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Woodlake Golf & Country Club

The golf : Built by the fiery Scotsman Desmond Muirhead, Woodlake hosted the PGA Tour's Texas Open from 1972-76 and was the sight of Ben Crenshaw's first tour victory, which happened to be his first professional start out of college.
Muirhead was a landscape planner who became one of the game's most controversial architects, and his Woodlake design is known for its narrow fairways and well-protected greens that put a premium on shot-making. Although not always the most aesthetically pleasing feature, parallel fairways offer the chance to recover from wayward shots and are especially nice on the long par 4s, since you can try to drive it far without losing a stroke.
No. 5 is one of two notable par 5s, playing 515 yards with an approach into a green fronted by water and framed by sand. The 557-yard 18th is the signature hole, playing into the wind and bending to the right with water right, out-of-bounds left, and a creek that fronts the green.

The details : 210-661-6124. 6500 Woodlake Pkwy., San Antonio, TX 78244

• 1972. Desmond Muirhead. 18 holes. Par 72. Back - 6,691 (71.6/129). Middle - 6,228 (69.4/126). Forward - 5,305 (70.8/121). Price - $$.
  

Getting there : From I-35 north, take the Binz-Engleman Drive exit and turn right. When you come to FM 78, turn left and drive 3 miles to Woodlake Parkway. Turn right, proceed a short distance to the course, and look for the entrance on the left side of the street.