Neighborhoods

There are many Sugar Land golf courses and more in the surrounding area:

• Sweetwater Country Club
• Sugar Creek Country Club
• Greatwood Pubic Course
• Houstonian Golf & Country Club (aka Shadow Hawk)
• Pecan Grove Country Club
• Fort Bend Country Club
• Quail Valley

» View a list of Sugar Land golf course homes for sale

Sweetwater

“Designed by architect Roger Packard, Sweetwater opened its first 9 holes in late 1982. Host to the LPGA Hall of Fame Golf Classic in July 1984 & 85.

Sweetwater Country Club now lives on as a formidable test in golf for the firmly established family community culture of Sugar Land. Two courses (Pecan & Cypress) continue to offer a diverse challenge to golfers of all levels. On Pecan, players will experience lengthy holes of relatively open play, susceptible to ever present Texas winds and at a turn begin winding through majestic pecan groves with the tranquility of aged Spanish moss. Those who would rather play a shorter test are constantly challenged by the emphasis of position over length to avoid the water hazards, strategic bunkers and uneven lies of the Cypress course.”

–Source: Sweetwater Country Club

Sugar Creek

 “Sugar Creek Country Club’s 27 hole golf course features a traditional layout and is one of the best in the Houston area. Established in 1972, this course puts a premium on shot placement off the tees. There are opportunities for long hitters to cut off yardage but not without the risk of posting a big number. Sugar Creek Country Club is a true shot makers course with a good mix of bunkered greens and water hazards that will keep every golfer on their toes.”

–Source: Sugar Creek Country Club

Greatwood

 The Greatwood Golf Course is a public golf course that opened in 1990 and was voted a Top-25 Best in Texas by the Dallas Morning News and a Top-Rated public course by the Houston Chronicle. It is an 18-hole facility designed by Carlton Gipson and features 6,836 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72 . The course rating is 72.3 and it has a slope rating of 138 on Bermuda grass. 

–View more info: Greatwood Golf Course

Houstonian/Shadow Hawk

“At the first light of day on October 30, 1999, the Honorable George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States, hit a drive straight and true down the middle of the first hole to commence the first round played at Shadow Hawk Golf Club, eighteen holes designed by preeminent architect Rees Jones on two hundred and forty acres of property winding through old Pecan trees and several large lakes. This land in Richmond, Texas, which is approximately twenty-five miles southwest of downtown Houston, was chosen because of its native character. The vision, several years in the making, is a straightforward concept: create and operate a small stand alone private golf club offering a rare golf experience: a peaceful refuge from the city, but still close by, where one can quietly entertain friends, be with family, or just get away to enjoy a more reserved environment than that of a fast paced town. Shadow Hawk’s distinguished membership is capped at 325 total members. Accessibility to the course, even on Saturday mornings, is a given and rounds of four hours are considered too slow by most members even by those who walk with a caddie or carry their own clubs. A service minded staff is at the ready, and the clubhouse space comfortably fits the understated yet elegant feel of the Club. 

Shadow Hawk’s property is an immaculately maintained natural setting. In keeping with the owners’ and Mr. Jones’s mutual respect for the tradition of the game, the course design is a throw-back to old style architecture with small greens slightly elevated and a very well defined presentation of where to play, although many of the challenges are subtle and appreciated more over time after multiple rounds. Along with generous landing areas off the tee and a variety of tee and hole locations, the course has proven to be a very enjoyable member’s course in that it retains a freshness for the repeat player. And, although University of Houston junior Andy Sanders set the course record of 62 strokes in 2000 on his way to picking up one of two berths in sectional qualifying for the USGA’s United States Open Championship at Pebble Beach, the course has held its own as a test for the expert player when it is set up for that challenge. Those tests have come most notably during the three other sectional qualifying events for the U.S. Open Championship held at the club in 2002, 2004, and 2008 as well as during the 2005 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship played at Shadow Hawk. The Club was recently selected by the United States Golf Association to host the U.S. Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship in 2011. As Shadow Hawk closes in on ten years of operation, the Club strives to maintain and refine its founding concepts to offer its Members and their Guests a rare golf experience on a daily basis.”

–Source: Houstonian Golf & Country Club

Pecan Grove

 “Pecan Grove Plantation features a beautiful 27-hole championship golf course designed by Carlton Gipson. The traditional layout lined with magnificent pecan and oak trees provide three distinct golfing experiences. From novices to the more experienced, Pecan Grove Plantation gives members the opportunity to play a truly challenging yet fair course day after day. Members also have access to a full practice facility and putting green, and our staff of golf professionals directs private lessons, clinics, and tournaments year around. Pecan Grove Plantation test players’ skills in surroundings of unparalleled beauty.”

–Source: Pecan Grove Country Club

Fort Bend Country Club

 “The scenic, tree-lined and strategically bunkered 6424 yard, par 71 golf course is a challenge for all levels of skill. Our member-owners have access to the course at all times without making tee times and also have the option of owning their own golf cart. The facilities include a driving range, a short game practice area and a putting green to allow members to improve their skills. 

