Bayou Golf Course
About
Joe Finger laid the Bayou out in the 1970s. The links-style course he carved out of the 200 acres along Moses Bayou has plenty of water and elevated tees and greens. The Galveston Bay winds affect this open course, so the 6,665-yard, par 72 plays significantly longer. Every par 5 is over 500 yards, and four of the par 4s are over 400 yards.
On the front, the long par 4 No. 6 is tough because the approach must carry the bayou to a tiny green. And No. 10 involves a lake off the tee and on the approach.
The back is what really tears into the soul of a golfer, though, presenting a 580-yard double dogleg on No. 15 followed just a short while later by the ridiculous 475-yard par 4 17th. This hole is lined on the left by old Moses, and water hazards creep into the fairway. The inevitably long approach goes into an elevated green guarded by water.
Getting there : From Hwy. 146 south, turn right on Loop 197, and head over to Ted Dudley Dr. Turn right, and the course is on the right side of the street.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 72 | 6665 yards | 71.0 | 114 |
| White | 72 | 6251 yards | 69.4 | 111 |
| Red (W) | 73 | 5448 yards | 70.0 | 118 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue M: 72.5/123 | 511 | 366 | 414 | 335 | 180 | 414 | 134 | 502 | 412 | 3268 | 481 | 361 | 368 | 164 | 349 | 562 | 191 | 459 | 393 | 3328 | 6596 |
| White M: 70.7/120 W: 75.5/130 | 490 | 352 | 395 | 318 | 167 | 385 | 117 | 487 | 393 | 3104 | 419 | 349 | 355 | 149 | 332 | 506 | 161 | 444 | 333 | 3048 | 6152 |
| Gold M: 68.8/118 W: 73.6/126 | 462 | 310 | 370 | 295 | 140 | 360 | 100 | 460 | 377 | 2874 | 409 | 339 | 345 | 139 | 322 | 477 | 144 | 428 | 313 | 2916 | 5790 |
| Red M: 66.0/113 W: 71.3/121 | 421 | 300 | 282 | 281 | 150 | 296 | 94 | 418 | 323 | 2565 | 326 | 331 | 330 | 135 | 313 | 438 | 134 | 411 | 278 | 2696 | 5261 |
| Handicap | 10 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 18 | 16 | 6 | 15 | 9 | 11 | 17 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 10 | 4 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 17 | 13 | 11 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
SnacksAvailable Facilities
ClubhouseReviews
Reviewer Photos
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Photo submitted by aahawkinssr on 12/27/2025
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Photo submitted by aahawkinssr on 12/27/2025
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Photo submitted by aahawkinssr on 12/27/2025
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Photo submitted by u000007582830 on 08/25/2025
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Photo submitted by Zeuswon on 07/28/2023
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Photo submitted by Zeuswon on 07/28/2023
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Photo submitted by Zeuswon on 07/28/2023
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Photo submitted by u8870046 on 06/13/2022
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Photo submitted by ShibTx on 10/18/2021
Great greens and has a little something for every level of golfer
Great layout , Friendly Staff , Golf Course Is In Great Shape
Hello. Thank you for your 5-star rating! Please book another round with us soon at Bayou Golf Course!
Nice course, slow play
The course itself was in good condition with open fairways and true rolling greens in great shape. The speed of play was an issue. It was a three some ahead of us with one player added on. He was playing at normal speed but the other two had no interest in how their play impacted the thee groups behind them. A Marshall needs to speed things up. It would have made the round more enjoyable. I’ll be back but I hope this aspect is is corrected.
Hi. We appreciate you leaving a review and rating us. We will make a note of it. We look forward to having you back at Bayou Golf Course!
Some challenging holes
Nice course. We play here pretty regularly and staff is always professional and courteous.
Thank you for your kind words! We hope to see you again at the course very soon for another 5-star experience. Thanks for choosing Bayou Golf Course.
Overall good
Couple holes had some areas that were roped off due to bad grass but greens were nice and overall everything was great
Hi. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. Thank you for the 4 stars! We aim for a 5-star experience, so we always welcome feedback for improvement. Thank you for playing Bayou Golf Course.
Greens Undergoing Maintenance
Played this course last week and the greens were great. Today, not so much. The greens were punched and sanded, then after teeing off on the back nine a maintenance person drove up and said the back nine was closed. All this would have been nice to know before booking a round! I did check, there’s nothing on Golf Now or the course’s website. Plus after three holes I got stuck behind someone teaching a young boy to play (the kid was around 6). Even though I was very close to being on the same tee box as the twosome they rushed to try and stay ahead of me. It was disappointing to wait on every shot while the twosome in front hurried and hit one after another poor shot, only delaying everything. It’s a shame courses do not regulate slow play.
Give this course a few weeks to get the greens back. Disappointed in Golf Now as well, previous conversations indicated that unless the course is closed there’s nothing that can be done to help. 18 holes were not available to be played and the nine in service were un-puttable.
