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Alpine Country Club

The golf : The Alpine C.C. is a charming 9-hole course that is routed around the pesky Kokernut Creek, which doesn't have much water in it. But the club is surrounded by a Grand Canyon-esque gorge that sucks in golf balls like a magnet.
This short course dates back to the 1940s and is highlighted by its greens, which are extremely small, dome-shaped, and in superb condition. Their unique shape means that no matter where they cut the hole, you'll never have a simple pin placement. The key is being aware that your bail-out area is always short of the green, enabling a chip from below the hole rather than from the side or behind the green. Chip shots that are close to being perfect, but not quite there, will skim by the hole and roll down off the green, often into a bunker, leaving a more pitiful predicament out of the sand.
No. 1 hits over the creek and plays straight away to the first mounded green. First-timers are more likely to struggle with the par 5 No. 3, since it's impossible to determine how to negotiate the creek and its surrounding gorge. Lay it up close and be ready to hit a solid second shot to carry it. Holes 7 and 8 offer back-to-back par 3s, with No. 8 being a tad bit better because it plays more downhill to a challenging target. No. 9 is the perfect finishing hole-a tight fairways lined by danger, playing into a larger green with tons of subtle undulations.
Much of the charm comes from the natural-rock clubhouse that sits below the hills and beside the wide Kokernut Creek bed. In those hills to the east lie a few interesting houses that overlook the course.
Alpine's pro shop is closet-sized but functional, offering only the basic amenities and cold beers for $1.50. The bar next door has a rowdy edge to it that must be experienced by any traveling golfer.

The details : 915-837-2752. 1601 N. Loop Rd., Alpine, TX 79830.

• 1947. Par 35. Back - 2,788 (33.7/115). Forward - 2,135 (34.3/109). Small, basic pro shop with clubhouse and bar attached. Practice putting green. Price - $.
  

Getting there : The clubhouse is located on Loop 223 (North Harrison St.), which intersects East Avenue E (US 90) and Texas 118 (heading toward Fort Davis). The clubhouse and course are clearly visible from Loop 223 to the west.