High Meadow Ranch Golf Club
- Jun 9, 2017
- 8 min read
The David Ogrin and Ted Nugent designed course in Magnolia, TX is among one of the best in the Houston area. The golf course has a unique layout as it is divided into three 6 hole loops (the Forest Loop, the Pine Barren Loop, and the Signature Loop). Each loop carries with it its own unique style and architecture. The course plays 7,370 yards from all the way back but provides fantastic playability with wide fairways and multiple options off the tee. The greens have incredible contouring including a couple Biarritz and Double Plateau-esque greens. A huge premium is put on placement around the green, with contours being among the toughest hazards on the course. The golf course displays a minimalistic approach in dirt moving and feels as though the course was designed by the land itself. With weekday rates under $65 and weekend rates under $85, High Meadow Ranch is a great deal with great architecture.
Hole 1: 388 yards Par 4
Off the tee players are immediately hit with options. The fairly wide fairway is reduced by two trees 270 yards away. Most players choose to go to the right side of the fairway where the trees don't com into play and the fairway is wider. This sets up a tough angle into the green (the bunker in front of the green also comes into play more) and if players lay up too much from that tree, they could have a difficult time keeping their ball on the green. Ideally, if you're long enough, going past the trees or even to the left of them sets up the best possible angle into the green. The green itself is cut down the middle into a right and left section by a ridge. Shots coming in from the right (wether it be a players approach or pitch shot) will have to deal with the green running away from the players. Along with the obvious ridge in the green, other smaller and interior contours put a premium on proximity and placement of misses.
Hole 6: 377 yards Par 4
The sixth hole gives players a great sense of the natural terrain of the area. Off the tee players feel as though they are hitting into a wall and can only see the top of the flag behind two green side bunkers. The shot itself is nothing out of the ordinary as it is straight away and puts a premium on placement in the fairway hence the hole's name of "Straight and Narrow.". That being said, club choice off the tee is crucial to the approach shot. Playing conservatively can leave players with a mid iron into the fairly small sideways-Biarritz green. Each section of the green is no more than 10 paces wide making the angle at which you come into the green all the more important. The two bunkers in front of the green mess with a players depth perception making even wedge shots difficult to trust. The green itself has a lot of exterior and interior contours, while the argument can be made for the unfairness of such contours, it does create difficulty for the skilled player and playability for the average player. Having to deal with multiple breaks and contours is something rarely seen on courses and it provides an exceptional test of lag putting.
Hole 8: 488 yard Par 4
The eight hole is the longest par 4 on the course and is an excellent display on the idea of shot value. Many players feel like this could be a short par 5 and the difference of par makes a huge difference on how the hole is perceived. Off the tee the fairway is fairly generous but two fairway bunkers guard the right side about 255 yards away. Through the fairway, water flanks the fairway and bottlenecks the fairway the further down you go. Ideally, players want to tug the right side and open up the green allowing for more forgiveness in shot direction. This shot however leaves players with a longer shot into the green so going down the left side is another option to consider. This shot narrows the green and might be more intimidating to the more skilled player. The green itself is 44 yards deep and is free of any major contours. The green is very generous to players coming in with long clubs but still provides a nice challenge to get it close. In our "Art of The Greens" article, this is an idea that a lot of architects strive to accomplish, and this is hole provides a really nice example of that.
Hole 9: 254 yards Par 3
The ninth hole is arguably the most fascinating hole on the course. The almost 50 yard long and 50 yard wide green is not visible to players off the tee because of the two bunkers around 30 yards away. Their obstruction to the view of the green gives it an "Alps" template feel. Most players will take driver off the box and hope they chose the right line. This creates incredible excitement as you finally see where your ball ended up as you near the two bunkers in front (personally, it was awesome to see that I hit driver to about 15 feet after walking off the tee box knowing only that I hit it on a good line). Along with the massive size of the greens, players also face massive contours. The green has a sort of Biarritz/Double Plateau look along with other interior contours. Distance control off the tee is a huge premium (players can land driver on the green and get it to hold as well as land something short where it slopes toward the green), as it can leave you with much easier putts and pitches around the green. The hole defends birdie really well and rewards good shots.