Hello. Thank you for taking the time to review the course and rate us. We are going to pass along your feedback to the staff so they can work to make changes. Thanks for visiting us!
Greens are Great
My last visit here the greens were infected with pawana grass, not anymore, the greens are in super condition. It was cart path only, the course can hold water, so some of the tee boxes needed to be mowed. Overall the course looks great. This course like many struggles with slow play, marshaling for pace of play is needed.
Hi. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. Thank you for the 4 stars! We aim for a 5-star experience, so we always welcome feedback for improvement. Thank you for playing Bayou Golf Course.
First time
The course was very wet due to rain from previous day. Cart paths only which slowed down pace of play, but all players were considerate and weren’t pushy. A fairly easy course for the most part. Hardest part about this course was figuring out where a few tee boxes were placed. Very little signs telling you the next tee box location.
Hi! Thank you so much for leaving us with your feedback. We value our customer experience, so your review is important to us. We will make note and we hope to see you back!
Greens
It is great to play a course with awesome greens. They putted well. We played a foursome and it was great for everyone. Thanks
Hi. We appreciate you taking the time to review the course and rate us. Thank you for the 4 stars! We aim for a 5-star experience, so we always welcome feedback for improvement. Thank you for playing Bayou Golf Course.
Course is in Great Shape!!
I’ve been playing this course for over 25 years, give or take. This past Sunday was the best shape I’ve ever seen it in. The greens were fantastic and you can tell they have put a lot of work into fixing it up nice. Keep up the good work!
Bloozdood, thank you for your kind words! We hope to see you again at the course very soon! Thanks for choosing Bayou Golf Course.
Great course conditions.
Fairways have some wear, maybe rope off some areas for growth to fill in. #9 fairway has some tall patches of weeds, not a deal breaker. Greens are great condition!
Thank you for your kind words! We hope to see you again at the course very soon for another 5-star experience. Thanks for choosing Bayou Golf Course.
Hello, DerekC86. Thank you for your 5-star rating! Please book another round with us soon at Bayou Golf Course!
First visit...ok..will give it another shot...
It was the first visit to Bayou Golf Course for everyone in our foursome.
The course had a decent layout. It was very flat, and mostly open, with water coming into play often. It's not too far from the coast. So, there is likely to be a breeze on most days. This is nice in providing a little relief from the heat, and it gives the course an additional bit of protection from a mostly straightforward layout.
This rating should be a 3.5. Unfortunately, that is not an option. The conditions on the day of play prevent me from going to a 4, so 3 is what it gets.
It appears to be a course of moderate means. So, budget constraints may play a role. There was crab grass throughout the fairways and the greens were not very good. It appeared to mostly be that the winter grass was still there and dry, and the summer grass was dormant and had not come in yet, and there were some bare spots. Whatever the reason, they just were not that good overall.
The clubhouse is very modest, as was the grill/lounge area.
Staff in both the pro shop and the grill were friendly.
This review is based solely on today's visit. That being said, we will give it another try. If the greens have come in, it will be worth it--provided it's at a reasonable price.
Marshals needed
The course was in decent shape, but a threesome had the whole place backed up. Marshals seemed to be lacking
Beautiful Day but Wet Course
Good course, Friendly staff but wet course. Front 9 was cart path only but back 9 was 90 degree. Too much Poa Annua on the greens.
Very solid option
This course was great to play. Lots of different hole designs and lengths. Tee boxes and fairways are in great shape for the most part. Greens are a little bumpy but that’s abiut it. I’ll defi come back to play again.
Local favorite
Great value,friendly staff,good greens,lots of water,an occasional gator or two,never over crowded,great course if you dont want to pay a lot of denero,always a good time
Early season Golf
Fairways have not wintered well or have been neglected. Lots of dead area,grass less area. Bunkers were good good sand, greens were fast and undulating, actual holes are interesting ie not boring back and forth some challenges and club selection with the wind makes a big difference. had i not gotten senior rate (29 nice that course offers senior rates on weekend as most don't) Wife played with us and from forward tees she enjoyed herself with out having to lose a few sleeves of balls. Tee boxes were not great (long crass and fairway dead spots but other than that enjoyed the round. Just play winter rules and lift and place ball on grass if you can find some . Will return but will give it some time to grow in. . .
Solid Muni Course
Cost of a round is very fair for what the course is. It’s a very playable municipal course with a few fun/hard holes.
Greens rolled fairly well. They all had some little weed things popping up but nothing ridiculous that dramatically affected putts. Less than $35 for 18 with a cart on a Sunday morning is a good value for this course. If you want to knock the rock around for a quick 18 on a budget, I definitely recommend.
Hi. We appreciate you leaving a review and rating us. We will inform the entire team, so they know their hard work is paying off. We look forward to having you back at Bayou Golf Course!