Texas Outside review of Waterwood National Resort & Golf Course

Waterwood National Resort & Golf Course

Texas Outside Rating: 8.8

18 Holes - Golf - Resort
Huntsville, TX
936-891-5211
Website

Date Played: October 24, 2004
Front Nine Rating: 8.5 Stars
Back Nine Rating: 9.0 Stars
Approximate Weekend Price Range: $30.00 to $65.00
Brief Description:
"Pete Dye created Waterwood to be one of the toughest courses in America. For several decades, Waterwood has set the standard for difficult, relentless golf. From the first tee shot to the final putt on #18, Waterwood demands your attention and your "A" game." That quote is how Waterwood describes this outstanding and pretty golf course on Lake Livingston, about 25 miles east of Huntsville. Each hole at Waterwood National is unique and different and presents it's own set of challenges, which include rolling hills, bunkers, very tough approach shots, water, traps, bind shots, dog legs, and natural hazards. What also makes this course tough and demanding of excellent course management is the approach to the greens -- it seems like 80% of the greens are almost completely surrounded by bunkers, water, and/or tall grass -- miss the green and you're in some trouble. The fairways and greens were in very good condition with minor undulation. The signature hole, #14, is one you will remember forever -- bring a couple extra balls for this fun hole. You'll also enjoy the peace and quite -- all we heard were birds chirping (not chipping), woodpeckers, and a jet ski on Lake Livingston. Waterwood is near the top of the list of Texas Outside Favorites. Take advantage of some of the stay and play packages -- you will want to play this course twice.

Here's How Texas Outside Determines the Scorecard Rating

The Texas Outside rating scale ranges from 1 to 10 – a perfect 10 course would be something like this: links along a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean and bordered by tall trees; lush fairways on rolling hills with lots of natural hazards; water (which is crystal clear) on most of the holes; immaculate greens (but they are undulating and tough); lots of variety and character (each hole is completely different and includes blind shots, elevation changes, doglegs, and significant challenges); perfectly manicured traps with the whitest and prettiest sand you’ve ever seen; a nice club house with great food and a 19th hole; a GPS; plenty of beverage carts or your own cooler and ice; and it only costs $40 bucks! What this means is that you probably won’t find any 10s in Texas – try Cabo San Lucas, Pebble Beach, or some of the Hawaii courses!
Texas Outside rates courses on the following:

Beauty – tall trees, rolling hills, beautiful houses, waterfalls, and similar stuff would score high; a 1 would be flat, bushes or cactus instead of trees, and some grass but mostly weeds

Difficulty – a straight, 300 yard par 4 with no traps or hazards, no out of bounds or water would probably get a 1; if it is a 460 yard par 4 over two ravines, with water along one side, natural hazards on the other, strategically placed traps or that dreaded tree right in the middle of the fairway, we are talking a 10.

Variety – what would you give a course where all the holes looked and played exactly the same (“I thought we just played that hole!”); were side-by-side, which is good for finding or dodging other people’s balls, but not much fun; and you can see the flag from every tee box? That’s right, it gets a 1.

Fun Scale – a 10 is where you walk off the course and say “now that was fun” and you can’t wait to get back, or you immediately turn around and play another 18 holes

Value – a 5 is $50 to $60, a 10 is $20 to $30, and 1 is $200 or so – of course all of this is dependent upon how you liked the course. For example, if a run down, boring municipal course, with six players on each hole was only $10; it would still get a value rating of 1.

Condition – this one’s pretty easy – what condition are the fairways. A 10 commands very lush perfectly manicured fairways, compared to a 1, which has fire ants, weeds, and more dirt than grass!

Condition of Greens and Difficulty – very hard to read greens with lots of undulation and tough pin placement, rate very high on the difficulty scale. Condition is self-explanatory.

All of the above determines the overall score for the golf course. In other words, we like courses that are pretty, fun, very challenging with a lot of variety, and fairways and greens in excellent condition – all for $40. We also tend to play the courses that are affordable for the masses, which means in the $30 to $80 range. We rate hard and we haven’t found a 10 in Texas yet – don’t worry we haven’t given up and we’re still looking.