Golf - Public Course · 18 Holes · Par 71
Missouri City
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Quail Valley Golf Course sits on over 400 acres within the upscale Quail Valley residential community and was built in 1970 and opened as a private club with two 18 hole courses, El Dorado and La Quinta. In 2008, the city of Missouri City acquired both courses and hired Jeff Blume to redesign the El Dorado course. Jeff added more bunkers, rebuilt the tee boxes and greens, and reshaped and added water hazards. The end result is a fantastic track that has a lot of character and is fun and challenging to play. In fact, Avid Golfer rated Quail Valley’s El Dorado Course #2 in the “Top Value Priced ($50 and under)” category in 2010 and the reviewers gave the redesign a very big thumbs-up.
Quail Valley’s La Quinta Course is the easier of the two courses with much friendlier flatter fairways with the pin typically visible from the tee box, less water, and half the number of bunkers of the El Dorado Course. We loved El Dorado and found it visually pleasing with some unique and very interesting, as well as challenging, holes.
El Dorado is characterized by well guarded and challenging green complexes which put a premium on your ability to hit and hold the greens – miss them and par will be difficult. For example, a large number of the greens are elevated with significant slope leading to trouble which in a number of cases is water. In fact, nine of the 18 greens have water in front, back, or along the side of the green – in a couple cases the greens are like islands.
In addition, the greens are well guarded by mounds and berms and bunkers of all shapes and sizes (some of which are huge) plus some grass bunkers that are fairly steep and deep. To score well, you best practice your short game before you head out for a round on El Dorado Golf Course.
At 6931 yards and a rating of 74.3 and slope of 140 from the tips, El Dorado is no walk in the park. Part of what makes it challenging are the green complexes but you’ll also find dog legs, creeks or ponds on 13 holes, forced carries, risk reward opportunities, 68 bunkers, and some narrow fairways. Pick the right set of tee boxes and don’t try to bite off more than you can chew and you’ll love this 18. There are some great holes, for example:
Quail Valley’s El Dorado Course is new and the greens and fairways are still maturing, and as such there are still some rough spots and both are firm. However, we still thought that the greens and fairways were in excellent condition. Most of the fairways are a tad narrow, well contoured, and the first cut is wide and playable, but after that you’re under the trees or in the back yard of a huge beautiful home. A couple of outstanding holes play along a busy road which is a little distracting.
The greens are average to large in size, very well guarded, and most are elevated. They were in near perfect condition but firm because they are still maturing. They have minor slope and contour but run true and smooth – once you hit um, putting shouldn’t be a problem.
The bunkers were also in good shape with soft white sand but the sand isn’t real thick. Lips on the bunkers range from one to three feet – not real steep and deep. The bunkers range in size from small pot bunkers to some huge monsters!
Bottom line – this is an outstanding track that is fun to play and will test your game and reward the good shots but severely penalize the bad ones. For the conditions and layout, it is an excellent value.
Tee Box | Yardage | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|
Black | 6,931 | 74.3 | 140 |
Blue | 6,146 | 70.9 | 130 |
White | 5,685 | 69.2 | 125 |
Gold | 6,552 | 72.5 | 136 |
Red | 5,100 | 71.0 | 121 |
Approximate Weekend
Rates: $45.00 to $56.00
Service is friendly, the pro shop has the basics, the grill serves a variety of food, and the practice facilities are adequate. A new club house is planned for 2011.
Here's How Texas Outside Determines the Scorecard RatingThe 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!
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.
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