13 WINTER TEXAN TIMES www.wintertexantimes.com DECEMBER 6, 2023 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 fore, bring all your clubs – you’ll use them all. Tony Butler, Harlingen This course is a jewel of golf history. That alone is a gem for golfers of all levels and experience. The municipal course doesn’t, however, just rest on its laurels. It’s now resting (not really) on all of the work it is doing to improve the highly popular course. Right now, only nine of the 27 holes are open with the others re-opening in August or September. Butler, a PGA champion from Ganado, Texas brought some of the greatest golfers to the Valley for tournaments during the Great Depression. He was known for his use of the 4-wood, which he would sometimes play entire rounds using only that club. We just don’t recommend you try that unless you’re in the mood for a super challenge and want to be a part of the mystic lore of the course. It’s a place where golfers will always be able to reminisce about the past while making new memories once it re-opens fully. It has a unique design and is truly a gem – historically and playing wise, among not just mid-Valley courses, but among all of the courses in South Texas. Stuart Place Country Club, Harlingen There just isn’t enough time to talk about this tiny giant of a course. This is a course where “everybody knows your name.” Well, at least it has a feel like that – from the time you decide what color tees you’re going to hit from (a big deal since there is a 700-yard difference) until the time you return to the comfort of the small, but relaxing clubhouse. It feels like home, a place where your worries are thrown out the window. You can play competitively or just for fun, by yourself. There’s a certain peacefulness that comes from the moment you step onto this property. It’s unique – and it’s a must-play course. The course isn’t super difficult, but it still has its challenges, and you can’t just plan on wedges and putters, but you could probably still have fun with only that on this scenic course. Llano Grande Resort and Golf Club, Mercedes If you haven’t visited Llano Grande Golf Course, you’ve missed out. If you have visited it, you’re probably still going. Nestled quietly in the historical Delta Area, Llano Grande has racked up accolades like a high school star athlete’s trophy case. In an area that once was the agricultural Mecca of the Rio Grande Valley, it was deemed the “Magic Valley” in an attempt to draw people to the area. Now, their entire park, their convention center and their golf course continue to attract positive feedback and more accolades. The park itself was named the best large park in Texas in 2015 and 2016 by the Texas RV Association and one publication described it as a small town, but its history looms large in the development of the Rio Grande Valley. The golf course has been voted by Winter Texans to have one of the Valley’s favorite holes, No. 9. Recently it was ranked No. 20 on Golf Advisor’s top 25 most improved courses. Reviewers have also confirmed time and again this course is noticeably getting in better shape on a regular basis. The area is historical, the golf course is fun and, at least for now, a diamond hidden in the rough. However, chances are its popularity will skyrocket – so put this one on your bucket list and play it now. Tony Butler Golf Course. Golfer Dean Brown got a hole in one at Stuart Place, 2021. Last Chance to vote Go online to www.wintertexantimes.com Or use the ballot on page 14
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