The hardest golf courses in Houston, Texas
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Houston, Texas, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 19 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Humble, Richmond, Cypress, Sugar Land, Deer Park and 1 more nearby town.
Lakeside Country Club
Houston, TX, USASlope rating 141, 75.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,254 yds
PrivateRon Prichard & Ralph Plummer
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.5Layout
- 3.8Scenery
- 4.7Facilities
- Pristine
- Driving range
- Restaurant
Tradition
Cypresswood Golf Club
Spring, TX, USASlope rating 140, 74.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,220 yds
PrivateKeith Foster
- 4.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- NRFacilities
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
Highlands
Wildcat Golf Club
Houston, TX, USASlope rating 138, 73.6 course rating, Black tees, 6,954 yds
PublicRoy Case
- 3.5Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
The Battleground at Deer Park
Deer Park, TX, USASlope rating 136, 73.5 course rating, Black tees, 6,942 yds
PublicTom Knickerbacker
- 3.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
North
BlackHorse Golf Club
Cypress, TX, USASlope rating 135, 75.0 course rating, Big Jake tees, 7,301 yds
PublicJacobsen Hardy
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
- Challenging
- Hidden gem
(Lakes) Wildcat Golf Club
Houston, TX, USA
Slope rating 135, 73.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,016 yds
(Jackrabbit) Champions Golf Club
Houston, TX, USA
Slope rating 134, 74.2 course rating, Back tees, 7,021 yds
Black Hawk Country Club
Richmond, TX, USA
Slope rating 133, 74.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,110 yds
River Oaks Country Club
Houston, TX, USA
Slope rating 132, 74.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,059 yds
Brae Burn Country Club
Houston, TX, USA
Slope rating 132, 73.1 course rating, Black tees, 6,808 yds
Memorial Park Golf Course
Houston, TX, USA
Slope rating 130, 75.0 course rating, Blue tees, 7,305 yds
Houston Country Club
Houston, TX, USA
Slope rating 130, 74.0 course rating, One Star tees, 7,009 yds
Jersey Meadow Golf Club
Jersey Village, TX, USA
Slope rating 130, 72.6 course rating, Blue tees, 6,671 yds
Tour 18 - Houston
Humble, TX, USA
Slope rating 129, 72.7 course rating, Championship tees, 6,782 yds
(Cypress Creek) Champions Golf Club
Houston, TX, USA
Slope rating 128, 74.8 course rating, Back tees, 7,301 yds
Cypresswood Golf Club
Spring, TX, USA
Slope rating 127, 72.8 course rating, Blue tees, 6,906 yds
Riverbend Country Club
Sugar Land, TX, USA
Slope rating 127, 72.4 course rating, Gold tees, 6,864 yds
Gus Wortham Golf Course
Houston, TX, USA
Slope rating 126, 71.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,388 yds
Clear Creek Golf Course
Houston, TX, USA
Slope rating 122, 72.5 course rating, Blue tees, 6,917 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Houston, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Lakeside Country Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Houston, Texas at Slope 141 (75.3 course rating · Black tees · 7,254 yds). 19 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Houston, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Houston, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:39 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
