Golf in Texas
A big state with big golf, from the limestone hills around Austin and San Antonio to the championship municipals and private clubs of Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth. Two PGA Tour stops you can play, a clutch of the country's best private courses, and Hill Country resorts built for a stay and play week. The courses that matter, the regions, the season, costs and how to plan it.
Photograph: Whispering Pines Golf Club, via Google
Why golf in Texas
Texas does golf on its own scale. The state holds two regular PGA Tour stops the travelling golfer can actually play, the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio, home of the Valero Texas Open, and Houston's Memorial Park, a Tom Doak municipal that brought the Houston Open back to a public course. Add the Hill Country resorts of Omni Barton Creek and Horseshoe Bay, and there is more than enough accessible championship golf to build a serious trip around, in warm weather for much of the year.
Behind the courses you can play sits a roll call of the best private clubs in America. Whispering Pines near Trinity is regularly ranked the finest course in the state, Colonial in Fort Worth has hosted Tour golf since the 1940s, Champions in Houston staged a Ryder Cup and a U.S. Open, and Coore and Crenshaw's Trinity Forest reimagined what a Texas course could look like. The result is a destination with depth in every major city, where you base in one or two hubs, hire a car, and shape a trip around the Hill Country, Houston or the Dallas and Fort Worth metroplex.
The regions
The Hill Country
The heart of Texas resort golf, in the limestone hills and spring fed lakes between Austin and San Antonio. Omni Barton Creek, Horseshoe Bay, TPC San Antonio and La Cantera cluster here, making it the natural anchor for a stay and play week.
Dallas and Fort Worth
The northern metroplex, home to Colonial and its Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Coore and Crenshaw's Trinity Forest and the private heavyweight Dallas National. A city break with serious golf attached.
Houston and the Gulf Coast
Warm and humid, anchored by the public Memorial Park and its Houston Open, the classic Champions Golf Club, and Whispering Pines an hour and a half to the north. Mild winters make it a strong cool season base.
The wider state
Beyond the big cities, golf spreads from the coastal courses near Corpus Christi to the wide open layouts of West Texas. Distances are large, so most trips stay close to one or two of the major hubs.
The courses that matter
Whispering Pines Golf Club
Routinely ranked the best course in Texas, a secluded layout among tall pines, creeks and lakes near Trinity in the east of the state, about 90 miles north of Houston. Strictly private and notoriously hard to access.
Colonial Country Club
Fort Worth's storied club, home of the first bentgrass greens in Texas, host of the 1941 U.S. Open and, every May, the PGA Tour's Charles Schwab Challenge. Known to players as Hogan's Alley after its most famous member.
TPC San Antonio, Oaks Course
The Greg Norman design at the JW Marriott resort that has hosted the Valero Texas Open since 2010, with aggressive bunkering and demanding par 5s. A Pete Dye sister course, the Canyons, sits alongside it.
Memorial Park Golf Course
Houston's championship municipal, reimagined by Tom Doak with input from Brooks Koepka and reopened in 2019. It now hosts the PGA Tour's Houston Open and remains genuinely open to the public, a rare accessible Tour test.
Omni Barton Creek, Fazio Canyons
The headline course at Austin's Omni Barton Creek resort, a former Golf Digest America's 100 Greatest Public layout routed through the rugged Hill Country, one of four 18 hole courses on the property.
Horseshoe Bay Resort
Three Robert Trent Jones Sr. courses, Slick Rock, Ram Rock and Apple Rock, on the shores of Lake LBJ in the Hill Country, with the rugged Ram Rock among the toughest tests in the state.
Champions Golf Club, Cypress Creek
The Houston club founded by Jackie Burke and Jimmy Demaret, a Ralph Plummer design that hosted the 1967 Ryder Cup, the 1969 U.S. Open and the 2020 U.S. Women's Open. A classic, tree lined members course.
Trinity Forest Golf Club
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's treeless, links inspired layout on a reclaimed site south of downtown Dallas, a former host of the AT&T Byron Nelson and one of the most distinctive modern designs in the state.
Designers, opening years and access verified June 2026 from the courses and leading databases; several are private members clubs with limited or no visitor access, and access rules change. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking.
