North Houston/Woodlands, TX - Memberships

[jmcm87]

Any members around the Woodlands area with advice/recommendations for folks that don't want to pay a $15k initiation fee and $600 per month? 

 

Limited budget, but $150 tee times at GC of Houston are getting old. I'd be good with a couple K in initiation and $150 - 200 per month. Sunday through Friday. 

 

Thanks in advance - JM

[DonatelloNobodie]

A long time ago, I was a member at Woodlands.  I enjoyed it, but often wished I’d joined Champions instead, for roughly the same cost.

 

Courses that I enjoyed in your area:

Fish Creek (now Woodforest, I think)
Windrose
Augusta Pines
High Meadow Ranch

 

I’ve heard that the old Woodlands CC split, with the 2 resort courses being part of The Golf Trails at Lake Windcrest. I’m not sure how this is or isn’t connected to Woodlands CC.

Club Corp manages both, I think.  Also Willow Creek in that area.

 

Other courses north of Houston that I remember:

Black Horse
Cypresswood
Gleannloch Pines
Longwood
Tour 18

[oneunderbogey]

200 bucks per month budget in the woodlands is going to get you no where...

[jmcm87]

4 hours ago, oneunderbogey said:

200 bucks per month budget in the woodlands is going to get you no where...

I'm good with travelling outside. Magnolia/Tomball looks like best bet so far. Most affordable is High Meadow Ranch in Magnolia.

Edited December 24, 2021 by jmcm87

[cjblake09]

glenloch is around 250-300 and pretty good.  
 

The Woodlands split their membership again now The old Trails courses are part of the Woodlands lower tier membership along with The Palmer.  The Player and TPC are the upper tier courses. 

[oneunderbogey]

22 hours ago, jmcm87 said:

I'm good with travelling outside. Magnolia/Tomball looks like best bet so far. Most affordable is High Meadow Ranch in Magnolia.

 

High meadow is a public course and 350 a month. Like I said 200 gets you no where. It's 2022 a dollar doesn't buy what it used to. 

[DonatelloNobodie]

21 hours ago, cjblake09 said:

glenloch is around 250-300 and pretty good.  
 

The Woodlands split their membership again now The old Trails courses are part of the Woodlands lower tier membership along with The Palmer.  The Player and TPC are the upper tier courses. 

Way back when I was a Woodlands member, it had 99 holes.  West & North (now called Trails, I guess), TPC (back when it was really a TPC course and hosted the Shell), Palmer (18 becoming 27 holes), and Player.   I learned after joining that membership in Champions was about the same cost & wished I'd done that.  Is that still true?

[jmcm87]

Anyone with experience at Lake Windcrest? 

[jmcm87]

Well, joining Champions GC 😆

 

Thanks folks!

[ND2005]

Well that’s different 

[jmcm87]

On 12/29/2021 at 8:27 PM, ND2005 said:

Well that’s different 

Came down to Champions GC and trying to work something out with GC of Houston. I live in Magnolia/SW Corner of The Woodlands so proximity was the deciding factor. Jackrabbit is okay but playing Cypress Creek sold it for me. 

[nitram]

On 12/29/2021 at 1:49 PM, jmcm87 said:

Well, joining Champions GC 😆

 

Thanks folks!

Good choice. BTW, did you even consider Carlton Woods?

[jmcm87]

1 minute ago, nitram said:

Good choice. BTW, did you even consider Carlton Woods?

Hahaha I mean, who really even needs both kidneys, right? 

[Judge Smales]

GCOH initiation going up to $30k now. As a member myself, that’s a complete joke. 

[jmcm87]

2 hours ago, Judge Smales said:

GCOH initiation going up to $30k now. As a member myself, that’s a complete joke. 

If you're needing a guest some Sunday on the members course.... ✋

[oneunderbogey]

Champions is awesome congrats on joining... No where near your original budget but an awesome place you'll have fun there.

[jmcm87]

20 hours ago, oneunderbogey said:

Champions is awesome congrats on joining... No where near your original budget but an awesome place you'll have fun there.

Thanks! Best value I could find within 30min radius of the house. 

[PeterPing]

I practiced at champions my first year on tour. Didn’t hurt that Jackie Burke JR was there either. 

[DonatelloNobodie]

On 12/29/2021 at 2:49 PM, jmcm87 said:

Well, joining Champions GC 😆

 

Thanks folks!

Great choice!

 

20 years ago, I was a member at Woodlands.  I played at Champions quite a few times with a friend who was a member.  Woodlands courses were great, but I wished that I'd joined Champions instead.

 

Jackie Burke joined us for coffee one morning and we had a memorable chat.  Champions has the best locker room / 19 hole that I've ever seen.  Playing those courses and playing with the class of golfers who are members there will do great things for your game.  

[farmer]

My BIL is a member at High Meadow Ranch and lives in the development.  $350 a month, Mon-Fri access, he thinks there is a waiting list.  Lots of outside events, but his group makes tee times two weeks out.

[tagermo]

As a long time Member of The Woodlands CC since the takeover by ClubCorp I would NOT recommend anyone to join this club. Although I am still a member dues have increased 20% this year alone with a loss of benefits. Elimination of Senior Dues, Young Executive program and several other programs that when ClubCorp purchased from Sequoia we were told by ClubCorp representatives that any programs we currently have would not be eliminated, this was a bald face lie.  

 

When questioned recently we were told "we can do anything we want". Dues have gone from $650 a month to $1,050 per month in a year. At Clubcorp you are a dues payer not a Member. 

