Golf in El Campo

A 7,100-yarder with a par of 72, the course at Meadowbrook Farms Golf Club represents the design vision of famed PGA Tour champion Greg Norman, nicknamed “The Shark” for his tendency to chew a course's grass before deciding to play it. Norman’s own turf company supplied the hybrid Bermudagrass tees, fairways, and rough for the course, while Floradwarf constitutes the gently undulating and generously rewarding putting surfaces. This greenery is surrounded by native prairie grasses, wetlands, and wildflowers as well as a majestic hardwood forest.

Before tackling the course, players can bring their game up to speed at the club’s Player Development Center. The same GN-1 turf featured out on the course covers the tee areas at the driving range as well as the pitching greens and practice fairway. And all areas are stocked with towels and fresh water for drinking or dumping on your instructor when your swing finally clicks.

Designed by famed course architects Arthur Hills and Mike Dasher, Sienna Plantation Golf Club's frequent elevation changes transform the flat landscape into rolling waves of green. These undulations are only the beginning of the challenges players face. On hole two, the narrow fairway and sand bunkers form a perfect storm of difficulty, forcing golfers to thread the needle or risk taking an unplanned trip to the beach. Elsewhere, flowing creeks wind around holes 16 and 17, where the promise of a rewarding score tempts players to take precise shots close to the water's edge. Live oaks and mature cedar elms along the fairways provide both scenic views of nature's beauty and ample shade for treating caddies to a picnic lunch.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Total length of 7,151 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 73.9 from the back tees
• Course slope of 129 from the back tees
• Four sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard

Golf Etc. features a bevy of bogey-friendly products from brands such as Titleist, Ping, Bridgestone Golf, Adidas, Callaway, TaylorMade, and more. In addition to its armory of traditional fairway artillery, Golf Etc. also builds, repairs, re-grips, and re-shafts trusty clubs at its on-site workshop. Re-gripping is $3 per club, plus the price of grip, and can be completed the day the clubs are brought in. If your club handle is already gripped for success, you can opt for a one-hour video golf lesson ($80), which uses a digital coaching system known only as V-1 to give golfers a clearer understanding of their swing and teach them how to harness its inherent energy to jump-start a dead golf-cart battery. Golfers can also get their drivers fitted ($75) and find out which long-distance clubber is best for their game using the Swing Labs Digital Fitting System. Short-gamers can practice putts on a 280-square-foot indoor green that features authentic challenging breaks. Prices provided are from the Pearland store and may vary by location.

A two-month membership to Southwyck Golf Club arms golfers with the weapons they need to whittle away excess plodding and emerge with an A game (a $70 value). Members enjoy free twilight-hours greens fees seven days a week, unlimited range balls, merchandise discounts, and USGA handicap service. Twilight golfing includes two draft beers, two fountain drinks, or an ephemeral, betwixt-and-between mixture of both. Groupon holders will also receive one anytime round of golf, valid any day, which also includes the potent duo of two draft beers or two fountain drinks (up to a $75 value).

Wildcat Golf Club's two pristine courses take golfers on a competitive expedition through an emerald labyrinth of rolling Texas Hill Country. Players can prepare for the courses' manifold hazards and heckling sand-trap rakes with 10 one-hour clinics from Wildcat's golf school, where classes of 10 pupils or fewer learn the finer points of the game at the feet of seasoned instructors. Players will need to call upon all of their golfing gumption to conquer the 7,016-yard Lakes course, which begins at a breathtaking elevation of 100 feet before descending into a valley populated by vast lakes that come into play on seven holes. Knee-high native grasses, ever-deepening ravines, and mounded terrain supply the bulk of the difficulty on the 6,954-yard Highlands course, where the distinct, links-style terrain of Scotland meets the sun-kissed weather and roaming linebackers of Texas. Standing on the immaculate Bermuda grasses that define both courses, players can enjoy sweeping panoramas of Houston's downtown skyline, the Galleria, and Reliant Stadium.

Nine Yahoo! Locals give Bear Creek Golf World a three star average, and three Google Mappers give it two and a half stars. While some GolfLink reviewers mention that the Challenger and President's courses may be a bit easy for experienced golfers, many agree that they are great courses for beginners.