dirt spots on the fairways, but they didn't impact play.

The green complexes at Cimarron Country Club put a premium on your approach shots.  All are well guarded by two to three nasty bunkers, several are raised preventing a bump and run, the fringe is tough to putt from, most have some slope and contour (including tiers), and they all run fast.  The greens range in size and shape, are soft and hold the ball well, and run true. 

The bunkers are large and nasty with some very steep faces.  The majority of the bunkers guard the greens.  Unfortunately, the sand in the vast majority of the bunkers was thin to non-existent or gritty – the strong winds blow a lot of the sand to Arizona and beyond.  There are plans to replace the sand.

Bottom line – a fantastic layout, good conditions, scenic, and a blast to play.