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TEXAS GOLF 2014
Fee is the cost of a greens fee and cart and tax for a prime Saturday tee time. Fees are from June 2013. Actual
rates may vary. To be eligible, a course must have been rated by eight panel members.
Rank Course
Location
Phone Designer
Year
open Fee
2013
rank
1
Black Jacks Crossing Lajitas
432-424-5080
Lanny Wadkins 2011 $97 4
2
Crown Colony
Country Club
Lufkin
936-637-8800
Robert Von Hagge,
Bruce Devlin
1979 $135 5
3
Pine Dunes Resort Frankston
903-876-4336
Jay Morrish 2001 $79 2
4
Barton Creek Resort
Fazio Foothills
Austin
512-329-4653
Tom Fazio 1986 $271 1
5
TPC San Antonio,
AT&T Oaks
San Antonio
210-491-5800
Greg Norman 2010 $215 12
6
Golf Club of Houston
Tournament Course
Humble
281-454-6590
Reese Jones,
David Toms
2005 $175 7
7
Old American
Golf Club
The Colony
972-370-4653
Tripp Davis,
Justin Leonard
2010 $162 9
8
The Lakes
at Castle Hills
Lewisville
972-899-7400
Jay Morrish 1999 $135 10
9
Wolfdancer
Golf Club
Lost Pines
512-308-9653
Arthur Hills 2006 $159 11
10
Barton Creek Resort
Fazio Canyons
Austin
512-329-4000
Tom Fazio 2000 $271 6
11
Butterfield Trail
Golf Club
El Paso
915-771-1031
Tom Fazio 2007 $80 NR
12
Palmilla Beach
Golf Club
Port Aransas
361-749-4653
Arnold Palmer 2008 $100 3
13
Horseshoe Bay Resort
Ram Rock
Horseshoe Bay
830-598-6561
Robert Trent Jones Sr. 1981 $162 8
14
Woodforest Golf Club
at Fish Creek
Montgomery
936-588-8805
Steve Elkington 2001 $90 NR
15
TPC Four Seasons
Resort Las Colinas
Irving
972-717-2530
x-Morrish, Nelson
y-Wiebring-Wolfard
1983 $195 13
16
TPC San Antonio,
AT&T Canyons
San Antonio
210-491-5800
Pete Dye 2010 $215 15
17
Horseshoe Bay Resort
Applerock
Horseshoe Bay
830-598-6561
Robert Trent Jones Sr. 1985 $162 17
18
Horseshoe Bay Resort
Slick Rock
Horseshoe Bay
830-598-2561
Robert Trent Jones Sr. 1971 $162 14
19
The Tribute The Colony
972-370-5465
Tripp Davis 2000 $140 18
20
Cowboys
Golf Club
Grapevine
817-481-7277
Jeffrey D. Brauer 2001 $196 16
21
Resort Course
at La Cantera
San Antonio
210-558-4653
Jay Morrish,
Tom Weiskopf
1995 $151 NR
22
Stonebriar Resort,
Fazio Course
Frisco
972-668-8748
Tom Fazio 2000 $173 20
23
BlackHorse Golf Club
North Course
Cypress
281-304-1747
Jim Hardy,
Peter Jacobsen
2000 $106 25
24
High Meadow Ranch
Golf Club
Magnolia
281-356-7700
Tim Nugent,
David Ogrin
2000 $84 NR
25
Barton Creek Resort
Palmer Lakeside
Spicewood
830-693-7581
Arnold Palmer 1986 $182 21
x-original design by Jay Morrish and Byron Nelson; y-redesign by D.A. Weibring and Steve Wolfard. NR-not ranked. No longer ranked: 19. Teravista GC,
Round Rock; 22. Augusta Pines, Spring; 23. Grey Rock GC, Austin; 24. Meadowbrook Farms GC, Katy.
TOP 25 MOST EXPENSIVE COURSES | $79 ANDABOVE
Fee is the cost of a greens fee and cart and tax for a prime Saturday tee time. Fees are from June 2013. Actual
rates may vary. To be eligible, a course must have been rated by eight panel members.
