Wildcat Golf Club - Highlands Course

Review and Rating of Wildcat Golf Club Highlands Course

Just south of downtown Houston are two fantastic 18 hole courses at Wildcat Golf Club, The Lakes and The Highlands.   Each of the courses has it's own unique personality and characteristics but common to both is that they were designed by Scottish architect Roy Case, are home to the highest elevations in Houston some of which are up to 100 feet, are typically in excellent condition, and both are a blast to play.

The Lakes Course has acres of seemingly countless lakes, dramatic elevation changes that can't be rivaled by any other course in Houston, water on 8 holes, stunning views, and some fantastic and unique holes.  Read our review of The Lakes Course at Wildcat Golf Club. 

The Highlands Course is a little harder (a half stroke or so) than The Lakes and it has a unique feel – at times it feels a Hill Country Course with rolling fairways and stunning views and on other holes it has a links feel with wind, natural areas, and open treeless fairways.  The Highlands Course will test your game and course management skills thanks to lots of forced carries, elevation changes, blind shots, wind, dog legs and strategically placed bunkers.  And the panoramic views of the surrounding country, the downtown Houston skyline, the upscale Galleria shopping area, and Reliant Stadium, which is Houston's sport complex, are stunning.

The course itself is also stunning with the views as well as the lush green fairways, contrasting sand bunkers, and the natural areas with a wide variety of vegetation.  All of the fairways are lined with natural areas and almost every hole has a forced carry off the tee or on one of the other shots to the green – I contributed several of my golf balls to the natural areas.  The forced carries will make this course very challenging for short hitters or women.

Wildcat's Highlands Course has some fun, demanding, and unusual holes, for example:

• #6, a short but demanding 336 yard par 4 that's got a slight uphill tee shot to a pinched fairway caused by a large bunker on the right plus a smaller pot bunker in the middle, survive that and you need to stuff it on a green with a severe ridge  
• #9 is a blast and requires a precise drive to avoid two bunkers and the ravine at the end of the fairway, then a good second blind shot to carry a very intimidating ravine, and a precise shot to a downhill green – if you've played the course before and know the layout, you might risk going for the green on the second shot
• #14 is a short 349 yard par 4 but its a little tricky with a pinched fairway, a huge fairway bunker, and a hidden bunker on the right front of the green, a small bunker on the left, and a long narrow green
• 17 and 18 will make you want to come back and play The Highlands again because they offer a little of everything – lots of obstacles including water, bunkers, forced carries, uphill shots, tiered greens, blind shots, and more

When we played in October 2012, the fairways were in very good condition and the rough was thick and challenging – miss the rough and you're lost in a natural area.  The fairways are rolling, sloping, and contoured and there are lots of uphill as well as downhill shots. 

The Highlands Course greens were also in very good condition – fast, smooth, and true.  They ranged in size from small to about average, most are guarded, some are raised, and all have some slope and contour. 

The bunkers varied in size and shape from small oval pot bunkers to some real monsters.  The fairway bunkers had very firm gritty sand and the greenside bunkers varied from soft and fluffy to thin and firm.

Bottom line – if you're in Houston, Wildcat Golf Club is a must play and make sure you play both courses.