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Article Excerpt
If you've ever made a 6 A.M. tee time or played golf through a drenching spring rain, you know golf is tool more than a game. It's a passion. Right here in Texas we are blessed with nearly ideal golf weather much of the year, but the rewards and memories of traveling with family or friends to a golf destination can last a lifetime. So grab yore clubs, slather on some sunscreen, and head out to another part of Texas--or another state--to soak in the spring sun, cement friendships, close a business deal, or simply enjoy a few hours of private time on the links.
texas
Texas remains a golfer's heaven. Endless skies, warm spring days, glowing burnt-orange sunsets, and miles of carpeted fairways from one end of the state to the other all but guarantee a memorable round of golf. From our own home-grown version of Pinehurst in East Texas to the Ultimate Hideout in the West Texas desert, every Texas golfer can find a favorite course. We even have golf courses for football and hockey fans.
PINE DUNES RESORT & GOLF CLUB
159 Private Road 7019 Frankston
903-876-4336
pinedunes.com
The tall pines and dogwoods may make you think you've landed in Pinehurst, North Carolina, but Pine Dunes Golf Club in the East Texas town of Frankston is firmly rooted in Texas. Built by a team of entrepreneurs who recruited architect Jay Morrish and PGA Tour player David Frost to join their cause, the course is a convincing version of Augusta National with a Texas twist. Only 90 minutes southeast of Dallas, it's a blast to play, at 7,117 yards and par 72. Morrish thinks Pine Dunes' par threes are his best; so far, no one is arguing.
THE WESTIN LA CANTERA RESORT
16641 La Cantera Parkway, San Antonio
210-558-6500, 800-446-5387
westinlacantera.com
Love roller coasters? Then you'll never want to leave La Cantera's Resort Course in San Antonio, once you've played the 80-foot vertical drop of Hole 7. Overlooking the Six Flags Fiesta Texas theme park (and its roller coaster), No. 7 is a ride like no other. Built by architects Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish and opened in 1995, the par-72 Resort Course is pure fun; it's been called one of the best tracks in the country. Looking for a risk-reward challenge? La Cantera's Palmer Course, opened in 2001 and designed by Arnold Palmer, winds across 225 acres with more than a handful of difficult holes and far-reaching views of the Texas Hill Country. Both the Resort and Palmer courses are open to the public for daily fee play.
BLACKHORSE GOLF CLUB
12205 Fry Road, Cypress
281-304-1747
blackhorsegolfclub.com
The layout of Houston's BlackHorse Golf Club is carved out of rolling land with trails that wind along tree-framed creeks and lakes and through an old sand quarry. Both the North and South courses offer six sets of tee boxes to choose from.
LAJITAS, THE ULTIMATE HIDEOUT
HC 70, Box 400, Lajitas
432-424-5000
lajitas.com
At the Mexico-Texas border town of Lajitas, developer Steve Smith has laid down the law: Golf now rules at this 7,042-yard Bechtol Russell design along the Rio Grande. Called the Ambush at Lajitas, the course starts out flat and easy and increases in difficulty until you really do feel ambushed. In the middle of virtually nowhere, Lajitas stays true to its moniker, "The Ultimate Hideout." Hole 11A is a bonus hole, a par one on the Mexico side of the Rio Grande. The green funnels balls toward the hole, making an international hole-in-one a real possibility. Make sure you snag one of the 2,500 rounds played at Lajitas each year.
DALLAS STARS COUNTRY CLUB AT
STONEBRIDGE RANCH
7003 Beacon Hill Road, McKinney
972-529-5992
clubsatstonebridgeranch.com
The Stanley Cup-winning Dallas Stars took a Pete Dye layout in McKinney and rechristened it the Dye Course at Dallas Stars Country Club at Stonebridge Ranch. That's more than a mouthful, but golf at this high-end, private club (with daily fee public play) is worth every word. Stars memorabilia and replica trophies adorn a newly renovated clubhouse. The sister Hills Course, designed by Arthur Hills, is no slouch either.
COWBOYS GOLF CLUB
1600 Fairway Drive, Grapevine
817-481-7277
cowboysgolf.com
What do the Cowboys know about golf? Plenty, if you consider that the team is now a big player in the golf business. Cowboys Golf Club, oil the shores of Lake Grapevine, just north of DFW International Airport, was the first NFL-themed golf course ha the world. Cowboys memorabilia decorates the clubhouse, and golf carts are named for past and present Dallas players. What about the golf? The course is fantastic.
CHAMPIONS GOLF CLUB
13722 Champions Drive, Houston
281-444-6449
championsgolfclub.com
Georgia has Augusta National, California has Pebble Beach, and Houston has Champions Golf Club, a...
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