NOVEMBER 22, 2023 www.wintertexantimes.com 12 WINTER TEXAN TIMES Elliott’s Custom Golf 712 N 77 Sunshine Strip #20 Harlingen, TX 78550 (877) 428-5448 • elliott@customclubs.net SKYTRACK LAUNCH MONITOR Improve your game and receive instant and real-time 3D shot analysis and ball-flight data. Identify strengths, weaknesses & dispersion • Bag Mapping to select the right clubs on the course • Wedge Matrix to master short game Five Star Customer Ratings - Google Reviews COMPUTERIZED CUSTOM CLUB FITTING pandemic, it has become harder and harder to find hidden gems on the golf course. Now, they’re precious gems. This year, we will be running a three-part series introducing these gems in three categories – lower, middle, and upper Valley. These hidden gems are recommended by the golf pros, or regulars, at the golf courses. Hidden gems, diamonds in the rough, unexpected surprises — like finding an extra $20 that was forgotten in the pocket of a pair of pants — can have a profound positive effect on one’s day. Similarly, golf courses have some gems of their own. Sure, they have their “signature holes,” usually the most difficult, most scenic, or most unique (most of the times all three) GOLF From pg. 1 hole on the course. But hidden away are those other holes that bring a smile to a golfer’s face (sometimes dread). Some of the courses in the Upper Rio Grande Valley that often appear on top of Winter Texans’ favorite places to play are no different. And, over the years have made some changes to not only improve the course but also have made some of their gems all “shiny and new again.” CHAMPION LAKES, MCALLEN Before you even get to the golf course at Champion Lakes, there’s a hard-to-hide hidden gem (does that even make sense) that was constructed three years ago. “The driving range here is amazing,” Golf Director Carlos Espinosa said. “You won’t find many driving ranges of this size and quality that are open to the public in the United States. I honestly, don’t know if there are any.” The range is 130 yards in length by 52 yards in width. It’s open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. seven days a week. “It’s a monster,” Espinosa said. “It almost looks like a football field.” There are some times when the range will carry as many people as the course. You could spend an entire day at the range, or on the putting/chipping green and in the clubhouse for a signature Champion Lakes hamburger and fries, or anything else on their menu, and never get to the golf course. If you do take a trip to play 18, the 340-yard par-4 No. 10 is a gem that will challenge golfers from the tee, more from the approach and finally on the putt, if you’re lucky enough to get on the green in two. “The way the wind blows, the way the green slopes, and with the lake in front of the green – a small green, it makes it very difficult,” Espinosa said. “It’s very hidden.” The key to the hole is to get a good tee shot that lands between 120-130 yards from the green. However, it’s not the tee shot that’s difficult – comparatively speaking -- it’s the next one. “That’s where the challenge begins,” Espinosa said. “The wind can be up and down there. Then if you come up short on the green – you can go five or six yards past the water, but the way the green is sloped, it will trickle back and could end up in the water, just like at Augusta.” ALAMO COUNTRY CLUB Once considered the ultimate hidden gem throughout the entire Rio Grande Valley, Alamo Country Club is a place everyone needs to play, whether in a tournament, as a resident, or on the golf course. The holes are challenging, more so than one would think. The traps and other “dangers” have been carefully put in places where clearly the designers were thinking about the golfers (and envisioning the looks of anger and frustration). There are some scenic holes – the more scenic, the more difficult, and you might walk in not knowing anybody Shary Municipal Golf Course. Photo by Carina Brunson Champion Lakes. Photo by Henry Miller
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