Rank Course
Location
Phone Designer
Year
open Fee
2013
rank
1
The Rawls Course Lubbock
806-742-4653
Tom Doak 2003 $65 3
2
Texas Star
Golf Course
Euless
817-685-7888
Keith Foster 1997 $77 7
3
Cypresswood GC
Tradition Course
Spring
281-821-6300
KeithFoster 1997 $77 10
4
The Golf Club
at Star Ranch
Hutto
512-252-4653
Bechtol Russell
Golf Design
2001 $69 15
5
Teravista
Golf Club
Round Rock
512-651-9580
Clifton, Ezell
&Clifton
2002 $69 NR
6
Links at Lands End Yantis
903-383-3290
George Williams 2001 $74 14
7
The Wilderness
Golf Course
Lake Jackson
979-297-4653
Jeffrey D. Brauer 2004 $63 4
8
Brackenridge Park
Golf Course
San Antonio
210-226-5612
x-A.W. Tillinghast
y-John Colligan
1916 $76 11
9
Diamondback
Golf Club
Abilene
1-888-545-6262
Charles Coody 1998 $62 NR
10
Cypresswood Golf Club,
Cypress Course
Spring
281-821-6300
Keith Foster 1988 $61 NR
11
Tierra Verde
Golf Club
Arlington
817-478-8500
Gary Stephenson,
Graham Panks, Intl.
1998 $69 8
12
Waterchase
Golf Club
Fort Worth
817-861-4653
Stephen D. Plumer 2000 $75 23
13
Columbia Lakes Resort West Columbia
979-345-7888
x-Jack Miller;
y-Tom Fazio
1973 $69 NR
14
Canyon Springs
Golf Club
San Antonio
210-497-1770
Thomas Walker 1998 $75 19
15
The Bandit
Golf Club
New Braunfels
830-609-4665
Keith Foster 1997 $69 16
16
Golf Club of Dallas Dallas
214-333-3595
x-Perry, Press Maxwell
y-Charles Coody
1953 $64 12
17
Tangle Ridge
Golf Club
Grand Prairie
972-299-6837
Jeffrey D. Brauer 1995 $65 18
18
Sienna Plantation Missouri City
281-778-4653
Arthur Hills,
Mike Dasher
2000 $69 NR
19
The Bridges
Golf Club
Gunter
903-696-0022
Jeffrey D. Brauer,
Fred Couples
2008 $70 NR
20
The Club at Concan Concan
830-232-4471
Bechtol Russell
Golf Design
2007 $70 NR
21
Garden Valley
Golf Club and Resort
Lindale
903-882-6107
John Sanford 1992 $63 20
22
The Golf Club
Fossil Creek
Fort Worth
817-847-1900
Arnold Palmer 1987 $70 21
23
WestRidge
Golf Course
McKinney
972-346-2212
Jeffrey D. Brauer 2001 $69 NR
24
South Padre Island
Golf Club
Laguna Vista
956-943-5678
Chris Cole,
Stephen Caplinger
1997 $78 9
25
Houston National
Golf Club
Houston
281-304-1400
Von Hagge,
Smelek & Baril
2000 $64 21
x-original design; y-redesign. NR-not ranked; No longer ranked: 1. Woodforest Golf Club, Montgomery; 2. Butterfield Trail Golf Club, El Paso; 5. Moody
Gardens Golf Course, Galveston; 6. Gleannloch Pines, Spring; 13. Avery Ranch Golf Club, Austin; 17. High Meadow Ranch Golf Club, Magnolia; 20. Wildcat Golf
Club, Highlands Course, Houston; 21. Houston National Golf Club; 22. The Falls Golf Resort and Club, NewUlm; 24. Wildcat Golf Club, Lakes Course, Houston;
25. RidgeviewRanch, Plano.
TOP 25 HIGH-PRICED COURSES | $61-$78
LAREDO Where could
there possibly be more fertile
groundtogrowthegamethanin
this border city of 244,000 that
until a year and a half ago had
just one public golf course and
one country club?
The Max A. Mandel Munici-
pal Golf Course or The Max as
it is known here is in position
to benefit from an explosion of
interest in the sport. It is The
News best new course in Texas,
and thats not just because it is
the only new course in Texas to
open since June 2012.
The Robert Trent Jones II
signature course is routed
through a forest of mature mes-
quite trees on a bluff overlooking
the Rio Grande about 14 miles
northwest of downtown.
Horacio De Leon envisioned
such a project 10 years ago when
he was the citys parks director.
De Leon, a 21-year city employee
who is now an assistant city
manager, saw the chance for the
dream to become a reality when
the economy tanked in 2007.
New golf course construction in
the United States had essentially
dried up even before the econo-
myhitbottom.
The worst of times became
the best of times for a municipal
project. The key pieces fell into
place:
I The water rights and 280
acres of land for the course were
donated by the family of Max A.
