Filling a golf course from every tee to green with golfers is almost always the goal on the golf management side.
How the courses meet that goal varies, especially when it comes to attracting Winter Texans and where they choose to play. There are a lot of golf courses in the Valley, many easily accessible right off the highway so the competition is tough.
Last year’s Winter Texan Times Lower Valley favorite courses – South Padre Island in Laguna Vista, River Bend and Valley International Country Club, both in Brownsville, run the gamut when it comes to the question “What makes a winning golf course?”
The three Lower Valley winners from last year all have at least one thing in common – transformation.
South Padre Island Golf Course was slowly withering, maybe resting on its laurels but also being beaten into submission by the weather and the golf traffic. However, the “Hollywood Star” of the Valley just by virtue of its name, location and amazing views was dimming.
The expectations obviously are high when you play a course named after one of the most exhilarating vacation destinations in the country. But that’s not enough for most avid golfers.
Ownership changed hands and the course “got back to work,” furiously and purposefully attacking areas that may have distracted from the natural beauty and challenging layout of the Valley’s gem of a course.
Now, the grass is greener, the golf cart paths are smoother and, with the most picturesque sights from many tees of the Laguna Madre and South Padre Island in the distance, the view at South Padre Island Golf Club is once again enough to get you to go back time and again. It’s back to where it needs to be on everyone’s bucket list of things to do/see if anywhere near it.
And when you’re done with battling all of the elements that the 6,800-yard course has to challenge you, including a menacing wind, remember the location – you’re just a “stone’s throw away” from a nice relaxing – or wild and crazed – evening on South Padre Island.
River Bend gave itself to the Valley and it was a gift that keeps on giving.
Ever since the beautifully designed golf course opened and shared its beauty with the rest of the world, the course has sky-rocketed to a perennial favorite among Winter Texans, and across the Valley.
Its design and gorgeous array of flora and fauna alone is enough to push it into a winner’s category.
River Bend was built as a nine-hole course but expanded to 18 holes in 1985. It’s situated along the banks of the Rio Grande and was once considered one of the best-kept golf secrets in the Valley. In some ways, it still is – every golfer who finds it wants to keep it to themselves and their closest golfing buddies.
Just because it’s a beautiful course, however, isn’t the only reason that it keeps it among the perennial winner’s list.
The name “River Bend” is derived from the huge bend in the Rio Grande that borders the resort and provides the property with a lush tropical setting. Plants and birds not seen elsewhere in the U.S. are common here.
The course is also just plain fun to play. It gives golfers a wide variety of challenges, wide open holes, tight fairways and elevation changes that are unique to the RGV golf courses.
They have also removed some trees too where a beautiful view of the river emerges, and it could make you forget that you’re golfing and not just sightseeing.
Valley International Golf Course will win you over at hello.
And while you may not see it immediately from the parking lot, this course has worked to be better every day. That means fewer complaints and a better golf experience. That surely makes it a winner of winners. From major improvements to the simplest and most subtle changes VICC has shown meticulous care for both its course and its golfers.
Of course, when it comes to food – which every golf stomach is looking out for – the country club part of the course shines brightly and can easily make you forget if you had a bad round or add to the pleasantries of a good one.
From tender loving care to magnificent scenic views of the course to the food offered, these three Winter Texan winners have surely found the blueprint to success.
Brownsville Golf Center is exactly what a municipal course should be, inviting and available to all levels of golfers. That is not to say it is not challenging, and water comes into play on most holes. Also, you still have to carry that water at times and be strategic on several holes, deciding how much you want to cut a corner or to “go for it.”
Long Island Village Golf Course is located just across the Intracoastal Waterway via a swing bridge from Port Isabel and provides vacation rentals as well as permanent residences. And don't be fooled – just because it's a par-3 course doesn't mean you can leave some of your clubs back at the house. With the unpredictable wind – in both strength and direction – you may have to choose between three or four clubs.
Playing at Rancho Viejo is likened to taking a vacation at an exotic resort. With all of the amenities – including rentals for a short visit – this is the place for a staycation. A gorgeous pool with an outdoor bar, a restaurant with the highest quality of food and service, a wide arrangement of clothing and accessories in the pro shop... the list goes on. The course is “playable yet challenging, stretching over 6,800 yards from the back tees,” according to its website.
Lower RGV Golf Courses
Brownsville Golf Center
Address: 180 W. San Marcello, Brownsville
Phone: (956) 541-2582
Description: 18-hole, par-70, municipal course
Website: www.brownsvilletx.gov/431/Golf-Center
Yardage: Blue – 6,144; White – 5,652; Red – 5,091
Amenities: Chip and putt green, snack bar
Daily and monthly rates available, memberships available
Long Island Village Golf Course
Address: 33840 S. Garcia St., Port Isabel
Website: www.longislandvillage.com
Phone: (956) 943-7520
Description: 18-hole, par-3 course
Yardage: Red – 1,356, White – 1,450
Amenities: Putting green, pro shop with gifts and a bar with draft beer
$14 green fee
Open to the general public
Rancho Viejo Resort and Country Club
Address: 1 Rancho Viejo Drive, Rancho Viejo
Website: www.rvrcc.com
Phone: (956) 350-4000
Description: 18-hole, Par-72
Yardage: Red – 5,097; White – 5,313; Blue – 5,919; Gold – 6,434
Amenities: Rancho Viejo Resort & Country Club's practice facilities offer a full-length driving range, a large putting green, Total Golf, and a short game area.
Memberships required. Total Golf open to the public.
River Bend Golf Course
Address: 4541 US-281, Brownsville
Website: www.riverbendresort.us
Phone: (956) 548-0192
Description: Par-72, 18 holes
Yardage: Gold – 6,800; Blue 6,300; Whites 5,700; Front about 5,000
Amenities: putting green, snack bar, hot dogs, hamburgers, snacks, driving
Memberships available, open to the public, seasonal and yearly rates (minimum of 3 months), Winter Texan rates available
South Padre Island Golf Club
Address: 1 Golf House Road, Laguna Vista
Website: www.spigolf.com
Phone: (956) 943-4653
Description: Par-72, 18 Holes
Yardage: Gold – 4,079; Red – 5,320; white – 5,542; Blue – 6,291; Black – 6,931
Amenities: Practice facilities, range, putting green, Divots bar/grill, pro shop
Variable and seasonal rates, weekday and weekend rates available.
Valley International Country Club
Address: 301 McFadden, Brownsville
Website: www.valleyinternationalgolf.com
Phone: (956) 548-9199
Description: 18-hole, par-70
Yardage: White – 4,924; Black – 5,517; Blue – 6,130; Orange – 6,538
Amenities: Golf shop, practice green, bar
Open to the public
