Texas' 5 Must-Play Golf Courses In Houston, According To Reviews

Finding your swing is probably the most important part of a great day out golfing. But it's closely followed by having good weather. So you can imagine why people pack their clubs when visiting Houston, a city where the chance of rain rarely exceeds 40% during the year.

Choice isn't an issue here either. While Houston may not have the fame of other golfing destinations in America, like Las Vegas and Scottsdale, it still offers around 80 public and private courses within its greater metro area. Some of these have set the stage for iconic PGA tournaments, such as the U.S. Open. Others maintain the spirit of golf by providing affordable and accessible public courses as lovingly kept as any private one.

If you already know you want to get in a few rounds during your next visit to Houston, there's really only one question left to answer. Where should you play? To help you decide, we've tracked down five must-play courses in Houston's metro area. We've used official golf blogs and referred to reviews from avid golfers on Google, GolfPass, and Tripadvisor to bring you this list, in no particular order.

Moody Gardens is the top-rated golf course in Houston on GolfPass, with a 4.6-star rating from over 1,000 reviews. Playing here requires more time commitment than others around the city, as you have to drive just over 50 miles southeast to Galveston Island. But it's also this island setting that makes Moody Gardens such an alluring golf course, providing scenic water views and uninterrupted horizons as you drive down the fairways.

The course offers 18 holes of varying lengths and challenges, totaling 6,900 yards that must often be covered in strong winds off the Gulf of Mexico (renamed the Gulf of America in 2025 by U.S. President Donald Trump). You also need to navigate bunkers and water hazards on most holes. You can practice your swing at the on-site driving range or stock up on balls, clubs, and other gear at the pro shop. After your round, you can grab a drink and a club sandwich at the Pelican Grille, which overlooks the course.

Despite its picturesque nature, well-kept course, and high-quality amenities, Moody Gardens remains a public golf course designed for locals and visitors alike to enjoy. At the time of writing, the cost to play 18 holes here ranges from $37.25 to $83, depending on whether you're a Texas resident or non-resident and playing mid-week or on the weekend. You'll need to pay $22 extra if you want to rent a cart. "My son and I had a fantastic time playing here twice over Thanksgiving break. Course was in excellent condition, prices are good, and the people here are very friendly and helpful," one person wrote on Google.

If you've ever wanted to play the same courses as the pros, the Golf Club of Houston's Tournament Course is one of your best options. It's the home of the Houston Open, yet despite this prestige, it's still open to the public on non-tournament days. Playing 18 holes typically costs around $150 for a morning tee time for up to four people, at the time of writing. If you're happy to tee off in the afternoon or evening, you can usually pay about $90.

The course here is one of the top picks among golfers on GolfPass, with over 90% of former visitors on the platform recommending it. The 18-hole, par-72 championship course totals more than 7,400 yards and will test your skills from the first hole until the last. The fairways and greens are well-maintained, while the bunkers and water hazards make those pinpoint shots all the more satisfying. And if you're having a bad game, it helps to remember this course has tested some of the best to ever play.

The Golf Club of Houston is also a nature escape less than 20 miles from the city center. The vast area, which includes another 18-hole course that's only for members, is full of native flora and fauna. All this helps create more solitude and peace as you play. The on-site Academy is also helpful if you want to improve your game under the guidance of former pro golfers. They offer one-on-one and family lessons, as well as expert club fitting.

Hermann Park offers one of Houston's best golf courses when it comes to proximity to downtown. It's only about a 15-minute drive from the city center, but is also accessible via bus and METRORail (Purple and Red lines) in under one hour. To get there from downtown, you'll also typically pass through Midtown, a lively urban hub with skyline views and global restaurants.

Hermann Park is a worthwhile golf course for more than just its location. It has 4.3 stars from over 900 Google reviews and is one of the top-rated golf courses in the city on Tripadvisor. The public course is a little smaller than others on this list, but still has 18 holes for a respectable par-70 challenge that includes bunkers and water traps. This helps make it more accessible for players of varying skill levels. It's also more walkable than other Houston courses, but you can rent carts if needed.

This is one of the most affordable courses in Houston, costing $29 for a round during the week or $41.30 on the weekend (at time of writing). It can be as cheap as $14.80 if you play as late as possible in the day during the week. Hermann Park also has a driving range where you can hit 100 balls for $12. The clubhouse isn't the most extravagant, but it does offer a space to refuel and chat after your round. Some people complain about the noise from car traffic and the number of people playing, but that's usually the payoff for having a course of this size, quality, and affordability so close to downtown.

Wildcat Golf Club is located in Houston's southern suburbs, about 12 miles from the city center. It's also about a 20-minute drive away from Bellaire, known for its lively nightlife, parks, and charming cafes. Wildcat Golf Club has two championship-caliber 18-hole courses, both of which come highly recommended on GolfPass with over 1,200 combined reviews. It also has a driving range, putting and chipping greens, and a clubhouse restaurant with course views. Depending on what time and day you wish to play, a round of 18 holes costs between $49 and $110, including cart hire.

The Lakes Course has a 92% recommendation rate on GolfPass and lives up to its name by challenging players with lake hazards on almost half of its holes. This 7,016-yard course also has sweeping views of Houston's city skyline from its first hole, which is elevated above the city. When you combine these elements with fast greens, blind shots, split fairways, and well-placed bunkers, you're in for a scenic, albeit challenging, round.

The Highlands Course is slightly shorter but no less scenic, with even more opportunities to admire Houston's high-rises from its elevated tees and greens. These dramatic elevation changes throughout the 18 holes increase the course's intensity. The greens have also been designed and shaped to test players' shot accuracy. There aren't as many water hazards on this one, which might be better for less experienced players. The Highlands has a similarly high (90%) recommendation rate on GolfPass at the time of writing.

Wilderness Golf Course is one of the most consistently recommended courses on GolfPass, with a 94% recommendation score and a 4.5-star rating from over 460 reviews. It's also one of the highest-rated courses on Google, with 4.7 stars from over 150 reviews. The downside is you'll need a car to play here, as it's about 54 miles south of Downtown Houston in Lake Jackson. The silver lining is that Lake Jackson is also a beautiful Gulf Coast escape with vibrant marine life and thriving bird sanctuaries.

The golf course lives up to its name, offering 18 holes set in pristine Texas wilderness that transports you far from the hustle and noise of the city. These holes often feature native flora and birdlife, picturesque water hazards, and thoughtfully placed bunkers to both distract and challenge you during your round. Recent hurricane damage may have diminished its quality a little, but improvements and repairs are slowly but surely bringing it back to its former state. "Great course and staff. Excellent condition and very reasonable rates... Well worth the drive from Houston," one person wrote on Google.

Other people say the quality of play here, compared to the cost, makes this course one of the area's gems. While it's not as cheap as others in Houston, non-residents can still play 18 holes for $77 during the week or $88 on weekends. You can also play for less if you tee off after 1 p.m. ($57 to $63) or after 3 p.m. ($40 to $42). Anyone looking to improve their game can also train with a PGA pro during five-lesson group sessions on the course for $125 per person.

To compile this list of five must-play golf courses in Houston, we researched all the possible golf courses within the Greater Houston metropolitan area. We used official Houston tourism sites, such as Visit Houston Texas, as well as the online golf coach finder platform, Skillest, for this research. We cross-referenced these courses with the top-ranked ones on Tripadvisor and GolfPass, an online golf membership and content platform. We also checked each course's overall rating and individual reviews on Google.

For this list, we prioritized public golf courses that don't require players to have a membership. We also chose courses with at least a 4-star rating on Google or a 90% or higher recommendation rate on GolfPass.