 

Woodforest is a good option in the area and also Walden on Lake Conroe has a dues program for $250 per month which I also hear grants playing privileges to Northgate. 

[nitram]

Woodforest has the best greens in the Houston area.

[jmcm87]

On 1/6/2022 at 9:39 AM, nitram said:

Woodforest has the best greens in the Houston area.

I just had some club work done at Worleys off Klein Rd. I was talking to the PGA Pro there and he said Woodforest and several other locals only went private at the start of Covid. Man, I drive by Woodforest every day on the way to work. I really wish they would open it up to the public again....

[nitram]

Yep, when COVID started they had a $2500. initiation and filled up almost overnight. Now it’s $15K and a waiting list that’s about a year deep. I’m not a member there, just play there with a few guys who are.
 

I don’t see them going back to semi-private or public just because the current model is working and they can’t accommodate the demand now. But all good things come to an end so you never know. . .

 

 

[mitchnpat1]

i was a member of Golf Trails of the Woodlands from Aug 2019-Sep 2020. it was amazing. all downhill since that date 

[Ty-Webb]

double post

Edited February 9, 2023 by Ty-Webb

[Ty-Webb]

On 1/8/2022 at 12:47 PM, nitram said:

Yep, when COVID started they had a $2500. initiation and filled up almost overnight. Now it’s $15K and a waiting list that’s about a year deep. I’m not a member there, just play there with a few guys who are.
 

I don’t see them going back to semi-private or public just because the current model is working and they can’t accommodate the demand now. But all good things come to an end so you never know. . .

 

 

 

Woodforest is now at 20k, 750 single

 

What's Champions running these days? 

Edited February 9, 2023 by Ty-Webb

[darnthealarm]

On 1/6/2022 at 6:29 AM, tagermo said:

As a long time Member of The Woodlands CC since the takeover by ClubCorp I would NOT recommend anyone to join this club. Although I am still a member dues have increased 20% this year alone with a loss of benefits. Elimination of Senior Dues, Young Executive program and several other programs that when ClubCorp purchased from Sequoia we were told by ClubCorp representatives that any programs we currently have would not be eliminated, this was a bald face lie.  

 

When questioned recently we were told "we can do anything we want". Dues have gone from $650 a month to $1,050 per month in a year. At Clubcorp you are a dues payer not a Member. 

 

Woodforest is a good option in the area and also Walden on Lake Conroe has a dues program for $250 per month which I also hear grants playing privileges to Northgate. 

I belong to Fair Oaks Ranch CC a ClubCorp facility. What a joke. The clubhouse is a dump. The pros are a joke and the GM has the personality of a tree stump. Rules are not enforced. Children run wild. I would never do business with ClubCorp again. 

[tagermo]

ClubCorp has such a bad reputation that they had to change their name to INVITED in the hopes of doing an IPO. 

 

The Woodlands CC last year generated $44 million in revenue and our dues were raised 18%. The reasoning was increased labor, water and fertilizer costs. Kingwood CC is about 15 - 20 miles away and they had an 8% increase, interesting that labor, water and fertilizer costs would be so drastically different, sarcasm its not its just another LIE from CC management in Dallas. 

 

In 2021 our dues went up and they wanted to set a limit on the number of members due to compaction of tee times. Suddenly we were full and now they are selling more memberships , appears compaction went away, another LIE from CC. 

 

Raised our dues in 2021 and said by doing so they would be able to lessen the number of outside tournaments, in 2022 we actually had an increase in outside tournaments, management said these had been pre-sold, another LIE. 

 

Also have an outside golf events sales person, hum you want to lessen the number of outside tournaments but hire someone to market outside tournaments, another LIE. 

 

Our courses get zero days of rest, the days they are closed to the members there is always an outside event. I always thought days the club was closed were for maintenance to work on the course. At the Woodlands no work is done on the course on the off days as they don't want to interfere with outside tournaments, so all maintenance is done whilst members are playing. They don't care about the membership at all. The Woodlands is their number 1 revenue source and they treat us like dogs. All decisions are made at the corporate level in Dallas, the local golf staff are good but their hands are tied. 

[davbrucas]

On 2/18/2023 at 8:34 AM, tagermo said:

ClubCorp has such a bad reputation that they had to change their name to INVITED in the hopes of doing an IPO. 

 

The Woodlands CC last year generated $44 million in revenue and our dues were raised 18%. The reasoning was increased labor, water and fertilizer costs. Kingwood CC is about 15 - 20 miles away and they had an 8% increase, interesting that labor, water and fertilizer costs would be so drastically different, sarcasm its not its just another LIE from CC management in Dallas. 

 

In 2021 our dues went up and they wanted to set a limit on the number of members due to compaction of tee times. Suddenly we were full and now they are selling more memberships , appears compaction went away, another LIE from CC. 

 

Raised our dues in 2021 and said by doing so they would be able to lessen the number of outside tournaments, in 2022 we actually had an increase in outside tournaments, management said these had been pre-sold, another LIE. 

 

Also have an outside golf events sales person, hum you want to lessen the number of outside tournaments but hire someone to market outside tournaments, another LIE. 

 

Our courses get zero days of rest, the days they are closed to the members there is always an outside event. I always thought days the club was closed were for maintenance to work on the course. At the Woodlands no work is done on the course on the off days as they don't want to interfere with outside tournaments, so all maintenance is done whilst members are playing. They don't care about the membership at all. The Woodlands is their number 1 revenue source and they treat us like dogs. All decisions are made at the corporate level in Dallas, the local golf staff are good but their hands are tied. 

Wow...I was thinking about joining and have a round scheduled on Thursday. Think I am going to cancel now.