My Big Texan Golf Holiday

Once upon a time when people wanted to escape pay-back time to the moneylender they packed their bags and put a note on their door “Gone to Texas”. It worked. In this century when people want a break from the everyday humdrum they pack their clubs, put a sign on their doors “Gone to Texas for a Golf tour” and it works even better!

With more than 700 fantastic courses to its name, Texas is a golf heaven for those who work the year so that they can have a no-holds barred golf vacation for a couple of weeks. Texans are famous for doing everything with panache and it is just as evident in its golf courses as the Austin music scene or the Rodeo. Texas golf is proud of its rich heritage and has produced some of the sport’s most famous competitors. The state’s mild climate and wide-open spaces make playing a pleasure for golf holiday makers and bring them in by car loads.

Most golf travel to Texas heads to the Dallas – Fort Worth area in Northern Texas to reap the fruits of the Golf Boom of the 1990s which resulted in a golfing explosion with several new daily-fee, resort or upscale municipals opening to the public. The Metroplex area boasts of ‘Uber-Golf’ as well as very affordable courses like the innovative NFL themed Cowboys Golf Club ($180) and the Tribute at The Colony in Fort Worth, rated one of the top courses in Texas by Golf Digest ($125 - $90). Designed by Tripp Davis ‘The Tribute’s 7,002 par 72 layout is a tough Scottish links style course that should figure on your golf holiday checklist for its tough, undulating greens and strategically placed bunkers that make the game interesting.

The Hill Country has earned the moniker the “Heart of Texas” by no design – it really is right in the middle, tumbling through the east-central region of the state. Mark a couple of days in your golf vacation for The Hill Country to play the best of Texas golf in the region’s rocky and rugged terrain.  The area boasts gems like the Pete Dye created ‘The Hills Country Club, ($128 -$103), The Fazio Foothills course at Barton Creek Resort & Spa ($205-$ 160). Other must play courses are Brackenridge Park Golf Course ($34) the first 18-hole public golf course in Texas and Bluebonnet Hill ($33 -$23).

Houston – the “Golden Buckle,” home to one of the most robust collections of daily fee golf in the U.S. provides some amazing golf as well. Make your golf tour memorable with a round at the Royal Oaks ($140 - $90); the Donald Ross designed River Oaks ($125 - $100) and The Memorial Park Golf Course ($48 - $37).