Riverchase Country Club

Solid layout. No two holes alike. Two of the hardest finishing holes on both nines in the city.

Played after 3 pm as a guest for $43, which is an excellent value for our area. If you don't have a friend that is a member, check out the Hyatt Regency hotel at the Galleria mall nearby. They have very reasonable stay and play packages that can get you access to the course.

Conditioning was really good. Fairways were nice. Bunkers were very consistent. Bent grass greens a little stressed from heat and pitch marks, but rolled good and were not a liability.

Very underrated private layout. What I like about Riverchase is that you don't blindly reach for driver on every par 4/5. It is a thinking players' course, which is why some of my friends aren't thrilled with it. The collection of par 3s are very good. More elevation change than I would have expected. The ninth hole, at 401 yards, is an all-star par 4. It plays longer than the scorecard yardage because of a lake guarding part of the front and left sides of the green. It would have made for an excellent finishing hole.