10: 530 yards Par 5
The tenth hole displays the idea of "a hole inside of a hole" really well (a George Thomas idea). For long hitters, a tee shot down the right side sets up a really nice shot to go for the green by cutting the corner. The only worry for players going for the green is the trio of bunkers short of the green. The hole is very forgiving for any miss and is a long hitters dream hole. For the shorter hitter, a tee shot that tugs the left side is ideal and sets up a good angle to for their second. The lay up shot ideally needs to be on the left side of the fairway, giving players visibility of the flag and allows them to hit into less of a downslope on the green. Players that go right will have very limited visibility of the flag and are hitting onto a downslope. The green is simple and allows players to have makable putts at almost every hole location. The hole itself plays almost entirely different for lines chosen off the tee or second shots without having two fairways or an enormous green.
Hole 12: 400 yards Par 4
The twelfth hole can be set up multiple ways and does a great job of making the hole feel more difficult than it really is. The tee markers can be located in various spots and change the angle which players look at the hole. The deception of the bunkers creates the feeling of a tight fairway when really only 1 bunker comes into play about 255 yards away. The hole itself doglegs slightly to the right and gives players who stay left more room to work with and more visibility into the green. The right side of the fairway offers the best angle into the green, especially a back left pin, by opening up the green and being less demanding on curving the ball. Approaches from the left demand much more accuracy and are typically a few yards longer. The green can be set up really well for scoring but can also be set up to test very skilled players. Interior contours in the green can make for really simple hole locations with makable putts but can also make for difficult hole locations and put a premium on lag putting.
Hole 13: 516 yards Par 5
The first hole on the Signature Loop has a similar feel the the 13th at Augusta. While not of the level of the heroic school of architecture, the hole does test a players willingness and strategy to gain an advantage. Off the tee players ideally try to stay left and give themselves the widest opening to lay up or go for the green. The second shot is one of the most interesting seconds on a par 5 that I've seen. Laying up requires a very accurate shot to set up for the third. Shots hit off line laying up can result in shots that are difficult to keep on the green for the third shot. Players going for the green will face challenges as well. The cut lie makes hitting the green much harder, as it is positioned for a draw (Augusta is the opposite but a similar effect is attained). The right side of the green is guarded by 3 bunkers while the left is guarded by a deep swale giving players that hit it there almost no visibility. The green itself is 34 yards deep but the right half of the green has three tiers while the left slopes toward the players and to the left (much simpler). Placement on this hole is key to not giving strokes away on this hole. Getting on the wrong side of the flag can result in difficult up and downs with a lot of quirks involved.
Hole 16: 202 yards Par 3
The sixteenth hole provides players with a mix of emotions. A ridge running through the green creates an L making the back right portion of the green sit up about two and a half feet from the rest of the green. The 38 yard long green can make players use a variety of clubs off the tee and the green contours can change how a player comes into the green. Players can run shots up to the green, sling a draw into it, or fly it all the way there, giving them multiple options to attack the flag. This can cause players to feel uneasy about missing it in the wrong place. When I played the course, I took some time to hit putts from all over the green to many different spots on the green. After doing that I concluded that this is one of the most underrated holes on the course. At first glance it appears innocent but one soon realizes how much of an impact pin placement has on the hole. A back left pin for instance can provide an incredible test of shot control, where missing in the wrong place (even on the green) can result in an incredibly difficult two putt or up and down. There are also pins that favor the average player, giving them a chance to score. This hole is so much fun to play, the options off the tee are incredible for a par 3, making it arguably the best one on the course.
Hole 18: 441 yards Par 3
The eighteenth hole summed up in one word is "tough." The hole represents penal school of architecture requiring excellent ball striking to hit the green and make par. Off the tee, ideally players want to hit a draw and open up the fairway a little more while also taking the right bunkers out of play. The approach shot, is one of the most testing on the course. With the ball above their feet, players ideally want to hit a cut into the green (when I played, the person I was playing with hit arguably his best shot of the day here. He hit a long iron off this lie with a cut inside 10 feet and acted as if it was nothing). Around the green is a creek running up the right side and two deep swales guard the back. A mound in the green is toward the back and directly in the center making up and downs from the wrong side of the green all the more difficult. This hole provides an excellent finish to a course with great architecture making it no doubt a hidden gem in the Houston area as well as the state.
Comments