When to go
| Season | Conditions | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| March to May | Warm, settled and green, wildflowers in the Hill Country | Prime time statewide; comfortable golf before the summer heat arrives |
| October to November | Heat easing, dry and pleasant across the state | The other prime window, ideal for the Hill Country and the cities |
| June to August | Very hot and humid everywhere, often above 95F | Play early morning; good value but plan around the midday heat |
| December to February | Mild in the south and on the coast; cooler and the odd cold snap up north | Strong value season for Houston, San Antonio and the Hill Country |
Texas plays year round, but the summer heat is the thing to plan around. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable for a full golf trip, while the mild southern winters offer the best value of the year.
Indicative costs
| Item | Indicative 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Memorial Park, Houston | A genuine value round for a Tour host, higher for non residents | A municipal course; book ahead for weekend tee times |
| TPC San Antonio and resort courses | Premium resort rates, best as part of a stay and play | Often bundled into a JW Marriott or Hill Country resort package |
| Everyday city courses | Modest green fees for solid public golf in every major city | The backbone of an affordable Texas golf week |
| Private clubs | Access by member invitation only | Whispering Pines, Colonial, Champions and Trinity Forest are not open to visitors |
Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Green fees and resort rates move with season and demand. Always confirm directly before booking.
Getting there and around
Texas is too big to cover in one loop, so a golf trip is built around its cities. Austin and San Antonio anchor the Hill Country resorts and sit about 80 minutes apart, an easy pairing for a stay and play week. Houston serves Memorial Park, Champions and the Gulf coast, while Dallas and Fort Worth cover the northern metroplex and Trinity Forest. Each has a major international airport, and the practical move is to base in one or two of these hubs, hire a car, and keep the driving between courses sensible rather than trying to cross the state.
Where to stay
For the Hill Country, the resorts double as the base: Omni Barton Creek near Austin and Horseshoe Bay on Lake LBJ each put several courses and a hotel in one place, while downtown Austin and San Antonio's River Walk add city options nearby. In Houston, stay central for Memorial Park and the restaurants of the city; in Fort Worth, the Cultural District puts you minutes from Colonial. Book resort rooms and tee times together for the spring and autumn windows, when both move quickly.
Plan your Texas golf trip
Tell us whether you want a Hill Country resort week around Austin and San Antonio, a Houston or Dallas city break with golf, or a run at the Tour courses, and roughly when. One concierge secures the tee times, sorts the resort and the car, and costs the whole trip to the head, with no obligation.
Texas golf questions
What are the best golf courses in Texas?
Whispering Pines near Trinity is routinely ranked the best course in the state, though it is strictly private, as are Colonial in Fort Worth, Champions Golf Club in Houston and Trinity Forest in Dallas. For the visiting golfer the standouts you can play are TPC San Antonio's Oaks Course, host of the Valero Texas Open, Houston's Memorial Park, the Tom Doak municipal that hosts the Houston Open, and the Hill Country resorts of Omni Barton Creek and Horseshoe Bay.
When is the best time to play golf in Texas?
Spring, from March to May, and autumn, from October to November, are the most comfortable, with warm, settled weather and less of the brutal summer heat. Texas summers are very hot and humid statewide, so plan early tee times from June to August. Winters are mild and good value in the south, the Hill Country and on the Gulf coast, though the far north can catch the odd cold snap. Always check the forecast for your dates.
What is the best public or resort golf in Texas?
Memorial Park in Houston, a Tom Doak redesigned municipal that hosts the PGA Tour's Houston Open, and the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio, a Greg Norman design at the JW Marriott resort, are the standout accessible championship courses. For a multi course stay and play, the Hill Country resorts of Omni Barton Creek near Austin and Horseshoe Bay on Lake LBJ each offer several layouts in one place.
How much does golf cost in Texas?
It spans a wide range. Municipal and everyday courses across the major cities offer real golf for modest money, while the marquee resort rounds at TPC San Antonio and Omni Barton Creek and the private clubs sit much higher. Green fees move with season and demand, and the best value is often outside the summer heat. Figures are indicative, so always confirm directly before booking.
How do you get to the golf in Texas?
Texas is large, so a trip is built around its cities and a hire car. Austin and San Antonio anchor the Hill Country resorts and are about 80 minutes apart. Houston serves Memorial Park and the Gulf coast, and Dallas and Fort Worth cover the north. Each has a major airport, and most golf trips base in one or two of these hubs rather than trying to cross the whole state.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Texas course openings, Tour venue news and the booking windows that matter. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, access and seasons verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.