Tony Butler Golf Course Harlingen: the city's 27 holes, rates and tips

Tony Butler Golf Course Harlingen is the city's municipal course at 2640 S M St: 27 flat holes, an 18 of about 6,400 yards and a nine of about 2,600. The most recent rate we found is $36 with a cart, from an undated local report. It sees about 40,000 rounds a year, many from Winter Texans.

Tony Butler is a cheap, busy, no-frills course rather than a destination. Published detail is thin: there is no posted rate card, booking window or tee data in our sources. This guide sets out what is known, what is not, and how to plan around the gaps. Call the pro shop to confirm anything before you drive out.

Quick facts

• Course: Tony Butler, City of Harlingen, public daily fee.
• Address and phone: 2640 S M St, Harlingen; 956-216-5970.
• Holes: 27 (18-hole course, par 71, about 6,400 yards; nine-hole course, par 35, about 2,600 yards).
• Rate reported: $36 green fee with cart (undated; up from $28).
• Volume: about 40,000 rounds a year.
• Practice: driving range (directory listings).
• From downtown McAllen: about 44 minutes, 35 miles.

What we know and what we don't

The honest summary: Tony Butler Golf Course Harlingen may be the cheapest regular 18 on the east side, but you need to call to confirm the price and how tee times are given out.

Tony Butler Golf Course Harlingen: the layout

Tony Butler is a flat parkland course in town, a straightforward municipal layout. The 18 is par 71 and about 6,400 yards per Visit Harlingen. The separate nine is about 2,600 yards, par 35, useful for a short day, a practice loop or golfers who prefer nine holes.

The nine has had an uncertain few years. The city closed holes 19-27 to cut maintenance costs and then reopened them after a split commission vote (the report is dated July 23, with no year shown). In June 2021, local coverage said the city had proposed selling five holes' worth of land and fallen short of funding an overhaul of the course. Ask whether all 27 holes are open when you call.

The Tony Butler course guide shows the layout on our 3D map.

Rates and the winter crowd

The one rate figure comes from a Valley Morning Star report, carried by AOL, that the city raised the green fee with cart from $28 to $36, effective November 7, timed to the Winter Texans' return. In the same report the general manager put the course at about 40,000 rounds a year, much of it from Winter Texans, and said he was considering group discounts for RV parks. A member said he paid about $1,450 a year in membership fees.

Because the article's year is not shown, treat $36 as a floor rather than a quote. If you are staying the winter, ask about:

• Current daily rates with and without a cart.
• Annual or seasonal membership prices.
• Any group rate through your RV park.
• How tee times are booked and how far ahead.

How Tony Butler compares with other Valley city courses

If the $36 figure still holds, Tony Butler with a cart is cheaper than any west-side city course with a cart. The west-side courses publish their rates and packages more clearly, though. Our municipal golf courses in the Rio Grande Valley guide compares them in more depth, and Rio Grande Valley golf passes covers the season deals.

Tony Butler for a winter stay

For a Winter Texan, the question is whether a Tony Butler membership beats the clearer deals elsewhere. With so little published, the only fair comparison is against prices that are posted:

Tierra del Sol is in Pharr and River Bend in Brownsville, so neither is next door, but both show what a published season deal looks like. Ask Tony Butler for its current seasonal and annual terms in writing, then compare.

Pairing Tony Butler with nearby courses

Harlingen's other public course, Treasure Hills, is on the east side of town, about 8 minutes from the same hotel. It is longer at 6,960 yards with a 74.8 rating, and Tony Butler's general manager put its rate at about $40 in the same undated report. The club has been on the sale market, so check conditions. See the Treasure Hills course guide and Treasure Hills golf.

Rancho Viejo is about 21 minutes from Tony Butler, and El Angel, the friendlier of its two courses, makes a good third course for a Harlingen week. Our Harlingen golf courses guide maps out the full east side.

Before you go: a short checklist

• Call 956-216-5970 to confirm the current green fee and cart rate.
• Ask whether the nine-hole course is open.
• Ask how tee times are booked in season and how far ahead.
• In January to mid-March, book a morning time as early as the course allows, or plan on an afternoon round.
• If you are staying the season, ask about memberships and RV-park group rates.

Our Valley-wide guides can fill the gaps that Tony Butler Golf Course Harlingen leaves in its published information.

Where to stay

• Hampton Inn & Suites Harlingen: about 8 minutes from both Tony Butler and Treasure Hills, with free breakfast, guest laundry and a fridge in every room. From $97 for a king on a Sunday night in early November 2026 (seen October 2026; rates change).
• Fun-N-Sun RV Resort, San Benito: a very large 55+ Encore park about 11 minutes away, with mini golf only and rates by phone. Recent reviews are mixed.
• Llano Grande Resort, Mercedes: about 26 minutes away, with its own 18 and RV sites from $795 a month plus electric (seen October 2026).

For more parks with golf, see RV resorts with golf in the Valley, and for the winter routine, Winter Texan golf.

When to play

Tony Butler is busiest from January to mid-March, when the Winter Texan season peaks. November averages around 80F in the Valley and is one of the best months, with tee sheets filling by Thanksgiving week (November 26, 2026). After Easter, on March 28, 2027, crowds thin and tee times open up. Harlingen sits between McAllen and the coast, and the Harlingen-Brownsville side gets more drizzle and fog when fronts pass than the west Valley does. Valley summers bring highs in the upper 90s at McAllen; play at dawn.

Getting there

Harlingen's Valley International Airport (HRL) is the closest, with Southwest and seasonal nonstops from Minneapolis/St. Paul and, from December 19, 2026, Chicago O'Hare. See flights to McAllen for all three Valley airports.

Plan it on the map

Open the Rio Grande Valley golf map to see Tony Butler Golf Course Harlingen with Treasure Hills, Rancho Viejo and the nearby hotels and parks, with drive times between them. The $30 plan can fit Tony Butler into a short east-side trip, or build a whole winter stay with a weekly rotation that puts it on the mornings it is easiest to get on.