Max Starcke Park Golf Course Review

Texas Outside Rating: 7.8

Golf - Public Course · 18 Holes · Par 71
Seguin
Website · Locate This Course

Maxstarke2 Maxstarke3 Maxstarke2

Max Starcke Park Golf Course Review

Rating & Review of Max Starcke Park Golf Course in Seguin

Carved out of a pecan grove with the Guadalupe River running along one side, Max Starcke's front nine which was designed by John Bredemus (he also designed the Colonial Golf Course in Ft Worth) opened in 1938.  The back nine was designed by Shelly Mayfield and opened for play in 1980.  Max Starcke Golf Course is one of the last "Parks" style golf courses in Texas.

Max Starcke Park Golf Course is very traditional and straightforward par 71 - greens within view from the tee box, a few dog legs, tree-lined wide flat fairways, several side by side holes, and the flag normally  within sight from the tee box.  Water can come into play on 8 holes and all but one of the 23 bunkers are guarding the greens.  By today's standards Max Starcke Golf Course is short with 4 tee boxes and yardages ranging from 6676 to 5115 yards. All of which makes this course suitable for all skill levels. 

Some of the holes that we enjoyed included:

  • #4 is a 522 par 5 with a slightly elevated tee box, small dog right, a fairway bunker that is waiting for your tee shot,  two bunkers guarding the green, and a challenging saddle type green
  • #12 is a 380 yard par 4 that turns left and heads toward a raised green - from the tee box you might be tempted to try a risk-reward shot to fly the trees and shorten the hole but a hidden pond is waiting on the other side of the trees

The fairways at Max Starcke Golf Course are tree lined flat, ample width, and in very good condition.   If you spray the ball you'll be under the trees or in one of the other fairways - either way, you'll most likely have a fairly good recovery shot.  A couple fairways run along side of the Guadalupe River but you've really got to spray the ball to swim with the fish.  The rough between the fairways was cut short and very playable.

The greens were in very good condition, fast (may have been due to the weather), about average size, and several different shapes.  The back nine greens are raised, have more slope (usually back to front), and seemed a little smaller.

The bunkers were wet due to an overnight rain storm and weren't playable.  It looked like the sand was good - soft but a little thin.  Faces ran from 10 inches to 2 feet or so.  All but one of the bunkers guard the green

Bottom line - very good conditions, an easy walk, suitable for all skill levels, good rates, and a relaxing and enjoyable round.

Dsc_0979 Dsc_0992 Glennwinkel_10-17_006

Course Slope & Ratings

Tee Box Yardage Rating Slope
Black 6,676 72.0 124
Blue 5,645 67.3 113
White 5,115 69.7 117
Gold 6,416 70.8 122

Course Information

Course Architect:
John Bredemus & Shelly Mayfield
Greens Type:
mini verde
Greens Condition
9.0
Greens Difficulty
7.2
Fairway Condition
8.5
Bunker Condition
7.5
GPS:
No
Walkable:
Easy
Beware of water on 8 holes and the 23 sand traps.

Texas Outside Rating

Overall Rating:
7.8 out of 10
Beauty:
8.2
Difficulty:
7.5
Variety:
7.0
Fun to Play:
7.5
Value:
8.0
Condition:
8.7
Front Nine Rating:
7.5
Back Nine Rating:
7.9
Maxstarke

FEES & AMENITIES

Approximate Weekend
Rates: $26.00 to $37.00

Service is country friendly, the pro shot has limited supplies, and the only food available are crackers and candy bars. There is a putting green and a driving range. The facilities are dated.

Maxstarke5

 

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.