Palm View Golf Course

Palm View open 18 holes for play in the 70's, added 9 more in the 80's, and then Charles Howard redesigned the course back to 18 holes.  Owned and operated by the City of McAllen, Palm View Golf Course is a real surprise and a joy to play.  Millions of cubic feet of dirt and sand had to be carved out of this normally flat terrain to create 14 lakes, surprising elevation changes, mounds and berms, and rolling contoured fairways with trees, lots of palms, and no homes. 

Palm View Golf Course has three sets of tee boxes and is short from each one with yardages ranging from 4816 to 6771 yards from the tips.  The slope and rating will also give you a clue that this is a course that gives you an opportunity to turn in a very good score, if you can keep the ball in play.  Which may be difficult with water on 16 of 18 holes. 

The front nine of Palm View is a blast to play and it has a number of fun, interesting, and somewhat challenging layout.  #1 sets the stage and gives you a little taste of some of what you'll find on the next eight holes – its a 530 yard par 5 with a narrow fairway with water all along the right side to a sharp dog leg left green with trees guarding the left side approach and offering a good risk reward shot to try and fly them to stuff it on the green for a birdie or maybe an eagle.  Each of the rest of the holes is a little different than the others and they have a little bit of everything that will test you game – dog legs, water, berms, tough approaches, elevated greens and tee boxes, some challenging greens, contoured and gently rolling fairways, and five bunkers. 

The back is fun and a lot easier with more traditional holes.  You can typically see the pin and what you're up against from the tee box and plan your strategy accordingly.  There are some interesting holes, for example:

• #10 is short at 358 yards but has a tough approach to the green thanks to a lake around the dog leg right
• #11 has a split fairway and it's not easy to decide which one offers the easier approach
• #18 is a fun 528 yard dog leg left finishing hole with a tree and huge bunker protecting the green on the left and two smaller bunkers on the right side of the green

The 419 Bermuda fairways at Palm View Golf Club range from ample to narrow and are flanked by mounds and somewhat thick, but playable Common Bermuda roughs.  We played in January 2011 and the fairways were starting to go dormant.  The fairways were in about average condition for this time of year – a 7 out of 10.

The greens range in size from average to very large.  Some are elevated and most have a gentle slope.  A couple holes have two tiers and some undulation.  They were in good condition, ran very true, held well, and about average speed – putting wasn't a problem for us.  

Their are only 13 bunkers but some of them are huge, in fact, one of them has two palm trees growing in it!  The lips can be tough and the sand is thick but a little gritty.  

Not only is this a fun course but it's also a heck of a deal at $41 in January 2011!  Well worth going out of your way to play in you're in the Rio Grande Valley and be prepared to turn in a good score if you can stay dry.  Because of all that, the course stays pretty busy on the weekends and pace of play can be a little slow.