Thursday, September 24, 2009

San Antonio -- Texas's Best Golf Courses

A state that is associated more with sand and oil than lush greens and quiet, relaxing fairways, Texas is a big surprise when it comes to quality of golf courses. The layouts here are consistently recognized as among the best in the country -- here we look at some of the Texas courses for golf vacations and golf trips.
Pecan Valley
Pecan Valley is known all over the country as one of the best course for golf vacations -- a huge percentage of players aren’t actually San Antonio residents. This makes the feel at the club very welcoming for out-of-towners. It is fairly standard in terms of length, challenge and playability, with a par of 71 over a course length of 7,010 yards. The slope rating is 131, and the player ratings note aspects like yardage management and bunker negotiation as areas where the course develops your skills. The many trees and water are designed to test your navigation skills, and patience!
The Republic
This golf club is highly rated by members, but yet to be recognized in any major golf holiday magazines. The course has been called beautiful, and is consistently said to be in great shape, despite being in one of the driest states in the U.S.! There are some difficult holes, and some confidence boosters, and staff at the club are said to have excellent service standards. It has quite a standard length and par, 71 over 7,070 yards.
La Cantera
One of Tom Weiskopf's additions to the Texan landscape is La Cantera, which opened in 1995 to such fanfare that the historic Texas Open came to play at the young upstart club! Golf Magazine and Golf Digest have both recognized La Cantera as among their favorites, listing it as either a top public access course, or a best 'new' course. For golf holiday planners, it also has spectacular views and good proximity to other San Antonio attractions.
Canyon Springs Golf Course
Andrew Peterson is the golf professional at Canyon Springs, one of Golf Magazine's top 100 courses for 2000. It is said to be challenging, beautiful and fast, with huge rough and moderately fast greens some of the stand out features. The Texan scenery can let the club down at times … but the course itself is a dream for people looking for a good golf trip.

Phoenix and Scottsdale -- Arizona's Best Golf Courses

Despite the fact that Arizona has quite a reputation as a state of stunning but sandy scenery and grass that is more long and tufty, than pristinely manicured, it is actually home to some of the finest golf courses in the country. Arizona golf is an absolute pleasure when you play at one of these courses -- we look at the top five in the state.

The Silverleaf Club
The Silverleaf Club and Arizona golf course was named Golf Digest's top rated Arizona golf course in the 2005-06 awards, and was among the top 100 residential courses in Golfweek in 2005. It was designed by Tom Weiskopf, and took only three years after opening to gain such great recognition in the golf magazines. Par for the course is 72 at this Arizona golf facility, which is 7,267 yards long
Stonecreek
Named for what is memorable about the Arizona landscape, Stonecreek golf course is slightly shorter than Silverleaf, but only 1 point lower on the par, for a total of 71. Reviews of the course are mixed, with some players building it up to be a Troon status course (more on that in a second!), and some being utterly disappointed by all the hype. It was designed by Arthur Hills and has a longer history than many clubs in the area, hosting Arizona golf players since 1979.
Grayhawk
Grayhawk Arizona golf course may be one if the priciest in the state, but it is consistently one of the highest rated. The earlier tee times are quite inexpensive, but the price rises steeply even a few minutes past the earliest tee times. It ranked in Golfweek's top 100 residential courses in both 2000 and 2002, and among the best public access courses in Arizona for 2005. Players note the challenging Fazio layout, the reasied green complexes and wide fairways as well as the fall off on most sides.
Troon North
The Arizona golf course here was also designed by Tom Weiskopf, like Silverleaf, and is quite challenging, with a par of 72 for a total length of 7070 yards. A swag of awards from 2000 ranging up to 2006 has been won by Troon, and member reviews are glowing.