DESTINATION GUIDE

Marvelous
mixture of popular, unknown makes Metroplex attractive

The 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 Metroplex area is now an amalgamation of classic Texas scenery and attitude with lavish consumerism. Fans of the "New Texas" and all the golf it has to offer don't seem to mind the stifling, 100-degree summer weather complete with 90-percent humidity. Snowbirds and native Texans alike have year-around golf temperatures and countless handsome courses to select from, too. In the summer just play as early in the morning as you can or as late in the afternoon to avoid the heat.

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The Oil Boom was replaced in the 1990s by the Golf Boom, which lead into the 2000s with more than 30 new daily-fee, resort or upscale municipals opening to the public. The hundreds of golf courses in the Metroplex area range from ultra-exclusive to downright economical. A member of the former group, the Preston Trail Golf Club, former host to the Byron Nelson Classic, is so popular that a member has to die for a spot to open. But this isn't even the priciest in Dallas. It has been moved aside as the most expensive private club by the brand-new Dallas National Golf Club, where Roger Staubach plays, and any open membership in the future might go for upwards of $175,000.

Other hot spots include the Cowboys Golf Club, the world's first NFL-themed golf course, and the Tribute at The Colony. On the eastern banks of Lake Lewisville in The Colony is The Tribute, a Scottish replica course that, unlike Scotland, has lush conditions. Born in Scotland, built in Texas, as they like to say.

A large portion of the Metroplex golf scene is made up by Fort Worth. This is where, as the locals claim, "the West begins," and a short drive from Dallas yields Glen Garden Country Club. Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan caddied here as teenagers and competed against each other in a caddie tournament. Colonial Country Club's prestigious Colonial National Invitational became know as the "Masters of the South" when it began in 1946.

Outside of the Metroplex area, visitors can find plenty of beautiful and lesser-known courses. Suburbs offer popular vacationing spots and beautiful courses. Waco may not be the most popular vacation spot in Texas, but the President seems to enjoy it. This Central Texas city on the historical Brazos River is where George W. Bush parks his airplane when he comes to visit his ranch, The Western White House, in nearby Crawford.

In the rolling hills of Denton County, 35 miles from downtown Dallas and 30 miles from downtown Fort Worth, Tour 18 offers fine versions of some of the nation's best courses. It recreates Augusta's Amen Corner, the island green at Sawgrass and the famous 12th at Tulsa's Southern Hills. More than 59,000 golfers a year play the course and play is so heavy in April, May and June that shotgun starts are used.

This marvelous mixture of the popular and unknown makes the Metroplex area one of the most popular ones for American golfers.

Metroplex Destination Guide

Dallas/Ft. Worth/Arlington/Irving