Spotlight

Palmilla Beach Golf Club

Don't get lost in the sand dunes at windy Palmilla Beach Golf Club in Port Aransas

The sand dunes are dramatic at Palmilla Beach Golf Club -- natural, wind-blown and rugged here next to the Gulf of Mexico. David R. Holland has more from Port Aransas.
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Tapatio Springs golf course - no. 2

Hill Country beauty: Tapatio Springs resort near San Antonio

The golf course at Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort & Spa in Boerne boasts a fresh new look in what was already one of the best settings in the state: the Texas Hill Country about a half hour northwest of the Alamo City. With a mixture of short and long holes, lots of twists and turns and plenty of water hazards and some elevation change, accuracy and being able to work the ball is a must.
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Palmilla Beach Golf Club - 6th

Palmilla Beach G.C. in Port Aransas: A rare Texas seaside course

Arnold Palmer Design's Palmilla Beach Golf Club in Port Aransas offers something rare in Texas: ocean views. The course isn't right next to the water but there are several vantage points where you can see the Gulf, and you can certainly feel its effects. Wind is almost always a factor and there's plenty of gorse to gobble up golf balls.
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Texas Golf Destinations

  • West Texas

    As the old saying goes, the harder you have to work for something, the more you appreciate it. This is applicable to West Texas' golf scene. Although miles outside of many of Texas' metropolitan areas, West Texas offers some incredibly attractive golf courses that many casual visitors may overlook.

    Horizon Golf Club (formerly Emerald Springs) is the place where Lee Trevino honed his trade in the big-money El Paso games of the 1960s. The layout winds through a housing community and features wide fairways and large, well-maintained greens.
    Utopia Golf Course is tucked away in the scenic Sabinal Canyon. It is a popular nine-hole course in an idyllic location that served as the inspiration for a book, which then became the movie "Seven Days in Utopia," starring Robert Duvall.
    Western Texas has been the municipal course of Snyder since the late 1970s. This 9-hole course, located on the grounds of Western Texas College, allows you to take full advantage of the West Texas winds, as most holes seem to play downwind.
  • Houston

    There's no denying the nation's fourth largest city has plenty to offer in terms of entertainment, restaurants and golf. In addition to three pro sports teams, thriving downtown theater and museum districts, loads of shopping and warm weather year-round, the Houston area boasts about 150 courses, the majority of which are public.

    The Arthur Hills/Mike Dasher-designed Sienna Plantation is a flat, wooded course that has been enhanced to provide elevation changes. The result is a challenging track that rolls between lakes, creeks, and the native hardwoods that dominate the landscape.
    The Carlton Gipson-redesigned Moody Gardens Golf Course is one of the most difficult tracks in Texas, universally considered one of the top five municipals in the state. The Gulf winds pound the course and water comes into play on every hole.
    Nestled along Lake Conroe in Montgomery, Texas, The Golf Club at Margaritaville Lake Resort is a self-contained retreat that offers outstanding golf, a variety of lake activities, and lodging in its 21-story hotel complex overlooking the lake. The Dave Marr-designed golf course at Margaritaville Lake Resort plays around 7,100 yards from the back tees. Pines and oaks line the fairways and the bunker-laden track is spiced up with waterfalls, fountains, lakes, and even an island tee box.
  • Austin

    Austin is known for its legendary music scene and beautiful Hill Country terrain and natural resources, like the Colorado River and the lakes that were spawned from it. The topography makes for a great golf canvas, and the city and surrounding area certainly have great places to play, whether it's resort golf, muni or quality daily-fee plays.

    Avery Ranch is one of Austin’s newest courses–it’s part of the Avery Ranch residential community, 20 minutes northwest of town, that was carved and blasted out of the rocky ranchlands along Brushy Creek. This historically significant area was once home to Indians and robbers, who were drawn to this beautiful setting thick with dense oaks, meandering creeks, and abundant wildlife.
    Designed by Dick Phelps, Forest Creek Golf Club has been named "Best Public Golf Course in Central Texas" by Golf Digest as well as "Golf Club of the Year" by Club Corporation of America. Phelps' design features plush, narrow fairways, and its namesake Forest Creek that comes into play on 11 holes.
    Located inside the Rockin' J Ranch community deep in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, Vaaler Creek Golf Club is a Michael Lowry/J.R. Newman design that features breath-taking vistas of the rolling countryside and live oaks. Golfers who book tee times at Vaaler Creek G.C. can expect beautiful water features and expertly placed bunkers.
  • The Dallas Metroplex

    The Dallas Metroplex area has never had a problem with attractiveness. The Oil Boom brought great wealth here and Yankees by the multitudes continue to move to Texas to escape the cold winters of the North. The Dallas area is now an amalgamation of classic Texas scenery and attitude with lavish consumerism.

    The Fred Couples Signature course is the centerpiece of the Bridges at Preston Crossing. The golf course sprawls across rolling hills that most don't associate with north Texas. Mature trees dot the lush meadows, sliced with ribbons of tall native grasses. The parkland layout has a fair amount of challenges and it is especially tough on a windy day.
    Frisco Lakes Golf Club is a part of the Del Webb Frisco Lakes Community, just north of Dallas. The front nine of the course is interwoven with the community itself while the back nine sprawls across open countryside.
    Tangle Ridge Golf Club's location near Joe Pool Lake is favorable because of the elevation changes that spice up this well maintained public course. The course offers some outstanding holes, highlighted by impressive bentgrass greens that putt true. In addition to the elevation changes, Jeff Brauer's design features generous fairways lined by thick brush and huge trees.
  • San Antonio

    More than 26 million people visit San Antonio each year. And while most of them know that the Alamo City is indeed famous for its nickname mission that has inspired several movies, San Antonio offers so much more when it comes to tourism, not the least of which is its golf. With several first-rate golf resorts in and around the city, San Antonio just might be Texas' best golf destination, especially when you consider all the other things to do.

    A piece of San Antonio was beautified in the early 1990s when Keith Foster drew the assignment to convert the old Alamo Cement plant from an abandoned eyesore into one of the most unique courses in Texas.
    The 18-hole Lakes/Creeks at Hill Country Golf Club in San Antonio, TX is a resort golf course that opened in 1993. Designed by Arthur Hills, Lakes/Creeks at Hill Country Golf Club measures 6931 yards from the longest tees.
    The Golf Club is Lee Trevino's only Texas signature course, located in the historic Briggs Ranch and created to be friendly for the average golfer. This open course rolls through a nice Hill Country setting, is loaded with oaks, yuccas, and wildflowers, and features water on eleven holes.