Redstone GC (Rees Jones Tournament Course)
Humble, TX (Just north of Houston near George Bush Airport)
Redstone's watery risk/reward finishing hole
GolfChannel.com/TravelGolf.com, 3/11
Architect: Rees Jones. Yardage: 7,422. Par: 72. '12 Greens Fees: $150. Tee Times: 281-459-7820
Fat Guy Review, 2012: You could call Redstone "The Augusta National of Texas". Due to the Shell Houston Open usually falling the week before The Masters on the Tour schedule, about 7 years back Redstone's Superintendent started to set the course up similar to Augusta for the tournament (super-fast greens, only a short "second cut" of rough, fairways mowed back towards the tee box to reduce roll, etc.) to encourage Tour pros to play at the Shell to prepare for The Masters, rather than just practicing at home the week before. After a few years of this, they even went so far as to remove some of Redstone's more rustic features like tall grasses and bushes, to give it more of a manicured feel, like Augusta.
Tip: Want a PGA Tour course all to yourself, like it's your own private country club? Make a tee time on an NFL Sunday during a Houston Texans game like I did (assuming your home team is playing in another time slot--gotta have your priorities in order). I played alone, and for the first 12 holes I only saw five other people on the course. I finally caught a slow foursome on 12, who graciously let me play through two holes later. Talk about a great experience!
Redstone was probably in my Top 10 U.S. golf experiences ever. I practically had the place to myself that day, guided around by an earnest (mandatory) young forecaddie named Jessie, who was good (but short of great) with course management advice, and OK with reading the greens. Pace of play was great, as I made it around in 3-1/2 leisurely hours. Conditions were very good. The Tour spec greens rolled as true as anywhere I've ever played, and the layout was a nice mix of wide fairways and cape holes lined with woods, wetlands, and water. A couple "driveable" par-4's create some fun risk/reward scenarios. Like much of Texas, the track is pretty flat. And while it's located in the middle of a massive housing development, there isn't a single McMansion to be seen from the course. The one caveat here is that with a handfull of exceptions (like the water-lined 18th above), overall it lacks super-memorable holes for the high-end greens fees.
Tip: Semi-private PGA Tour host courses don't need tiered greens fee schedules or twilight rates to keep the tee sheets filled, and there's isn't much of an off-season for golf in Houston. To get a rare 20% discount on Redstone's steep $150 greens fees, play between Thanksgiving and the first week or two of December. They usually overseed with Rye grass for the winter around Thanksgiving, so playing it shortly after Turkey Day will get you a 20% discount on greens fees for a course that's still in fantastic shape relative to the rest of the planet, but probably a degree or two shy of their usual Tour conditions, with some slightly brown grass and slightly slower (but still great) greens while they allow the Rye to grow in. And chances are it'll still be in the 60's during that time of year in Houston.
Despite the high greens fees and overall lack of really memorable holes, I'd still recommend Redstone in spades. During high season, this might be the closest you'll ever come to Augusta-like conditions. Catch it on the right day of the off-season, and you could have a Tour course practically to yourself. Great service (everyone was personable, helpful, and polite, and both guys in the pro shop helped me dig through the racks to find a new pair of shorts in my size), and a nice clubhouse too. Fat Guy Rating: 9
T&L Golf Review: "Handed a heavily wooded site, Rees Jones crafted a classic risk-reward course that's part rugged, part refined and sure to create interest as the site of the Shell Houston Open. The rough-edged bunkers look as if they were carved by hand in the 1920s, while the Tour-spec greens, intricately contoured and impressively smooth, bespeak modern technology. The layout also has good pacing to it—for instance, a drivable par four followed by a pair of hefty nonconsecutive par fives. "There's a lot of variety," says David Toms, who consulted on the design."
Redstone Golf Club near Houston is as close as you may come to playing Augusta
By MIKE BAILEY
TravelGolf.com/WorldGolf.com
"HUMBLE, Texas – When the date of the Shell Houston Open was moved to the week before the Masters in 2006, tournament officials decided to do something brilliant.
In an effort to get as many top players as possible, they prepped the Tournament Course at Redstone Golf Club like Augusta National. That meant using a combination of rye/bentgrass to overseed the greens and heavily overseeding the fairways and tees with rye, essentially turning Redstone into a winter golf course.
