Columbia Lakes is back

CougarRed · September 13, 2019

Re-opened as Heritage Oaks in July. Tom Fazio design that debuted in 1973. I believe Fazio updated the design in 1989.

Columbia Lakes has been the site of many college and amateur tournaments throughout the years, and was rated by the DMN as recently as 2017 as the 7th best public course in the state with green fees under $50.

The current scorecard shows a par 72 course rated at 74.3/142 & 6,988 yards from the Blues, and 70.6/131 & 6,313 from the White tees. The fairways are 419 hybrid Bermuda and the greens are Tiff Dwarf

About 20 miles NW of Wilderness/Lake Jackson. Their [Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/heritageoaksgolfcourseCL/ "Facebook page") seems to be active but the online tee time tool at their [website](http://www.heritageoaksgolfcourse.com "website") does not appear to be working. I would definitely call (at 979-345-1552) before going out there. Green fees appear to be $25 which includes cart. Closed Mondays.

Anyone played it since it re-opened?

RickK · September 22, 2019

I would be interested in hearing about it too. Back in the day, it was a great place to go down for a few days to stay and play golf. But, the course became an absolute goat track. Last time I was there, if it had not been for the weeds in the fairways...there would have been nothing green. It was terrible.

Sure hope they can bring it back. Was always fun to play there...again a long long time ago.

Birdyjuice · September 27, 2019

My parents had a membership there back in the late 80s/early 90s, it was a pretty nice club and golf course. I was pretty young so never played more than a couple holes with my dad but i remember the golf course being in good shape. Like a lot of other courses though they kept raising rates, people started dropping memberships and the course started going down hill quickly. Last i heard it was in terrible condition, but that was a couple years ago. It would be awesome if it made a comeback because its a good layout. May have to check it out the next time i'm in the area.

Ani · September 5, 2023

Will this course ever reopen? Such a nice quiet area ompared to Houston

b_smith07 · September 7, 2023

Sadly, I dont think it ever will. It was a gem in 80's and 90's, and middle-tier in the early 2000's but money and greed ruined it. Tenneco allegedly owned it in the 80's and pumped money into it for the hotel and reservoirs and the Fazio renovation. Hosted the SWC Championship for many years. I was lucky to have been a member there as a junior when my dad lived out there in the 90's and 2000's. It sold to group of investors and head pro from San Antonio and they drove it in the ground. Great track, narrow fairways and huge oaks eveywhere, with water and OB on nearly every hole.

Once the course went belly up, they tried to bring it back multiple times with the HOA actually fronting some money to keep it semi-operational. Sadly, unless an investor came in and spent a few million to re-sod/seed, redo irrigation (all of it - it was on its last leg a few times in the 2000's) and renovate the clubhouse and villas (which I think they sold most all of them to private parties) it wont ever reopen. Its a shame, because when it was even decent, it was such a good golf course. I also believe alot of the tropical storms and hurricanes of the 2000's and 2010's took out some of the oaks that defined alot of the holes or shot values. They also started building a ton of cheap spec-type homes in the neighborhood.

MAROON79 · September 7, 2023

Tenneco absolutely owned it. I worked for various Tenneco subsidiaries in the summers during college. One summer I spent a few days welding metal "O" rings to rebar so they could use them to rope off areas they didn't want carts travelling. The next summer I worked in the accounting department of Tenneco Realty and my job was to make the closing accounting entries each month for Columbia Lakes. It was as a job that took about an hour to perform and I was expected to stretch it to a week!

Always loved playing the course. we would get groups together and rent the cabanas for a weekend and play 36/54 a day.

Lobby · September 9, 2023

I had my only hole in one at Columbia Lakes many years ago. Number 6? Number 7? I can't remember the hole.

With a Ping Eye 2 six iron.

Columbia Lakes was my favorite course in the area.

edit: they also had a great practice facility. On the left side of the range they had small trees spaced 10 yards apart so you could practice your wedge play.

Edited September 9, 2023 by Lobby