Wildcat Golf Club - Lakes Course

Review of Wildcat Golf Club's Lakes Course

Home to two outstanding 18 hole layouts, Wildcat Golf Club is the preferred golf club of Houston's professional sports teams and now it's also one of Texas Outside's Preferred Courses!  Built on a landfill, the Lakes and Highlands courses both feature elevation changes of up to 100', spectacular panoramic views of Houston's downtown skyline, the Galleria, and the Reliant Stadium complex.

Common to each of the courses are good conditions, a links layout with topography similar to the Texas Hill Country, friendly service, Matt Swanson's Golf School, and first class facilities.   Each 18 hole layout has it own unique personality and characteristics: 

• The Lakes Course has water on 7 holes, lots of undulation, scenic vistas, excellent greens, and dramatic elevation changes
• The Highlands Course is the hardest of the two courses thanks to well-placed bunkers, deep ravines, blind shots, and native grass that will devour your golf balls

We loved playing the Lakes Course and hated to see our round end and can't wait to get back and play this fantastic course again.  Some of what makes the Lakes Course a blast to play includes:

• every hole is unique and different from the previous hole
• strategy and shot making come into play on most every hole if you want to score well
• greens that are in excellent condition and include slope, tiers, and undulation
• the course will throw a little bit of everything at you – blind shots, forced carries, hidden greens and bunkers, split fairways, deep native grass, lots of water, contoured and rolling fairways, risk reward opportunities, and lots more that makes playing The Lakes Course fun and challenging
• huge elevation changes that require you to club up or down and offer stunning views of Houston

What makes playing the Lakes both fun and demanding it that every hole is very different and unique and has something to test your shot making, club selection, and course management skills.  But don't let the challenges scare you, the course is very fair and has five sets of tee boxes with yardages ranging from 4906 to 7016 yards – don't bite off more than you can chew.  The first time you play the Lakes, make sure you get a yardage card because the hole tips are invaluable.  The second time you play the Lakes, it should be much easier to turn in a lower score.  

After the first five holes, you may say "why is this called the Lakes" and you'll quickly find out when water comes into play on the next 8 holes.   Each of the holes is fun and some are outstanding, for example:

• three holes have a split fairway and force you to make a decision at tee on which way to go – the right choice offers a much easier and safer approach to the green
• #2 is a fun 573 yard par 5 with a blind shot off the tee from the back three tee boxes to a downhill dog right heavily contoured fairway followed by a second shot to a split horseshoe fairway and then an approach shot over a ravine to an uphill oblong green with a pot bunker in front and huge bunker in back
• #5, a 443 par 4, requires a carry over a natural area with an oil derrick in its center to a fairway that snakes its way through 3 huge bunkers (one of which is split by the cart path) to the green
• #12 is the ultimate risk reward hole with an intimidating carry over the lake to a landing zone following by a shot over water that cuts into most of the fairway and a demanding approach shot to a small circular island green with a huge bunker on the right side – and a lake runs from tee to green on both sides of the fairway
• #18 will make you want to play this course again – a fantastic finishing hole with an uphill blind shot followed by a dramatic downhill shot to a very narrow oblong green guarded by 5 pot bunkers

The fairways are heavily contoured, sloping, and rolling with lots of ups and downs – you'll need to manage the extra roll, the uneven lies, and the slope.  Dramatic elevation changes, both up and down, require you club up or down and in several cases you'll face a blind shot and lots of intimidating forced carries from the back three tee boxes.  Most of the fairways are ample with a wide playable rough but miss both and you're wet or lost in the native areas.  The fairways were in ok condition but had some rough and bare spots.  

The greens on Wildcat's Lakes Course are all shapes and sizes from oblong and narrow to small to about average size.  They have plenty of slope, tiers, and swells, plus a lot are elevated making bump and runs tough.  Most are also well guarded.  They were in near perfect condition, rolled true and at a great speed (around 10),  and held the ball well.  

The bunkers were also in near perfect condition with soft fluffy thick sand.  They range in size from small deep pot bunkers to some huge multi-fingered monsters!  The lips very in size and some are pretty steep.

Bottom line, Wildcat's Lakes Course is one of the most fun and unique we have played in Texas – a must play!  Can't wait to play it again.