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Rating Index Rating
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4.4
736 Reviews (736)
5 Stars
353
4 Stars
322
3 Stars
47
2 Stars
6
1 Stars
8
Conditions
4.2
Value
4.6
Layout
4.6
Friendliness
4.5
Pace
4.0
Amenities
4.1
95.9%
Recommend this course
707 out of 736 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.4
13 Reviews (13)
5 Stars
6
4 Stars
6
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.0
Value
4.8
Layout
4.5
Pace
3.8
Amenities
3.8
StaffFriendliness
4.7
100.0%
Recommend this course
13 out of 13 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.5
54 Reviews (54)
5 Stars
28
4 Stars
23
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.3
Value
4.8
Layout
4.6
Pace
3.9
Amenities
4.1
StaffFriendliness
4.6
98.1%
Recommend this course
53 out of 54 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Bay Forest delivers outstanding value with a fun, well-designed layout and consistently solid course conditions that drain impressively even after heavy rain. Friendly, professional staff make repeat visits a reliable choice for golfers seeking a quality round.

About

Holes 18
Type Public/Municipal
Par 72
Length 6768 yards
Slope 135
Rating 73.0

Amongst the chemical plants, refinery towers, and wood-lined waterways of La Porte lies the 18-hole Jay Riviere municipal known as Bay Forest. Riviere's design opened in 1988, featuring a tight front nine that opens up on the lake-dominated back side. Water is in play on 16 of 18 holes. Because of La Porte's proximity to the Gulf, the coastal winds make this a long course.

Despite its tight nature, the front nine offers a few nice birdie opportunities, including the short par 3 No. 6. This hole generally only requires a 9 iron to carry the bunker fronting the green.

On the back, the par 5 No. 10 is one of the most birdie-friendly holes on the course. It's followed by the signature No. 11-a great-looking dogleg right that bends around a pond to a well-bunkered green. The play with the approach on 11 is to leave it below the hole.

The par 5 No. 18 is a challenging finisher that requires good golf shots into the wind and the accuracy to avoid the water that sneaks into the fairway in the landing area from the right. The second shot must carry water and a bunker, and the recommended play on the approach is to keep it on the right side of the green.

Getting there : From Hwy. 45 south, take the 610 Loop north. When you come to Hwy. 225 head east and take the Pasadena exit. Turn right, find Hwy. 146 and go south (right). Next, get off at the Fairmont Pkwy. exit and turn left. When you get to South Broadway St., turn right and drive 1 mile to the course. The clubhouse is on the right side of the street.

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Course Details

Year Built 1988
Golf Season Year round
Architect Jay Riviere

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Pull-carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes

Food & Beverage

Bar, Grill

Available Facilities

Conference Facilities

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top Courses in Texas (2022 #5)
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Reviews

4.4
736 Reviews (736)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 15
Patio Dining 9
Brunch 6
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 25
Bunkers 14
Forced Carries 13
This course/club is great for:
Locals 20
Advanced Golfers 18
Seniors 12
This Course's Location is:
Convenient to the City 15
Worth the Drive 14
In the 'Burbs 10

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great value

Conditions are better than most in this price range.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

We had three or 4 inches of rain the day before and probably an inch or so that morning. Course was phenomenal for the amount of rain we had. It drains really well there. I play there pretty much every Friday and it's my favorite course. You can't beat the pricing either. Staff is always great. Recommend this course to anybody looking for a good round of golf.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Response from on 06/16/2025:
Thank you for the awesome review! We're so glad to hear you had a great experience and look forward to having you back again.
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Best Course around

This course is the best bang for your buck in Houston. It is always in great shape, has a great layout and is very reasonably priced.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Response from on 06/13/2025:
Thank you for the awesome review! We're so glad to hear you had a great experience and look forward to having you back again.
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great Gourse At An Excellent Price

Played there several times over the last couple of years, and the greens and fairways are consistently nice. The nice course condition makes it a great value for the price. Not particularly difficult, but the layout is fun. Only one time we were stuck behind a slow group that didn't know well enough to wave us through.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Response from on 06/06/2025:
We really appreciate the five-star rating! It’s great to know you enjoyed your visit — we’ll keep working to make every experience just as good.
Played On
Reviews 15
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 25
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Long Gone

Greens are in good shape , fix your divots and fix others why the guys your playing with are four putting.

Busy day and guys hunting for lost golf balls.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 25
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Short course

Fairways are hard and fast and the greens were good’. Lots of water… fun course

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Response from on 05/12/2025:
Appreciate the top marks! It means a lot to us that you had such a positive experience. We’ll continue doing our best to make every visit exceptional.
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Bayforest Golf

Fairway and Greens are in nice shape. One hole is under repair for busted water lines. My only complaint is to many people walking. Pace of play gets slow, I love this course !!!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 53
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Pace of play

We were a foursome and pretty much from hole 4 we began to slow down. We didn’t pay to much attention to the slow pace due to cart path only.

Then we finally realized that the group a head of us were playing a two team best ball. Normally you’d think faster play but these guys were throwing golf balls at each other and playing around on the greens.

Definitely need to have a constant Marshall out there keeping pace. Those guys should know better.

Overall the course was nice even with the current rain. Staff was cool and professional. Beverage girl saved us from dying of thirst.

Definitely would play here again. Just speed up play!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 8
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Better than last time

Played with 3 other friends, like the layout and the greens were ok, but the tee boxes are horrendous.

Greens were better than expected and rolled around 10 which is ok.

A clubhouse with no coffee is not a real clubhouse.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Hidden gem

Played here a few times. Greens are usually good and have gotten better since i went last summer. The price is always good and love you get to hit on grass on the range

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Beautiful course, great round, good times!

Enjoyed this course - will be back again and again!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Response from on 04/11/2025:
Thanks for the five-star rating. We’re thrilled you enjoyed your visit and appreciate your support. Our team looks forward to delivering the same level of excellence next time.
Played On
Reviews 161
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 250 Contributor
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

How slow can you go?

Bay Forest really has to do something about slow play. Like maybe have a marshal???

When a threesome plays slower -much slower- than a foursome behind them and two walkers behind the foursome, especially with two complete holes clear ahead of the threesome, SOMENTHING HAS TO BE DONE.

Waiting on EVERY SHOT dilutes the enjoyment of the game.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
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