During a visit to play some golf in the Rio Grande Valley, and to escape the cold and rain from North Texas (which didn’t work!), my wife and I played the Tony Butler Golf Course in Harlingen after a long night of drenching rain. The rain was badly needed, but it made playing Tony Butler Golf Course the next morning very interesting.
The cart paths were more like inland waterways and driving through them felt like riding on a wild boat ride at Six Flags. I had fun driving the cart, but my wife decided to walk most of the course to keep her clothes dry.
The Condition of Tony Butler Golf Course
Walking the fairways wasn’t much better. Puddles, rivers, and what seemed like natural ponds, were all over the course. I thought we were in Minnesota – the “land of 10,000 lakes!”
The ponds on the Tony Butler Golf Course overflowed and, in some of the bigger and deeper puddles on the fairways, I expected to see gators, kayakers, and fish. Alas, all I saw was my golf ball!
According to the golf rules, if you hit into “standing water,” you can remove the ball from the water and drop it one club length away. I tried that and there was no standing water to drop my ball into. The fairway was wet and my swing ended with mud, grass, and water showering my entire body as my ball landed into the puddle 50 yards away. I decided to forget the golf rules and drop wherever I could find dry ground.
Fighting the Weather On the Tony Butler Golf Course Fairway
During our round, the sky was overcast and it was drizzling rain. The forecast included more rain. The course rules changed to cart path only. We nearly had the whole course to ourselves. We shocked the pro shop staff when we showed up for our tee time! As it turned out, there were two other golfers playing the course. Plus, we saw jackrabbits, squirrels, lots of water fowl, and a huge tarantula swimming in a big puddle of water on the cart path!
With only two other players on the course, the pace of play would normally be fantastic. However, because we were playing cart path only, we experienced long detours to avoid standing water. We also had difficulty finding dry ground to hit our ball from. On the ninth hole, we passed a fellow golfer going the other way and he said, “I thought I was the only fool out here.”
The water did have deliver good news. We didn’t have to hit out of the bunkers because all of them were soaking wet. Most were half full of water. All that sand, water, and palm trees swaying in the breeze made me think of the beach. I felt tempted to head back to the camper to get my beach chair and a pina colada!
Would We Golf at Tony Butler in the Rain Again?
Avid golfers don’t let any of that stuff get them down. They don’t get discouraged from finishing a round. After our round of golf, we ordered cold beers and agreed that we had a unique and fun experience! But we also agree we would not do it again!
My pants, hat, shoes, golf balls, windbreaker, and golf bag were all wet and muddy. Mud caked our cart and it looked like it had been in an off-road mud race.
We can’t wait to play Tony Butler Golf Course when it’s dry. I sure liked the cute little clay cowboy hats that we used as tee box markers. Here is a link to or review of Tony Butler Golf Course. If you’re looking for some good courses in the Rio Grande Valley, check out our list of the Best Rio Grande Valley Golf Courses.
Author: Mike Sharp
I have a passion for travel and outdoor activities, and now I'm enjoying retired life. I will continue my traveling, golfing, boating, and enjoying life all across the great state of Texas.
