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

  • 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.

    La Quinta Course, one of the two regulation courses at Quail Valley, is a typical regulation course, slightly more difficult than El Dorado because of the water in play on 10 holes.
    The 9-hole Palmetto Course at Longwood Golf Club in Cypress, TX is a semi-private golf course that opened in 1995. Designed by Harry Yewens and Keith Fergus, Palmetto Course at Longwood Golf Club measures 3240 yards from the longest tees and has 4 sets of tees for different skill levels.
    The 18-hole Tournament Course at Golf Club of Houston in Humble, TX is a public golf course that opened in 2005. Designed by Rees Jones, Greg Muirhead and David Toms Tournament Course at Golf Club of Houston measures 7425 yards from the longest tees. Greens and fairways are bermuda grass.
  • 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.
    Meadowbrook Golf Course, whose original 18 holes dates back to circa 1930, offers 36 holes of golf with its Canyon and Creek Courses. Ralph Plummer laid these out back in the 1940s, Warren Cantrell put his signature here in 1955, then Bob Lohmann came along for another renovation in 1988.
    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.
  • 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.
    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.
    Built by Don January in 1979, Pine Forest Golf Club in Bastrop, Texas provides a true golf adventure through sneaky elevation changes and red bluffs, with blind tee shots and holes along the Colorado River.
  • 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.

    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.
    Known as one of the best golf values in the San Antonio area, the Alsatian Golf Club offers an outstanding golf experience for a town of 2,700. This well-designed links-style track takes full advantage of the terrain, making use of every possible variation in elevation.
  • 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.

    Designed by PGA Pro and fomer Texas Longhorn Mark Brooks, Southern Oaks is a very tough test of golf. Tipping out at over 7,300 yards to a par 71, it has lightning-fast greens highlighted by very extreme undulations. And while multiple tees offer shorter distances, average golfers will still struggle to have decent rounds on Brooks’ first design.
    Ron Garl came to Lancaster, Texas in 1989 to build Country View G.C., a truly unique course. No. 7 is the most difficult hole -- a long dogleg right with water in play off the tee and in the fairway.
    From the fairways of Irving (formerly known as Twin Wells), you can see the skyline of downtown Dallas–a nice aesthetic for this fun, user-friendly municipal. The course is mostly an open, links-style design, although a few holes that roll along the Trinity River favor a traditional-style on the back nine.