Pearland, TX

[Lobby]

When I lived in the Houston area, I used to play a lot at Southwyk and Clear Creek.  

What's happened to them?   Still around?   Still good? 

Asking because I may start spending more time in Houston.

[SEP1006]

I've lived in Pearland since 1981 and still do. Southwyk ( now Silverlake ) has gone a little downhill. Also the pace of play out there is really slow. One of the guys I work out with is a Marshal there and says they basically have no control out. And the Pro Shop will not back them up.

 

Clear Creek stays in pretty good shape for the amount of play it gets. I haven't played there in a while but do have a couple of buddies as well as my son that does.

 

[snagy2000]

On 1/13/2021 at 11:19 AM, SEP1006 said:

I've lived in Pearland since 1981 and still do. Southwyk ( now Silverlake ) has gone a little downhill. Also the pace of play out there is really slow. One of the guys I work out with is a Marshal there and says they basically have no control out. And the Pro Shop will not back them up.

 

Clear Creek stays in pretty good shape for the amount of play it gets. I haven't played there in a while but do have a couple of buddies as well as my son that does.

 

When did Southwyck change names? Their owners are notorious for ruining golf clubs. 

[SEP1006]

5 hours ago, snagy2000 said:

When did Southwyck change names? Their owners are notorious for ruining golf clubs. 

 

That may have been misleading. The neighborhood that surrounds the course is now called Silverlake. The Course itself may / may not be called Southwyck anymore. I'll have to confirm with my buddy at the gym next time I see him.

 

Main thing is whatever it is called the course isn't well maintained  at all and pace of play is pretty slow.

[dbdors]

Their website says Southwyc all over it: https://www.southwyckgc.com

[snagy2000]

Just now, dbdors said:

Their website says Southwyc all over it: https://www.southwyckgc.com

Gotcha! I didn't figure they would change the name of the club and have to spend money rebranding it. They've ruined Sweetwater in Sugar Land. 

[SEP1006]

Man, Sweetwater used to be really nice and I loved playing there when I got the opportunity. If I'm not mistaken ( I am old though ) years ago they used to host the JC Penney classic for the LPGA.

[jacob7071]

I wouldn't pay more than about $15 to play Southwyck right now.  The conditioning has gone downhill some, but the greens have been especially bad the last few years.  The winter of '17/'18 was pretty bad for Houston, and they lost their greens.  Not sure if it was all weather related, or if their maintenance (or lack of) played a part.  They have a lot of weeds on them, so the course has just cut the greens smaller putting the weeds on the fringes.  Then the fairways are extremely bumpy too.  Not rolling like you'd think a links course would be.  Driving the cart across the fairway, you have to either go slow, or you're bouncing all over the place.  Tough course to walk as it's in the neighborhood, and there are a few long walks between holes.

 

Clear Creek is a nice course, and very nice for the price.  It does get a lot of play, so 4.5 hour rounds aren't uncommon.  But the conditioning is some of the best in the area among public courses (some bare/ugly patches between fairways, but the rough isn't supposed to be pristine).  Clear Creek is my go-to if I just want to get out and hit the ball without paying too much.

[snagy2000]

51 minutes ago, jacob7071 said:

I wouldn't pay more than about $15 to play Southwyck right now.  The conditioning has gone downhill some, but the greens have been especially bad the last few years.  The winter of '17/'18 was pretty bad for Houston, and they lost their greens.  Not sure if it was all weather related, or if their maintenance (or lack of) played a part.  They have a lot of weeds on them, so the course has just cut the greens smaller putting the weeds on the fringes.  Then the fairways are extremely bumpy too.  Not rolling like you'd think a links course would be.  Driving the cart across the fairway, you have to either go slow, or you're bouncing all over the place.  Tough course to walk as it's in the neighborhood, and there are a few long walks between holes.

 

Being cheap is the MO for this ownership group. They like to blame everything but themselves, but in reality, they have a proven track record of slashing maintenance and payroll costs across their course portfolio. Not sure why they're even in the business to be honest. 

[the bishop]

Clear Creek isn't the toughest thing you'll play but for the price its ok.  I enjoy walking and its one of the easier walks around, IMO.  One reason I like it is that it isn't a steady dose of driver off the tee.  There is a good mix of holes where hybrid off the tee or FW is the right play.  My favorite hole there is #16.  Generally a hybrid off the tee for me but you can make a big number there if you're not careful.  Sneaky good hole.