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

  • 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.

    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 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.
  • 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 Wildhorse Golf Club is the first of three planned courses for the Robson Ranch Community outside of Denton. Designed by architect Gary Stephenson, the course opened the second nine in October 2002.
    Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay designed the Golf Club at Twin Creeks (named after the two creeks that run through the course) to integrate with five strategically placed lakes that come into play. For the most part, the fairways here are generous, rolling peacefully toward large, undulating greens.
    Riverside Golf Club is appropriately named. The course sits in a floodplain along the Trinity River with water in play on seemingly every hole. This is a combination links-style/traditional layout that is surprisingly difficult for a municipal course. Great holes abound on the Roger Packard layout, which requires the rare combination of length and accuracy when playing from the tips.
  • 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.
    The 18-hole Rawls Course at Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX is a public golf course that opened in 2003. Designed by Tom Doak, Rawls Course at Texas Tech measures 7349 yards from the longest tees and has a slope rating of 139 and a 75.
    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.
  • 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.

    Parlaying the successes of the Dallas-area Tour 18, Houston's version of America's greatest holes has become one of Harris County's most popular golf destinations. This one takes advantage of the Southeast Texas pines, with towering trees lining every hole, and the impressive conditions that have made both Tour 18s popular with the public.
    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.
    Greatwood is known for its white sand bunkers and impressive par 3s, three of which play right at or over 200 yards. The 1989 Carlton Gipson design features elevated tees and greens that sandwich plush fairways and are contoured with mounds.
  • 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.

    Built along Lake Travis in 1971, Point Venture was the first course in Leander, but has been overshadowed since the opening of Crystal Falls. The course has 9 holes that meander through a residential development and is loaded with dogleg holes and mature trees.
    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.