McAllen golf courses, with Mission, Edinburg and Pharr

McAllen golf courses are mostly city-run and cheap. Champion Lakes is McAllen's public 18, and within 26 minutes you have Shary in Mission, Tierra del Sol in Pharr and three Edinburg courses: Los Lagos, Ebony Hills and Monte Cristo. Green fees seen in October 2026 ran $21-$47. McAllen Country Club is private.

This guide covers the west end of the Valley, where most visitors stay and where the courses are closest together. Fees come from city rate cards and listings seen in October 2026. Some are undated, so check before you go.

Quick facts

• Public courses within 26 minutes of downtown McAllen: six.
• Private: McAllen Country Club.
• Cheapest walk: $21 for 18 at Shary (undated city sheet).
• Clearest rate card: Champion Lakes, effective February 1, 2026.
• Night golf: Shary, last tee time 11 PM.
• Online booking: Champion Lakes, Tierra del Sol, Los Lagos and Ebony Hills.
• Closed: Cimarron, Mission (since August 2022).

McAllen golf courses compared

Drive times are our routed estimates from downtown McAllen.

Shary's cart is $25 for 18, or $12.50 each when two share it, so two players riding pay $33.50 each. Champion Lakes charges $14 a person for a cart, and its twilight starts at 2 PM in standard time and 3 PM during daylight saving.

Champion Lakes, McAllen

Champion Lakes is the old Palm View, McAllen's city course at 2701 S Ware Rd. It was rebuilt in 1999 and has lakes, a remodeled clubhouse and a lit range open to 10 PM. It is the busiest Winter Texan league course in the Valley, with about thirty leagues, so winter mornings fill. The afternoon couples rate, $30 for two with a cart from 4 PM standard time, is among the cheapest golf anywhere in the Valley. The 20-round Smart Card is $561 and expires after 18 months. The city has also announced a Lorena Ochoa co-designed short course on land just west, with no build dates published. See the Champion Lakes course guide and our Champion Lakes golf post.

Shary Municipal, Mission

Shary is Mission's city course: 27 flat holes, a lit range open to midnight and night golf until an 11 PM last tee time. It is short at 6,025 yards from the Blue tees, and the city calls it Mission's top winter attraction. Tee times are by phone or walk-in. Annual memberships were $900 on the city page, and a rate sheet seen via search showed a 20-round card at $400, about $20 a round. The Shary course guide and our Shary golf course post have the detail.

Tierra del Sol, Pharr

Tierra del Sol is Pharr's flat 1982 municipal 18, 6,827 yards from the back, with online tee times and a grill. Its seasonal packages are the clearest in the Valley:

• One month, single with cart: $350 (April to December only).
• Three months: $800 single or $1,200 couple, one round a day with a cart.
• Punch cards with cart: 10 rounds for $340, 25 for $850.

Golf runs Tuesday to Sunday, 7 AM to 6 PM, and the course closes Mondays from June to August. More in Tierra del Sol golf.

Edinburg: Los Lagos, Ebony Hills and Monte Cristo

Los Lagos is the long one, a 2001 Robert von Hagge layout with 11 acres of lakes and the par-3 14th over water. It is the best test on the west side, but GolfPass reviewers rate conditions poorly. Troon was picked in September 2026 to run it, and rates may change. The Los Lagos course guide covers the layout.

Ebony Hills is a 1927 John Bredemus nine lined with ebony trees, popular with Winter Texans. A new clubhouse is being built through about summer 2027, so expect a temporary pro shop. See Ebony Hills golf.

Monte Cristo is a lakes course inside a 55+ community north of Edinburg, well rated by players. Sources disagree on public access, so call 956-381-0964 first.

Private, closed and unconfirmed

McAllen Country Club, opened in 1946, is private and hosted the Texas Senior Amateur in 2025. Cimarron in Mission closed in 2022 and is being restored as a private club.

Several names on older lists have a status we could not confirm: Howling Trails (the old Martin Valley Ranch, west of Mission), Seven Oaks in Mission, the Adobe Wells par-3 in north McAllen, and El Nino, a par-3 inside an RV park in Palmview. For each: status unclear, call first. Tropic Star RV Resort in Pharr has a nine-hole par-3 for park guests; our par 3 golf guide covers the short courses.

When to play the McAllen golf courses

The west side is the driest part of the Valley in winter. NOAA normals at McAllen airport give November highs around 80F, January around 73F with lows near 53F, and March around 83F. January brings cold fronts that can hold highs in the 50s for a day or two with wind and drizzle. Wind builds through March and April, to about 12 mph on average.

Demand follows the Winter Texans. They arrive through November, tee sheets fill by Thanksgiving week (November 26, 2026), and January to mid-March is the busiest stretch, especially on league mornings at Champion Lakes. After Easter (March 28, 2027) the crowds thin and tee times open up.

Summer is a different game: highs of 97-100F from June to August with muggy nights, so book the first tee time and ride. Tierra del Sol closes on Mondays from June to August. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, with September the wettest month at about 4.6 inches. A wet September can leave courses soggy, so check before you drive out.

Daylight saving ends November 1, 2026. That moves the twilight start at Champion Lakes and Tierra del Sol from 3 PM to 2 PM for the winter.

Where to stay for McAllen golf

The convention center area on McAllen's southwest side puts you 4 minutes from Champion Lakes and 10 from Shary. The Embassy Suites has two-room suites and free breakfast, from $112 on a Sunday night seen for early November 2026. The La Quinta across the road was from $108 with breakfast and a fridge. In Mission, the Hampton Inn is 8 minutes from Shary and does grab-and-go breakfast bags on weekdays. For the Edinburg courses, the Holiday Inn Express is 4 minutes from Ebony Hills, from $90. Our where to stay in McAllen for golf guide compares them. Rates change; confirm when you book.

A week on the McAllen golf courses

All six public McAllen golf courses sit inside a 26-minute radius, so a week can cover them without long drives. A sample:

1. Champion Lakes in the afternoon on arrival day, at the twilight rate.
2. Tierra del Sol in the morning (book online).
3. Los Lagos, after checking recent reviews.
4. Shary under the lights.
5. Ebony Hills for an easy nine, then the range.
6. Monte Cristo, if access is confirmed.

Add Tierra Santa in Weslaco, 30 minutes east, for the best mid-Valley round. Our Rio Grande Valley golf courses guide covers the rest of the Valley.

Plan it on the map

Open the Rio Grande Valley golf map to see the McAllen golf courses, Mission, Pharr and Edinburg in one view, with drive times from each hotel. The $30 plan can build a trip around them, or a full winter stay with a weekly rotation that keeps you off the league-heavy mornings.