Texas is one of America’s premier golf destinations, and it’s significantly underrated on the national stage. With year-round playing conditions across most of the state, an extraordinary range of terrain from Hill Country to Gulf Coast, and world-class courses across every price point, Texas offers more golf variety per square mile than almost any other state. This guide covers the best golf courses in Texas — public, private, and resort — across the state’s major regions.
Why Texas Golf Deserves More Recognition
Texas has hosted some of golf’s most significant moments: multiple US Opens at Riviera Country Club (before Riviera was associated with Los Angeles), the Byron Nelson Championship (now AT&T Byron Nelson), the Texas Open — one of the PGA Tour’s oldest events — and The Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio. The state produced legendary players including Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Lee Trevino, and more recently Jordan Spieth.
Beyond tournament prestige, Texas golf is characterized by its scale. Courses here tend to be spacious, the par 4s long, and the par 5s genuinely reachable for big hitters. Wind is the great equalizer — across most of Texas, wind conditions can transform a manageable scorecard into something far more humbling.
Best Public Golf Courses in Texas
Barton Creek Fazio Canyons — Austin
The Fazio Canyons course at Barton Creek Resort is consistently ranked among the top 10 public courses in Texas and is the standout of the resort’s four layouts. Tom Fazio’s design works through dramatic limestone canyons in the Texas Hill Country, with elevation changes and natural rock outcroppings creating one of the most visually striking rounds in the state. Hole 12 — a downhill par 3 playing 170 yards to a green perched above a canyon — is as memorable as anything in Texas golf. Greens are fast and true, and the conditioning is resort-quality throughout.
TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course) — San Antonio
Home of the Valero Texas Open, TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course is a Pete Dye design that plays to a formidable 7,435 yards from the back tees. Dye’s signature features are all here: island-influenced greens, railroad tie bulkheads, and a routing that makes full use of the Hill Country terrain. It’s a genuine test of major-championship-calibre golf, and the course is in excellent condition year-round as a TPC property. The companion AT&T Canyons Course offers a slightly more forgiving alternative.
Cowboys Golf Club — Grapevine
An NFL-themed course that somehow manages to be genuinely excellent golf rather than a gimmick, Cowboys Golf Club is styled around Dallas Cowboys imagery with jerseys in the rough and helmet flags on the greens. The course design, however, is legitimately strong — rolling terrain, well-positioned hazards, and greens complex enough to challenge any handicap level. For golf visitors to the Dallas area, it offers a memorable experience without sacrificing quality.
Whispering Pines Golf Club — Trinity
About 90 minutes north of Houston, Whispering Pines is consistently ranked the top public-access course in Texas and one of the top 100 in the country. The Tom Fazio design winds through a forest of loblolly pines, with natural topography providing drama that belies its East Texas location. Conditions are impeccable, greens are fast and contoured, and the routing creates a genuine sense of isolation from the outside world. Booking ahead is essential — tee times fill weeks in advance.
Comanche Trace — Kerrville
Set in the Texas Hill Country southwest of San Antonio, Comanche Trace is a Tom Kite/Roy Bechtol design that plays through juniper canyons and along the Guadalupe River. It’s less well-known than the Barton Creek and TPC properties but consistently delivers a top-tier experience at more accessible pricing. The par-4 10th — a dogleg right with the river flanking the entire right side — is one of the more beautiful risk-reward holes in the state.
Best Private Golf Courses in Texas
Austin Country Club — Austin
Perched on a bluff above Lake Austin with sweeping views of the Hill Country, Austin Country Club is the crown jewel of Texas private golf. The Pete Dye and Perry Dye redesign completed in 2022 transformed an already outstanding layout into a genuine world-class test. The views from the back nine are among the best on any course in the country. Host of multiple PGA Tour stops and consistently ranked among the top private courses nationally.
Colonial Country Club — Fort Worth
One of the most historically significant courses in American golf, Colonial has hosted the Charles Schwab Challenge (formerly the Colonial Invitational) since 1946. The course is famously demanding — tight fairways lined by trees, small greens, and a challenging stretch known as the “Horrible Horseshoe” (holes 3, 4, and 5) that has humbled the world’s best. Ben Hogan won the event five times here, and the course remains a true test of shotmaking over power.
Preston Trail Golf Club — Dallas
Men-only membership policy aside, Preston Trail is one of the finest golf courses in the American Southwest. Ralph Plummer’s design is a classic parkland layout with mature trees, undulating fairways, and greens that reward precision over power. The course is immaculately maintained and offers a traditional, unhurried golf experience that contrasts with the modern resort-style courses that have proliferated across the state.
Best Budget Golf in Texas
Texas punches above its weight for affordable public golf. Municipal courses in Austin (Hancock Golf Course — one of America’s oldest — and Jimmy Clay), Dallas (Stevens Park, Cedar Crest), Houston (Memorial Park Golf Course, recently redesigned to Tour quality at under $50 green fees), and San Antonio (Mission Del Lago, Brackenridge Park) all offer genuine golf experiences at accessible prices.
Memorial Park in Houston deserves special mention: a restoration and redesign project completed in 2020 transformed this historic municipal course into a genuine test of championship-calibre golf at remarkably low green fees. It’s one of the best value courses in the entire country, and the Houston Golf Association supports continued public access as a priority.
Texas Golf by Region
Austin/Hill Country: The most scenic golf in Texas. Limestone canyons, cedar-covered hills, and dramatic elevation changes define a handful of the best layouts in the country. Barton Creek, Whispering Pines, Comanche Trace, and Austin CC are the highlights.
Dallas/Fort Worth: Home to Colonial, Cowboys Golf Club, and a dense concentration of both private and public courses. The terrain is flatter than Hill Country but conditions and design quality are consistently high.
San Antonio: TPC San Antonio brings Tour-level golf to the public, complemented by strong resort options. The city also has excellent affordable golf on historic municipal layouts.
Houston: Memorial Park’s redesign elevated Houston’s golf profile significantly. The city has a strong private club scene and increasingly high-quality public options.
Gulf Coast/South Texas: Coastal wind is the defining factor on courses from Corpus Christi to South Padre Island. The conditions can be extreme, but they produce some of the most strategic golf in the state.
Planning a Texas Golf Trip
The best time to visit Texas for golf is October through April, when temperatures are comfortable across most of the state. Summer heat in Central and South Texas (regularly above 100°F/38°C) makes midday golf punishing; if visiting in summer, book early morning tee times. The Hill Country around Austin and Kerrville is most pleasant in March–April and October–November, when wildflowers bloom and temperatures are ideal.
For a multi-course Texas golf trip, Austin paired with a visit to Whispering Pines (a 90-minute drive from Houston, manageable as a day trip) creates an exceptional itinerary. For those interested in comparing destination golf across the South, our regional guides to best golf courses in California and best public courses in Florida offer similar breakdowns for the major Sun Belt golf states.
The Bottom Line
Texas golf is one of America’s best-kept secrets. From the world-class Hill Country layouts around Austin to Tour-quality public access at TPC San Antonio and Memorial Park, the state offers exceptional golf across every budget and style preference. The combination of year-round playability, diverse terrain, and Texas-scale ambition makes it one of the most rewarding golf destinations in the country.