The players raved, and with the exception of Tiger Woods, the Shell Houston Open has been able to attract the top players in the world because they're looking for a tune-up to the Masters.
Of course, the players' endorsement and subsequent publicity has been the best form of advertising for this Rees Jones course, which was specifically designed for the PGA Tour event.
Bret Nutt, head golf professional of the Tournament Course, said in the weeks following the tournament, which is held in early April, the course is booked solid. There are outings, but there are also plenty of individual players who have seen the course on TV or walked the course during the tournament.
In short, nothing attracts players like perfect conditions, and from February to late spring, that's pretty much standard operating procedure at Redstone Golf Club, which is located just 15 minutes east of George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Redstone Golf Club: Play where the pros play
Like any course on the PGA Tour, Redstone Golf Club can offer something special – the treatment.
Here it starts with a forecaddie and the best practice facility in the Houston area.
After you arrive to your cart, you're greeted by your forecaddie, who carries your clubs to the range, wipes them clean as you finish with them and keeps you on schedule for your tee time.
Our caddie, "Hollywood," a young man with long blond hair and aspirations of going into the golf business, worked his way from Whistling Straits in his home state of Wisconsin and eventually to Houston for the winter. He earned his nickname as he gained a reputation as a "player" while caddying at golf courses in New York.
Hollywood declined to divulge the details of his escapades. Instead, he was Johnny on the spot for greens reads, finding balls, yardage and confirming club selection. Given that I was in a group of all single-digit players, the partnership worked extremely well.
Length and water at Redstone Golf Club
From the very back, Redstone plays to a par 72 and 7,422 yards. One tee up – and there are five sets in all – it's still just under 7,000 yards.
While some of the holes can play long, the course overall runs fast, which is just the way the PGA Tour players like it.
By the time you get to the fifth hole, though, you get the idea of how hard and long some of these par 4s can be. Not only is the fifth 467 yards from the back tee, but the tee shot plays around a lake, which forces you to not only hit it long but shape a driver as well to carry part of the water. From there, you're looking at a long club into a green protected by water and bunkers.
The primary defense of the course, however, is the water, which is predominant on at least half the holes. It comes into play on par 5s and par 3s and big-time on the difficult 484-yard, par-4 18th hole, considered one of the toughest finishing holes on Tour.
In fact, the last four holes represent one of the most difficult finishing stretches anywhere. The 15th is a 609-yard par 5 that features wetlands and is anything but a routine three-shotter. The 16th is a 200-yard par 3, and the 17th and 18th par 4s are both over 480 yards.
Fortunately, the 18th generally plays downwind. In the spring and winter, though, it often plays into the wind, and when that's the case, even the best players often find themselves laying up on the second shot with water all the way down the left side.
Redstone Golf Club: The verdict
Opened in 2005, Redstone Golf Club's Tournament Course is gaining a fine reputation.
The downside of the course are the treks between the first and second hole and 17th and 18th, which are separated by bayous and several hundred yards (forecaddies typically have to catch a ride here on the back of a golf cart).
But the quality of holes and superb conditioning make the fact that the course is spread over 350 acres easy to overlook.
Practice facilities here are also as good as it gets. The large range, with perfect turf, is double-sided. There's also a large chipping green, practice bunkers and two large practice greens shared by both the Tournament Course and the private course at Redstone.
Lessons are also available from the professional staff, which includes well known instructor Charlie Epps, who has worked with 2009 Masters champion Angel Cabrera.
If you play the course in spring, you can enjoy the same conditions the PGA Tour players get, which simply put is phenomenal. During the summer, as the course transitions back into Bermuda, there might be some blemishes here and there, but by in large, it's still in pretty good shape, although the course closes in the middle of summer for maintenance and late fall for overseeding."
Best Bar Nearby: Believe it or not, I didn't even stick my head in the bar at the Redstone clubhouse, but judging by the rest of the clubhouse, it's gotta be worth a beer or three and/or a meal. Redstone is part of a massive housing development that runs the gambit from townhomes to McMansions, so there's a Chili's right at the entrance to the complex for some quick grub or catching the game.
Where To Booze & Grub, Houston: See Fat Guy's Houston TX Golf Weekend, or Wildcat GC