El Dorado at Quail Valley Golf Course

Once a private club and former home of the PGA Tour?s Houston Open, 36-hole Quail Valley Golf Course is one of the finest municipal golf operations in southeast Texas. The facility, which does offer membership programs, used to be 54-hole Quail Valley Country Club. The Houston Open was staged there from 1973-?74. But the club was bought out in the early 2000s with the intention of closing the golf courses and developing the land commercially. Fortunately, local residents and the city of Missouri City stepped in and took over, saving two of the golf courses. The El Dorado and La Quinta courses, which reopened in 2008, were subsequently renovated by local architect Jeff Blume, raising greens complexes, redoing the bunkers and making both courses more playable, beautiful and enjoyable. Both have water on several holes, plenty of strategic bunkering and undulating greens. The holes on both courses at Quail Valley have great variety with the par-3s on both courses standing out as well as some terrific risk-reward par 5s. As part of the rebirth, Quail Valley also got a fantastic $7.5 million clubhouse, which has a well-stocked golf shop and full-service restaurant. The Bluebonnet Grille is so popular, especially for dinner, that it attracts more outside customers than it does golfers. The 25,000-square-foot clubhouse is also a popular wedding venue and meeting place. One of the Houston area?s sites for The First Tee, too, Quail Valley Golf Course also offers a full driving range, short game area and putting greens.