Gus Wortham Park Golf Course

About Gus Wortham Park Golf Course

Gus Wortham is the East End city course along Brays Bayou, and it has more ups and downs than you'd expect in Houston. The Houston Golf Association says it has elevated tees and uphill carries that make you use every club, and while it's fairly wide open, several short par 4s are harder than they look. Rustic bridges cross a bayou tributary, and there are hardwood groves between open fairways. The map survey counts trees along 13 holes, water near five, bayou along seven and about 67 bunkers. Course character from OpenStreetMap contributors' survey data.

It's one of the earliest 18-hole courses in Texas. The Houston Country Club, founded in 1903, bought the rolling Brays Bayou land in 1908, when you could reach it by streetcar, and members led by A. W. Pollard cleared and drained it for the course while keeping the native oaks and pines. The club held its first invitational in 1914 and kept the event going for 39 years.

When the club moved, Gus Wortham bought the course in 1953 and called it the Houston Executive Club. The city bought it in 1973 and named it for him. It has had to be saved more than once: in 2007 a friends group stopped the city from putting the pro soccer stadium here, and from 2013 they spent two years fighting a plan to hand half the site to the Houston Botanic Garden. Today the Houston Golf Association runs it with the city and raised private money to renovate the course and practice areas and build a new clubhouse.

It's one of 53 courses Yoink watches in the Houston area, and the closest alternative is Hermann Park Golf Course, about 5 miles away — handy when your first choice is booked solid.

What it's like to play Gus Wortham Park Golf Course

You'll carry water off the tee or into the green on 4 holes. A creek or river runs through the property and comes into play on 7 holes.

Course character from OpenStreetMap contributors' survey data (ODbL).

Booking a tee time at Gus Wortham Park Golf Course

Regular tee times open seven days ahead. For 8 to 10 days out, priority booking opens at midnight for a non-refundable $20 per player, and you lose that fee if you cut the group size. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead or you'll pay 30% of the booking as a no-show fee. Posted walking rates are $38 Monday to Thursday and $47 Friday to Sunday and holidays, plus $17 per person for a shared cart. The golf shop is (713) 928-4260.

How to get a tee time at Gus Wortham Park Golf Course