Mandel, a Laredo banker and
civic leader.
I Golf course architects were
eager for an opportunity to build
acourse from scratch.
The design industry was re-
ally hungry for jobs, De Leon re-
membered.
I The budget for the project
was $8.5 million, not a modest
figure, but not a figure likely to
have attracted the leading archi-
tects in less lean times. (For ex-
ample, the city of Dallas has
pledged $12 million for remedia-
tion and construction for the
Trinity Forest golf course in
South Dallas.)
I The proposals poured in
26 in all from the offices of
some of the best-known golf
course architects in Texas and
across the country.
Jones was chosen, De Leon
said, because he offered a good
plan, a challenging course and a
championship course, but also a
course a novice can enjoy.
Basically, were developing a
golf community in Laredo, said
De Leon, himself new to the
game.
Under director of golf Jorge
Flores direction, the course hosts
aprogram for 250 to 300 Laredo
middle school students.
Thedevelopment is basic eco-
nomics, De Leon said. Spend
money to make money. The golf
course is expected to spur devel-
opment and housing along
Mines Road, which is busy every
weekday with truck traffic head-
ing to and from the border.
The property is far out, but
because of the characteristics of
the land, the river, the water
rights, it made sense, De Leon
said.
Water rights were donated as
well as $1million from the Man-
del family, he said.
We got a golf course that is
valued at about $15 million for
about $10 million. Including the
clubhouse.
Its something well be
looking back years from now and
beproud of.
DeLeons words echoed those
of Laredo Mayor Raul G. Salinas
at the opening ceremony Oct. 21,
2012.
I believe this is a landmark
project for Laredo, all of South
Texas and even our friends in
Mexico, he said.
Jones, known for innovation,
juggled the desire to have a
championship course with the
charge to make it accessible for
beginners.
At 7,069 yards from the tips
(74.5 rating, 132 slope), the
course can be a handful. But it is
also playable from the other four
sets of tees ranging from 6,643
yards to 4,759. It was designed
with loops of three, six and nine
holes for teaching or for those un-
able to commit to 4
1
2 hours to a
round.
The course has integrity,
Jones said. When you mishit a
golf shot, youll be on the golf
course, not in somebodys pool or
barbecue.
For now, the only water to be
concerned about is a pond on the
par-5 17th and the Rio Grande on
four holes. The fairways and
greens on those four holes are on
a bluff overlooking the river, so
the shots arent as intimidating as
a few of the forced carries over
barranca.
Jones said his design philoso-
phy involves avoiding three toos:
toohard, too long to play and too
expensive. He could include a
fourth: too boring.
It should be fun to play, he
said.
Thegently rolling terrain and
generous fairways especially
to the right where beginners are
more likely to wind up in-
crease the playability. Jones also
incorporates options into the de-
sign, allowing the player to bump
and run or fly the ball to the
green. Players, he said, should be
able to use the aerial game and
the ground game, not one or the
other.
Peter Palacios, the South Tex-
as regional manager for Fore-
sight Golf, which manages the
course, is constantly amazed by
the peaceful setting.
You dont feel like youre in
Laredo, he said. Sometimes you
dont feel like youre in Texas.
Laredo course tests all comers
THE NEWS BEST NEW COURSE IN TEXAS
John and Jeannine Henebry
The par-4, 426-yard 18th hole at The Max in Laredo presents a challenge with a deep barranca on the left side and deep bunkers guarding the green. In a lean economic time, the course
drew bids from many top course designers, increasing its value to the Laredo community. Its expected to boost growth in its part of the city.
Top-ight players, novices alike are challenged
By MARK KAZLOWSKI
Staff Writer
mkazlowski@dallasnews.com
INTHE KNOW
Max A. Mandel
Municipal Golf
Course
Where: Laredo
Opened: Oct. 18, 2012. The
two-story Spanish-style club-
house on a bluff overlooking
the Rio Grande opened in
August 2013
Architect: Robert Trent Jones II
Head pro: Jorge Flores
Greens: Tif Dwarf Bermuda
Rates: $49.71 on weekends for
Laredo residents and $60.06
for non-residents.
Notable: Max A. Mandel was a
Laredo bank executive and
civic leader. His family donated
the land for the golf couse. ...
Laredo has one other public
course, the county-owned
Lake Casablanca. Laredo
Country Club is the other
course in town. ... Golfweek
ranked the Max No. 14 among
municipal courses in Texas in
2013.