Closed golf courses in the Rio Grande Valley, and what to play instead

The closed golf courses in the Rio Grande Valley are Cimarron Country Club in Mission (closed 2022, sold in 2026 with a private reopening planned), Fort Brown Memorial in Brownsville (closed around 2015), and Rio Grande City, which has no course. Several more listed courses are status unclear, so call first. Open public courses are close to each one.

Golf directories in the Valley are full of old listings. Courses have closed, been renamed, or gone quiet with no news either way, and booking sites keep their pages up. This guide lists what we found in our October 2026 research, what is still uncertain, and the nearest open course to play instead.

Quick facts

• Closed: Cimarron (Mission), Fort Brown Memorial (Brownsville).
• No course: Rio Grande City (a public course is being studied).
• Renamed: Palm View is now Champion Lakes in McAllen (open); Martin Valley Ranch is now Howling Trails (status unclear, call first).
• Status unclear, call first: Valley International CC, Howling Trails, Mid Valley, Seven Oaks, Cottonwood XXI, Stuart Place, Village Executive, Raymondville Municipal and a few park courses.
• Under construction but open: Ebony Hills (new clubhouse to summer 2027) and Brownsville Golf Center (2026 renovation).

Closed golf courses in the Rio Grande Valley

Cimarron Country Club, Mission

Cimarron was an 18-hole, par-72 private club on Shary Road, a 1983 Dave Bennett design at 6,821 yards from the back with a 71.9 rating and 129 slope. It closed in August 2022 and fell into decline. In February 2025 the City of Mission and the Mission EDC bought it for $5 million. In mid-2026 they sold it to The New Cimarron Group, a set of investors that includes PGA Tour player Abraham Ancer, for about $2.5 to $3 million (sources differ). KRGV reported in June 2026 that restoration could take up to three years, and the new owners say it will reopen as a private country club. No reopening date had been set as of October 26, 2026.

Even when it reopens, it is planned as a private club, so visitors should not count on it. The nearest public golf is Shary Municipal, Mission's 27-hole city course: $21 to walk 18 on the undated city rate sheet, and lit for night play. The Shary course guide and our Shary golf course in Mission post have the details.

Fort Brown Memorial, Brownsville

Fort Brown was a public course beside the river levee in Brownsville. GolfPass lists it as closed and MapQuest marks it "CLOSED". A 2016 Roads & Kingdoms piece reported that its longtime operator closed it about a year earlier, after the border fence cut the course off and he was pushed into bankruptcy. The exact closing date and today's use of the site are unknown.

Play instead at Brownsville Golf Center, the city's 6,144-yard par 70, which was being refreshed in 2026, or at River Bend, a riverside public course west of town with its own RV lots and $38 for 18 on an undated listing. The Rancho Viejo courses are about 14 minutes from Brownsville Golf Center. See our Brownsville golf courses guide and the River Bend course guide.

Rio Grande City

No golf course operates in Rio Grande City. A resident recalled a private course that opened in the late 1970s and closed about a decade later. In January 2026, KRGV reported that the city had formed a Rio Grande City Golf Course Committee to study a proposed public course, with an update expected by summer 2026. We did not find that update. For now, the nearest golf is in Mission and McAllen.

Renamed courses

Not every name that has disappeared means a closure:

• Palm View Golf Course is now Champion Lakes Golf Course, the City of McAllen's course at 2701 S Ware Rd. It is open, with 2026 rates of $33 to walk, $47 with a cart and $37 twilight with a cart. Our Champion Lakes golf course in McAllen post and the Champion Lakes course guide explain what changed.
• Martin Valley Ranch is now Howling Trails, west of Mission. Its status is unclear, call first. It is not on our map.

Hotels have changed names too: Pearl South Padre is now Margaritaville Beach Resort, and Renaissance Casa de Palmas is now Casa de Palmas, Trademark Collection by Wyndham.

Courses with status unclear

These courses still appear in directories, but our research found no confirmation that they are operating and open to visitors in 2026. None are on our map. Treat each one the same way: status unclear, call first.

Our Valley International Country Club post covers that course's history in more detail.

Private and residents-only courses

Some courses are open, but not to you. McAllen Country Club and Harlingen Country Club are private member clubs; you need a member or a reciprocal arrangement from your home club. Several community and RV-park courses are for residents, including Alamo Country Club and Sunshine Country Club Estates. Their operating status is also unclear, and neither is a visitor option.

Open courses with work under way

Two city courses are open but changing:

• Ebony Hills, Edinburg: a new two-story clubhouse, simulators, cart barn and irrigation under construction from August 2026, due summer 2027. Expect a temporary clubhouse.
• Brownsville Golf Center: a phased 2026 renovation of tees, greens, fairways and pond drainage. The end date is not published.

Tony Butler in Harlingen also had its 9-hole course closed and then reopened after a split city commission vote, so ask about the nine when you call.

How to avoid driving to a closed course

1. Check the course on our map first. Every course on it was listed as open in our October 2026 research.
2. Be wary of booking-site pages with no tee times and no recent reviews.
3. Call the pro shop on the day, especially after heavy rain. September is the wettest month, with about 4.6 inches at McAllen.
4. For a full list of what is open, see Rio Grande Valley golf courses.

Plan it on the map

Open the Rio Grande Valley golf map to see only the courses open to visitors, with drive times from your base. The $30 plan builds your trip or winter around those courses, so you never plan a round at a club that has closed.