They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that notion holds true for the story of golf in Texas. Today you can find close to 1,000 Texas golf courses. But Texas golf history began slowly with the Dallas Golf & Country Club opening in 1896 and the Austin Country Club, known as Hancock Golf Course, opening in 1899.
The golf legends “The Hawk” Ben Hogan, who stands the time as one of the greatest golfers of all time; and Byron Nelson, winner of 11 consecutive and 18 total tournaments in 1945, both hail from Texas. Golf in Texas also saw Nelson also became the first professional golfer to have a PGA Tour event named after him and has only been joined by Arnold Palmer with the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The tournament, presently known as the HP Byron Nelson Championship, is played at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The tourney notably donates more money to charity than any other PGA Tour event. The Texas golf world also hosts three other PGA Tour events: the Valero Texas Open, one of the longest-running events on the PGA Tour. Held this year at the TPC San Antonio AT&T Oaks Course; the Shell Houston Open currently played at Redstone Golf Club in Houston; and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial currently played at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.
Texas Golf
The Texas golf world is also home to many other golf greats, such as Lee Trevino, Ben Crenshaw, Harvey Penick, Tom Kite and Justin Leonard. It is also hard to talk of the history of golf in Texas without mentioning the golf coach great Harvey Penick and John Bredemus, the first and most renown Texas golf course architect. Penick, who coached the University of Texas golf team to 21 Conference championships, also co-authored the highest selling golf book ever published Harvey’s Penick’s Little Red Book in 1992.
Texas golf has continued to evolve over the decades and today is one of the three most popular states for new golf development over the last half decade, and according to the Texas Golf Association this has help to turn Texas golf into a nearly $7.5 billion industry annually.
Texas Golf Courses
Texas golf courses have something for just about every golfer, from the challenging terrain of the Texas “hill country” to the top-of-the-line golf resorts across the state. The Barton Creek Resort in Austin was ranked as the #1 golf resort in Texas by Golf Digest 2010 Reader’s Choice Award. Barton Creek is also at the top of the ranks as an environmentally friendly course, named by USA Today as one of the “Top 10 Places to go for the Green and Be Green.”
The smorgasbord of golfing pleasure in Texas can be enjoyed by every handicap and every budget. Golfers can enjoy Texas golf courses year round in most areas. It is wettest in March and April, and expect hot and humid summers across the state. But probably the most important thing for those golfing in Texas is to be prepared for the ever-present wind and therefore the preferred trajectory is low. And as for your time away from the links, Texas offers big city action, country relaxation, picturesque landscapes and, not-to-forget, amazing cuisine.
Austin Golf
When planning your Texas golf vacation, it is more than worth your time to look into the popular golfing destination of Texas’ state capital, Austin. Austin golfcourses have the nation’s best combination of near-perfect weather, famed course designs and architects, and affordable, accessible golf. This is affirmed by Austin golf courses and golf community garnering Austin the title “The Best Golf City in America” by CNN’s Golf.com teamed with their own Golf Magazine and the National Golf Foundation. Along with this many Austin golf courses receive countless noteworthy rankings by Texas golf organizations, national organizations, and various golf publications and news sources.
Austin Golf Courses
Austin golf courses have very much to offer and are spread out around the Austin area, usually separated by the ordinal directions, NE/NW/SE/SW, as many area Austin golf courses spread beyond the city limits. The city is found in the heart of Texas ‘hill country’ where the Austin golf courses are spread out over the area’s gritty rock-strewn hills and picturesque bluebonnet-laden slopes.
This environment and topography can be just as beautiful as foreboding, and Austin golf courses thrive around this scenery providing golfers with challenging and entertaining experiences of golf in Texas. And although you may have trouble deciding what kind of approach on that blind second shot at your group’s Austin golf course choosing, you more than likely will be content with the golf weather in Austin as its moderate climate allows golf year round.
San Antonio Golf
The San Antonio golf location in Texas gives it the rocky terrain of the ‘hill country’ in the north and northwest while in the south and eastern parts of San Antonio feature a more open and gently rolling terrain. To add to this engaging terrain variety of golf in Texas, San Antonio golf has a nice mixture of traditional and modern courses along with the very high-end to the very affordable. Golfers can also enjoy year-round golfing with the spring and fall being the most comfortable, but it is not uncommon to experience winter temperatures in the mid 70s.
Highlighting the recent boom in San Antonio golf courses are the newly-built J.W. Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and two TPC San Antonio golf courses, of which the AT&T Oaks Course designed by Greg Norman was the new host to this year’s Texas Valero Open.
San Antonio Golf Courses
Texas golf saw a boom of San Antonio golf courses being built beginning in the early 1990s. These construction efforts paid off as revamped and newly-built San Antonio golf courses brought about ForbesTraveler.com naming the city as one of America’s Top 10 Golf Cities. As well, the San Antonio golf course Brackenridge Park, created by famed golf course designer A.W. Tillinghast, recently became the home of the “resurrected” Texas Golf Hall of Fame.
Houston Golf
Houston may not be a city that many golfers think of when planning a Houston golf outing, and being the U.S.’s 4th largest city with an interstate, many golfers would pass over golfing in Houston. But Houston is a silent gem of Texas golf. There are more than 150 Houston golf courses to choose from, with many courses designed by some of best architects that would test the best of golfers. The Houston golf course Redstone Golf Club hosts one of the four PGA Tour events in Texas, the Shell Houston Open. This tournament is also known as the official warm-up for those looking to get in or get ready for the Masters, as it takes place the week before the most prestigious Major.
Houston Golf Courses
Houston golf courses offer a nice variety of landscape with the northern part of the city dominated by the East Texas Piney Woods and the southern part of the Houston metro extending into the coastal, wind-blown links-style golf.
Despite the city’s low elevation, many of Houston golf courses provide elevated tees and greens to add some varied challenges for golfers. But even more attracting for potential visiting golfers is that the winters in Houston are comparable to that of Orlando, but unlike Florida golf during this season, Houston golf is a bargain. And known as a great shopping and arts city, Houston will also provide some enjoyable activities for spouses and children.