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Rating Index Rating
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3.6
656 Reviews (656)
5 Stars
117
4 Stars
289
3 Stars
155
2 Stars
53
1 Stars
42
Conditions
3.1
Value
4.2
Layout
4.1
Friendliness
4.4
Pace
4.0
Amenities
3.3
75.9%
Recommend this course
525 out of 656 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.4
23 Reviews (23)
5 Stars
4
4 Stars
7
3 Stars
8
2 Stars
3
1 Stars
1
Conditions
2.8
Value
4.0
Layout
4.2
Pace
3.9
Amenities
3.5
StaffFriendliness
4.4
65.2%
Recommend this course
15 out of 23 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.6
44 Reviews (44)
5 Stars
11
4 Stars
15
3 Stars
11
2 Stars
5
1 Stars
2
Conditions
3.1
Value
4.2
Layout
4.3
Pace
4.0
Amenities
3.4
StaffFriendliness
4.5
72.7%
Recommend this course
32 out of 44 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Bayou Golf Course delivers outstanding value, consistently praised as the best bang for your buck in the Houston-Galveston area. Exceptionally friendly staff and a water-protected layout that challenges golfers of all skill levels keep players coming back.

About

Holes 18
Type Public/Municipal
Par 72
Length 6665 yards
Slope 114
Rating 71.0

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.

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Bayou Golf Course
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Course Details

Year Built 1974
Greens Mini-Verde Ultra Dwarf Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Joe Finger (1974) Mike Nuzzo (2014)

Rentals/Services

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, Discover
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Fivesomes Allowed Yes
Dress code Proper golf attire required. Collar shirts with sleeves must be worn.

Food & Beverage

Snacks

Available Facilities

Clubhouse
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Reviews

3.6
656 Reviews (656)

What Golfers Are Saying

Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 9
Bunkers 7
Undulating Greens 6
This course/club is great for:
Locals 7

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Don’t Play Here

Not worth the greens fees. Fairways barely have grass. No map of where the holes go, with alot of blind shots. Greens are not maintained. Staff/ customer service was slow.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Fair
Amenities Poor
Response from on 03/20/2025:
Thank you for letting us know about this disappointing experience. We take all comments seriously and will work with our team to make things right. We value your feedback and hope to earn your trust in the future.
Played On
Reviews 17
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Cold weather
Used cart

2 different courses

We played Bayou in Feb 2025 and fairly cold. First off the clubhouse guy was excellent.

The layout of the course is fairly easy an average golfer will enjoy playing here. All the greens were in decent shape

The front nine had large areas of "ground under repair" and we often moved our ball 15-20 yards to find some grass to hit off of.

The back nine was in good shape and we were able to play without re-spotting the ball. I would play here again (better weather!) as the price is reasonable

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 17
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Cold weather
Used cart

Front for practice Back for Play

First off, the clubhouse guy was fantastic. Very friendly and helpful. Rates were very reasonable for a twosome (played by ourselves) with cart.

Its hard to review the course with it being cold and breezy.

Front nine a lot of "large, unplayable areas" - we played winter rules and would often move the ball 20 yds to a grass area- we looked at this as our warm-up for the back.

Back nine - was in good condition, very playable

With what I know now - I do plan on coming back - with the same intentions (front nine warm-up - back nine play the course)

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 54
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 Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 54
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Average
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Fair
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 12
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Nice Greens

The course has a tight layout. Got to be aware of the players driving on the hole right next to you.

This place obviously holds a lot of water. Most of the fairways appear to be cartpath only.

However, great place for working on your game for a good price.. The greens a in surprisingly very good shape. Especially for January.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Default User Avatar
Anonymous
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Decent course for the price

My home town course. Has its highs and its lows. In the end its very budget friendly to go out and get some good practice . Greens decent boxes and bunkers need work. Muddy this time of year.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing

Woman Beginner

I am new to golf and for my first time here I enjoyed it because of the layout. The openness was great, it was a good pace, the putting greens were nice, and lots of restrooms! Which is a plus for most courses for women!

The things I that weren’t as good were that holes 1-9 are clearly on the water side so lots of mud areas and washed out parts but it really didn’t affect the game like you would think.

Overall we would go back and play again! Good course for the money and it was quiet.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Good Course, get what you pay for

Really enjoyed playing here. Greens were good. Easy to find your ball with wide open fairways. Had a great time

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Perfect weather
Used cart

Bayou

If you can get past the lack of grass of some of the fairways on the front nine, Bayou's greens more than compensate making Bayou a great value for the dollar. Re-opened snack bar also helps.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 44
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 11
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

Good Ole Bayou

Always enjoy playing here. Always have to deal with the wind but its good to do that at times. Greens really nice but man are they slick; easy to end up further from the hole than before your putt. Very enjoyable.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

Come back for the greens.

Front side fairways are bare in many spots. Better on the back nine..

Tee boxes in general are very poor and uneven.

The greens are in excellent condition. They receive shots well, roll true to the line, and with good consistent speed.

On a number of wholes the pin placements were on the edge of mounds or sharp slopes that made them nearly unplayable.

Snack is reopened and there was a beverage cart on course for teh first time i've seen this year.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 4
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 7
Skill Beginner
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Previously Played

Worst Golf Course in Galveston County

The staff is rude and very unprofessional. They should have been required to attend a Dale Carnegie course. They somehow think that they are working at a top tier course like Augusta National instead of a municipal course.

The fairways are a horrible mess. They resemble an asphalt road more than a fairway. The greens are not much better.

Most of the carts are in need of maintenance because they are constantly running rough and are difficult to restart between shots.

They have this feral dog that roams the course and if you get near him he will aggressively growl and bark at you.

Save yourself the time, money and dissatisfaction and go to Beacon Lakes, Magnolia, Moody Gardens or Gus Wortham. The drive and fees are well worth avoiding this disappointing excuse for a golf course.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 7
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
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