The Men’s and Women’s Golf Associations are very active with tournaments scheduled throughout the year. In addition, to the Stroke Play Championships, Match Play Championships, Member-Guests and Member-Member Tournaments , there are also fun seasonal scramble for the beginning and occasional golfers. At Fort Bend Country Club we strive to provide an enjoyable golf experience for every level of player.

The golf pro shop houses a full supply of the latest golf equipment and the most fashionable attire for the golfer. Our Class “A” PGA. Golf Professional, Gene Amman, offers not only private lessons, but also provides group lessons and clinics covering all areas of the game. Fort Bend Country Club is the home course for the 2002 and 2003 Texas State Amateur Champion and the Lamar Consolidated High School golf team, the district champions since 1997.”

–Source: Fort Bend Country Club 

Quail Valley

“Spread across 400 acres and 36 holes is Quail Valley Golf Course, located in Missouri City, Texas. Our course ranks among the finest in Houston golf, a short drive southwest of the city. Designers intended Quail Valley to be a country club before Missouri City acquired it, enabling the course to offer Houston golf enthusiasts an exclusive feel at an accessible price.

But don’t play and leave. Stick around and enjoy our redesigned Bluebonnet Grille at the 37th Hole, serving our famous seafood and sandwich plates. Unwind with your favorite drink from our bar as you enjoy the Quail Valley atmosphere with your friends. We’d love to show you our amenities at our affordable prices.”

–Source: Quail Valley Golf Course 

Sugar Land TX is a unique area that consists mostly of “master planned communities.” We typically refer to these Sugar Land master planned communities as “neighborhoods.” Most neighborhoods are further divided into subdivisions. There are over 200 subdivisions in Sugar Land! Some neighborhoods like New Territory (40+ subdivisions), Greatwood (25+ subdivisions), and First Colony (30+ subdivisions) are divided into many subdivisions. Here’s how this happens…

When a developer decides to create a planned community, it doesn’t develop the entire plot of land all at once. It opens a section or two at a time. Each section typically has 2 to 5 different builders who are building homes within a certain price range. So one subdivision may contain homes in the $200-400K price range, and another may contain homes in the $400-600K price range, and yet another may contain homes $750K and up.

So within one Sugar Land master planned community you may have home prices from $200K to over $1 million, but they would be subdivided so that you should never see a $200K house next to a $900K house. Also some subdivisions may have different features than surrounding subdivisions such as a water front section, gated section, golf course section, etc.

For the larger Sugar Land master planned communities you will notice that various subdivisions may be zoned to various elementary schools–and maybe even different middle schools and high schools–all within the same neighborhood. So it is very challenging for newcomers to get a handle on where to live!

» See How to choose the right Sugar Land neighborhood for you for help

HOA (Home Owner’s Association) Fees

Another complication is that various subdivisions may have different HOA (home owner’s association) maintenance fees…even within the same neighborhood. This is because various subdivisions may have different amenities and features from surrounding subdivisions. For example, Sweetwater is actually an upscale subdivision in the First Colony planned community, but is treated as if it is its own neighborhood. Some of Sweetwater has a constable service, so their HOA fees are higher (up to $1800/yr) than other First Colony HOA fees to cover that extra service.

Another example is Sugar Creek where, if you live on Country Club Blvd, the HOA maintains your front yard for you, so your annual HOA fee is higher than homes that are not located on Country Club Blvd.

Yet one more example is Telfair where, if you live in a patio home, your yard maintenance is included in the annual HOA fee as well, and will be higher than the typical HOA fee for that neighborhood.

The HOA fees in Sugar Land master planned communities (sometimes referred to as maintenance fees) are annual fees that cover the cost and upkeep of the neighborhood’s shared amenities such as street lights, sidewalks, common areas, park, swimming pool, tennis courts, etc. There are Pro’s and Con’s for having home owner associations but if you want to live in Sugar Land, you might as well resign yourself to the fact that you are probably going to have to deal with one because there are very few parts of Sugar Land that are not covered by an HOA.

HOA fees are typically paid annually and, as specified previously, they can vary from house to house within the same subdivision, so always check with your real estate agent before purchasing a specific home. These fees can change (slightly) from year to year as well. Some HOAs also have transfer fees (applied each time you buy or sell a home that is within an HOA) that may be paid by either the Seller or the Buyer. There can also be compliance inspections and certificates during home sale transactions, depending on the HOA, which is another cost when purchasing or selling a home. These fees are all typically under $200 each (transfer fee is separate from the compliance certificate fee). You need a good real estate agent who can guide you through all of the requirements during a real estate transaction so you don’t end up with a home that hasn’t met its HOA compliance, and then have to (unexpectedly) pay more money to get it up to compliance after you move-in! Inexperienced agents or agents from other areas may not know and understand these complicated HOA requirements.