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.

    Greatwood Golf Club
    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.
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    Tournament Course at Golf Club of Houston
    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.
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    La Quinta at Quail Valley Golf Course
    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.
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  • 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.

    Lago Vista Golf Course
    The Lago Vista Course is Lago Vista resort’s original track, designed by Leon Howard in the late 1960s and renovated by Dave Bennett in 1992. The golf course has four water holes, more than 40 bunkers, and dramatic elevation changes of up to 100 feet.
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    ShadowGlen Golf Club
    Located just 15 minutes northeast of downtown Austin, ShadowGlen Golf Course is considered by locals to be one of the area's hidden gems. At 7,174 yards from the back tees, it is a long, tough course that will test even the most seasoned players. Some consider it to be the most difficult public golf course in Texas.
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    Avery Ranch Golf Club
    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.
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  • 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.

    Vaaler Creek Golf Club
    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.
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    Alsatian Golf Club
    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.
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    The Quarry Golf Course
    A piece of San Antonio was beautified in the early 1990s when Keith Foster drew the assignment to convert the old Alamo Cement plant from an abandoned eyesore into one of the most unique courses in Texas.
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  • 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.

    Grand Oaks Golf Club
    Grand Oaks Golf Club enjoys a peaceful, tranquil setting among century-old oak trees and an abundance of wildlife. The course is as challenging as it is scenic with tree-lined fairways and small greens that will test your accuracy. It may have a traditional design but there is still some bite to this round.
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    Cleburne Golf Links
    Cleburne Golf Links was built by Leon Howard, who designed the course in and around the hilly terrain of Lake Cleburne. The flat front nine plays to a par 35 and has some interesting holes, particularly the number one handicap No.
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    Country View Golf Course
    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.
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  • 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
    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.
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    Utopia Golf Course
    Utopia Golf Course is tucked away in the scenic Sabinal Canyon. It is a popular nine-hole course in an idyllic location that served as the inspiration for a book, which then became the movie "Seven Days in Utopia," starring Robert Duvall.
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    Sammy Baugh at Western Texas College Golf Course
    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.
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